Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, January 11
Jan 11, 2010
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Jacksonville-based Zurich Insurance Services’ president resigns
Zurich Insurance Services Inc.’s president and chief operating officer, Steve Peeters, resigned from the company Friday.
Blog: Fla. State Sen. Aronberg wades into emergency management dustup
Sen. Dave Aronberg, attorney general hopeful, is wading into the recent dustup at the division of emergency management.
Hurricane center will issue its warnings earlier
Advances in predicting a hurricane’s path will give residents more warning of an approaching storm. The will increase the lead time for storm watches and warnings by 12 hours in the 2010 season.
Hillsborough land preservation effort hinges on bond debt insurer
Hillsborough County officials are exploring two options they hope will allow them to preserve a 20-square-mile swath of property without breaking their land-buying bank.
Floridians have freedom to order basic medical tests
Hundreds of laboratories in Southwest Florida and elsewhere in the state may perform basic medical tests that consumers can order without their doctors or insurance carriers ever finding out, courtesy of the state passing a law last year that opens the door for consumers to have such freedom.
A state health insurance project boosted by Gov. Charlie Crist got off to a slow start in its first year, but the governor isn’t giving up on it.
UF students may have to get health insurance
Whether by the federal government or the state, University of Florida students could be required to carry health insurance.
Column: Something’s got to give in Fla. government retirement system
First, they came up with the idea of making all state employees pay for life and health insurance; not exactly fair, but understandable because of today’s hideous budget outlook.
Two of Florida’s economic engines are sputtering in the cold
The frigid new year is delivering a one-two punch to a pair of Florida’s largest economic engines — citrus and tourism — at a time when the state’s economy is reeling from the housing crisis and high unemployment.
- Freeze mauls Florida citrus, damage reported
- Prolonged Cold Weather Is Taking Toll on Wildlife in Florida
Survey: M&A to pick up in Florida in first half
Merger and acquisition activity in Florida remains stagnant but market experts predicted it will pick up in the first half of 2010, according to a survey released Dec. 8.
Stanford case may toughen Florida’s banking laws
Eleven years after Florida regulators gave billionaire Allen Stanford unprecedented approval to open a rogue financial center in Miami, lawmakers are pushing to ensure it never happens again.
Proposed smog regulations would net 29 Florida counties
Under new smog regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, hundreds of counties nationwide — including Bay, Holmes and Santa Rosa — would be in violation of ozone standards.
Fannie Mae relaxes rules for Florida condos
Florida’s condominium market is getting some attention from Fannie Mae, which is granting “special approval” status to hundreds of condominium properties.
Former drug smuggler’s data mining project benefits investigators, scares privacy experts
At any one time, some 750,000 pedophiles are prowling the Internet, the United Nations says.
Blood banks under microscope as leaders go before Florida lawmakers
There are six major blood banks in Florida, and dozens of top executives who run the multimillion-dollar nonprofit organizations.
Blog: Atwater says ‘difficult road’ ahead on Fla. state budget
In a memo to his fellow senators, Senate President Jeff Attwater , R-North Palm Beach, warns of a “difficult road that still lies ahead” on the state budget.
Miami-Dade fights rejection of slots in MIA terminals
Miami-Dade County is refusing to back down from its bid to install slot machines at Miami International Airport, with the matter now apparently headed to court.
Crist supports $3.2M request to retrain aerospace workers
At a roundtable meeting of space industry leaders, Gov. Charlie Crist promised to support a $3.2 million request from the Brevard legislative delegation for Brevard Workforce to retrain aerospace workers.
Rivals challenge Thrasher as pick for Fla. GOP chairman
Despite several high-profile endorsements, state Sen. John Trasher is not a shoe-in to be the next Republican Party of Florida chairman.
Column: Seven Florida election races worth watching
2010 is shaping up to be a busy political year.
Fla. GOP Congressional hopeful jabs at rival by revealing money issues
When Republican congressional hopeful Joe Budd brings up his past financial woes, he’s hoping to draw attention to the finances of GOP primary rival Ed Lynch.
Blog: Armando Gutierrez’s big haul in Fla. Congressional race
GOP congressional candidate Armando Gutierrez of Orlando is backing up a stream of endorsements with healthy campaign finances.
Blog: Sanchez gearing up for Fla. District 58 run
Fresh off his honeymoon in Thailand this week, Democrat Gilberto Sanchez says he’s ready for a campaign blitz in the few weeks remaining before the special primary election for the District 58 state House seat on Jan. 26.
As Florida Republicans struggle to define their future, a towering figure from the past has returned to call the shots.
Former Fla. House Speaker Sansom: Committee will meet to consider legislative misconduct
A House committee that will determine whether or not Ray Sansom should be sanctioned for legislative misconduct will review his testimony before a Leon County grand jury.
Movers show state population growth stalled in 2009
The collapse of the country’s housing market and the associated nationwide recession combined to eliminate more than 800,000 jobs in Florida and prevent retirees in other states from selling their homes and moving here, experts say.
State Farm Seeking 19.1 Percent Statewide Rate Hike in Louisiana
State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., Louisiana’s largest homeowners insurer, has asked insurance regulators for a rate increase that would average 19.1 percent statewide.
Sammis Named Interim Maryland Insurance Commissioner
Elizabeth “Beth” Sammis has been appointed Interim Maryland Insurance Commissioner, overseeing the regulation of Maryland’s $26 billion insurance industry.
Oxendine, Barnes money leaders in governor’s race
Friday was a dollar deadline in the race for Georgia governor as the crowded field of candidates faced a key hurdle: demonstrating they can raise enough cash to go the distance.
Cincinnati Financial founder Robert Schiff dies
Cincinnati Financial Corp. said Monday that Robert C. Schiff, a company founder who retired from the property and casualty insurer’s board in 2004, has died. He was 86.
Trio of NASA craft will boost climate data
NASA heads into 2010 with the bittersweet assignment of retiring the space shuttle after nearly three decades.
Opinion: In state-federal conflicts, the Supremacy Clause wins
Last week the Herald-Tribune reported that Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum was considering a challenge to the pending federal health care reform legislation on the grounds that it would conflict with the privacy clause in Florida’s state constitution.
Texas insurance chief to consider rule limiting insurers’ ‘discretionary’ clauses
Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin said Friday that he will consider a proposed rule that would eliminate the blanket authority of health and disability insurers to determine what their policies cover and don’t cover in Texas.
Moody’s Says Reinsurers’ Soft Pricing Makes Them Vulnerable
Moody’s Investors Service said reinsurance firms’ credit profile may be weak and their potential share repurchase activity could mean problems with catastrophe losses.
Insurance Fraud Rises As State Bureaus’ Budgets Fall
State insurance fraud fighting bureaus are seeing a significant spike in fraud cases while trying to manage with lower budgets and staffing in the downturned economy of 2009, according to a survey by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.
Terrorism Not Impacting Airline Insurance Rates, Brokers Say
Neither an attempted terrorist attack nor the lowest airline fatalities in more than 60 years is likely to dramatically impact airline insurance rate trends, according to brokers.
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