Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, June 14
Jun 14, 2010
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Blog: State-backed Citizens Property Insurance grows by 107,000 policies
In the past four months, Citizens Property Insurance took on 107,511 new policies.
Florida gives insurance companies some slack
Florida regulators have agreed to allow a once-troubled property insurer to enter hurricane season prepared not for a big hurricane, but multiple smaller ones.
Former state House member Perry McGriff, a Gainesville insurance agent, will file this week to run against Republican Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Cross Creek, McGriff announced Monday.
Florida Certifies Updated AIR Hurricane Model
AIR Worldwide is reporting the certification of its 2010 U.S. Hurricane Model by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology.
Citizens Chairman Jim Malone: Florida still needs to reform property insurance
State still needs insurance reform
Earlier this month, Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed Senate Bill 2044, delivering a crushing blow to the state’s ability to effectively manage the financial impact of future catastrophic storms.
Hoped-for changes won’t come to pass as bill is vetoed
A veto by Gov. Charlie Crist and drops in surplus capital are creating worry about business insurers’ ability to pay future hurricane claims.
Florida drywall bill gives power to appraisers
A new law designed to give a tax break to struggling homeowners with Chinese drywall may come with some unintended consequences.
Crist uses tobacco’s nemesis in oil spill
Steve Yerrid loves the water. And he loves a good legal fight. Now the Tampa-based lawyer who once kicked Big Tobacco’s legal butts has his sights set on the company responsible for the nation’s biggest oil spill ever.
Blog: Crist suggests Florida suffers due to Louisiana’s embrace of oil
Gov. Charlie Crist, appearing Sunday morning on Face The Nation, disagreed with criticism by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour over the government’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.
Florida, Mississippi AGs Putting Pressure on BP
Attorneys general in Florida and Mississippi are upping the political pressure on BP over the oil gusher that is threatening their states and the entire Gulf Coast.
Blog: How has Florida spent BP millions?
With BP delivering millions delivering millions to Florida – $58 million to be exact – and political leaders asking for more, one current office holder has stepped up efforts to make the process of how the money is spent more transparent.
Former CEO of Broward Health Now Managing Louisiana’s Health Response to Spill
Maybe managing the massive, notoriously incestuous North Broward Hospital District wasn’t enough of a challenge for Alan Levine. He left that post in December 2007 to become secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
Piece of oil rig washes up on Florida beach
A piece of wreckage that appears to be from deep-sea rig that exploded in April in the Gulf of Mexico has washed up on a beach in Florida about 190 miles from the site of the disaster, officials said Saturday.
State candidates flocking to Pensacola to see oil spill insist they’re not campaigning
The sight of politicians has become as normal as the tourists, the tar balls and the TV crews on Pensacola Beach.
Tight pollution limits proposed for canals
The Hillsboro Canal slices through the sugarcane fields south of Lake Okeechobee and heads east through the houses and strip malls of Parkland, Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach. Empty plastic bottles, candy wrappers and other trash litter the banks. An occasional wading bird pokes for food in the black water.
Florida mortgage brokers face stricter licensing rules
Those working in one of the state’s hardest-hit professions – mortgage brokers – will soon have to prove they have paid their bills and avoided foreclosure and bankrutpcy if they hope to do business in Florida.
Wasserman Schultz enters banks-versus-merchants battle over debit card fees
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, has jumped into a debate with financial implications for the banking industry – which employs her husband as a loan officer at a Broward bank.
Cape Coral’s building industry has new leader
CEO focused on which direction city should grow
Heather Mazurkiewicz is ready to build. She doesn’t frame walls, swing a hammer or install plumbing, but she is committed to building a stronger community for everyone who does.
Florida Supreme Court looks into wrongful convictions
It was 2003, and this is how it started in Florida: Sheila Meehan had dozens of boxes stacked in her Tallahassee garage filled with letters and legal paperwork from hundreds of Florida inmates who claimed they were innocent and that DNA tests would prove it.
Blog: Greer asks for delay in civil lawsuit, reveals new details
Indicted former GOP Chairman Jim Greer is asking a judge to put his civil lawsuit against the Republican Party of Florida on hold until his criminal case is finished.
Blog: Crist allies removed from RPOF board
More fallout from Charlie Crist’s party switch: The 10 at-large members of the state GOP executive committee appointed by the governor have been removed. Since he’s no longer a Republican, the governor no longer gets appointments.
News Release: Associated Industries Endorses Marco Rubio
Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) today announced its endorsement of former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, Republican candidate for United States Senate.
Blog: Cops endorse Sink, Putnam, Adams, others
The labor union that represents law enforcement and corrections officers has issued endorsements for a handful of offices, including governor.
Abortion veto puts Crist in the middle
Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed the ultrasound abortion bill and drew the ire of anti-abortion advocates as well as some Democrats
Gov. Charlie Crist rejected a controversial abortion bill Friday, using his veto pen to repudiate the conservative Republicans who elected him and championed the legislation as ”the most significant pro-life measure in Florida’s history.”
Debate over Arizona immigration law may influence Florida politics
Two separate polls last week highlighted the pivotal role Hispanic voters and the issue of immigration may play in Florida politics this year. A poll from Quinnipiac University showed that Floridians favor passing a tough immigration law similar to Arizona’s by a 55-34 percent margin.
Boyd facing anti-incumbent sentiment in race for 2nd District
In any other year, a bland 14-year congressman with plenty of campaign cash and a winning track record in a politically safe district would not have to work hard for re-election.
Column: You’re being lied to about Fair Districts
Politics is full of lies. However, rarely is a lie so provably debunked as the one that opponents of Fair Districts are spreading.
Calif. Voters Reject Auto Insurance Measure, Prop 17
Voters in California rejected a proposition that would have allowed insurers to apply continuous coverage discounts to drivers in the state.
Oklahoma Insurance Department asks insurers to delay canceling coverage until repairs complete
A backlog of storm-related repairs has prompted state Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland to ask insurers not to cancel the coverage of affected Oklahoma homeowners until those repairs are complete.
Chinese drywall maker appeals federal judge’s ruling
A Chinese manufacturer that shipped more than 150,000 sheets of drywall to a Virginia supplier has appealed a federal court decision awarding $2.6 million in damages to local homeowners.
Federal judge approves $72M Hartford insurance settlement
A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement under which The Hartford Financial Services Group will pay $72.5 million to 21,000 people nationwide who alleged the insurer engaged in fraud in settling their injury claims
New Mexico names acting insurance regulator
The Public Regulation Commission has selected Johnny Montoya to serve as New Mexico’s acting insurance regulator.
Treasury Seeks Terrorism Insurance Comments
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is seeking comments on the long-term availability and affordability of terrorism risk insurance.
Surplus Lines Writers Welcome Possible End to Waiting for Reforms
While most of the U.S. financial sector frets over the sweeping provisions of the financial reform bill that may now be steaming toward passage in Congress, surplus lines insurers and brokers have eyes for one long-awaited section of legislative language that could make a huge change in their industry.
Is insurance industry next takeover target?
Proposal in Congress puts feds in middle of catastrophe claims
The federal government, in its efforts to take over health care, auto companies, Wall Street interests and student loans and talk about plans for imposing new mandates on talk radio, the Internet and oil companies, isn’t ignoring the insurance industry.
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