Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, July 30

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Crist wows Democratic audience in Broward

TAMARAC — Even U.S. Rep. and condo king Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, played second fiddle this afternoon as Republican Gov. Charlie Crist visited a Democratic condominium stronghold here and got an enthusiastic response.

 

No more rhetoric, just the facts please

In a letter sent to editorial boards across the state and highlighted in recent news reports, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty commented on the policyholder savings anticipated from the January 2007 special session on property insurance.

 

Regulator, insurers debate insurance rates

Industry: The real issue is hurricanes

Something far more than rates is at stake in the recent debate over “savings” for insurance companies from expansion of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. The critical question is whether reinsurance from the Catastrophic Fund is all a company needs to protect its policyholders and pay claims.

 

Commissioner: Where is consumer relief?

Florida’s policymakers faced a formidable task as the Legislature convened for the January 2007 special session: to develop a strategy to handle the insurance crisis.

 

Insurance: Take sides, and numbers

As usual, the property insurance battle in Florida is over numbers – one set of numbers that’s real, and one set of numbers from the insurance industry.

 

Insurance reform issues still lingering

It’s been about six months since the Florida Legislature passed an insurance reform package. While the savings that arose from the reforms are becoming clearer, the future of insurance costs remains even less clear.

 

Little insurance relief for businesses

South Florida’s business owners, like homeowners, aren’t seeing relief from soaring windstorm rates.

What may be around the corner for them: rates that could double or even triple. Some insurers covering commercial property, including shops, restaurants, hotels and offices, have requested rate increases ranging from 142 percent to 225 percent. The state has 34 recent filings from 10 insurers, most from the Hartford Financial Group companies.

 

Insurance reform clarifies savings but not costs

It’s been about six months since the state Legislature passed an insurance reform package, and while the savings that arose from the reforms are becoming clearer, the future of insurance costs remains even less clear.

 

Insurance rates still an issue for condo owners

Insurance and property-tax reform were the subjects of special sessions of the state Legislature, and they are still major issues for Broward County condominium owners.

 

Ask Action Line:  Wind inspection doesn’t require insurance coverage

• Q:I’m calling about the free, wind-mitigation inspection program, My Safe Florida Home. Action Line on July 19 said that any owner of a single-family, site-built, detached home is eligible. But when I called, I was told that I’m ineligible because I don’t have homeowners’ insurance. When I asked where I might find a private inspector, nobody knew anything.

 

Atlantic tropical storms more than doubled in a century in 2 sharp steps

The number of tropical storms developing annually in the Atlantic Ocean more than doubled over the past century, with the increase taking place in two jumps, researchers say.

 

This session should be fun

Florida’s upcoming legislative session on budget cutting ought to be, well, pretty special. The third extra session of the year will occur in an increasingly tense political atmosphere — with House Speaker Marco Rubio last week blistering fellow Republican Gov. Charlie Crist in print on two separate occasions.

 

Crist defends new energy plan

Gov. Charlie Crist dismissed Republican concerns that his ‘green’ energy plan will cost consumers.

ST. PETERSBURG — Republican leaders are worried that the governor who built his popularity by trying to put more money in residents’ pockets will be forcing Floridians to take some back out if electric bills go up under a new energy plan.

 

Facing term limit, Geller opens committee

Despite being forced from office next year due to term limits, Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller has started raising money for a new committee of continuous existence (CCE) called Floridians for a Stronger Tomorrow.

 

Panel suggests ways to increase and keep kids in KidCare

Some parents should be able to pay for state-subsidized health insurance for their children through automatic paycheck deduction, a panel said Monday as part of a series of recommendations on how to boost enrollment in KidCare.

 

‘No-fault’ nearing dead end

Requirement for insurance would cease in October

In October, for the first time in more than three decades, it will once again matter in Florida who’s at fault in car crashes.

 

Florida legislators want more children’s health insured

But some say expected session for budget cuts isn’t time to expand program

TALLAHASSEE Her child’s asthma attack last year awakened Jocelyne Chery, of Miramar, to the high costs of medical care for her family.

 

High time to rake that ‘ugly pig’ over the coals

When Linda South became secretary of the Department of Management Services and inherited the People First! system six months ago, she called it “an ugly pig.”

 

Hey, big spenders

Legislators will learn about budget-cutting

As leaders of the Florida Senate and House last week announced plans to call a special session of the Legislature in September to deal with an expected state budget shortfall, there was no hint of a sense of irony from either. There should have been.

 

Crist’s big gambles pay off — at least, so far

TALLAHASSEE — The immediate gratification of Gov. Charlie Crist’s optimistic makeover of Florida is hard to deny.  In just seven months, he demanded a plan to cut insurance rates, oversaw the largest tax cut in state history, froze college tuition and put Florida in the forefront of efforts to stop global warming.

 

Fearing 1st Amendment Lawsuit, N.H. Town Scraps Insurance Requirement

Faced with a possible First Amendment lawsuit, selectmen in Jaffrey, New Hampshire have rescinded their new guidelines requiring people or groups holding events on town property to buy $1 million insurance coverage.

 

USAA Seeks 53.9% Jump In Homeowners Insurance

TAMPA – Florida insurance regulators have vowed to lower home insurance rates, but insurance companies aren’t making it easy.

 

4 Arrested In Auto-Insurance Scam

TAMPA – Four Tampa residents were arrested Wednesday in connection with an auto-insurance scheme in which medical clinics reportedly paid patients to receive treatment they didn’t need, then billed insurance companies.