Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, June 15
Jun 15, 2009
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Citizens raises roof on policies
Thousands of homeowners in Volusia and Flagler counties could lose their wind-only home insurance if their roofs are too old or damaged.
Insurance rates bill heads to Gov. Crist
The early and ardent promise from Gov. Charlie Crist to hold down property insurance rates will be tested in a bill that arrived on the governor’s desk Friday.
Column: Don’t bet the (State) Farm
The State Farm Bill, which would allow Florida’s largest property insurers to charge whatever they want, finally got to Gov. Crist on Friday. Here’s another story that explains why the governor who wants to be a U.S. senator should veto House Bill 1171. And Gov. Crist is part of this story.
State Farm, Community Brace for Crist’s Decision
Company employs 1,700 in Winter Haven, insures over 46,000 in Polk.
When Shannon Gomez was a little girl, she couldn’t wait to be old enough to work for State Farm.
Florida OIR’s Szypula Becomes First to Receive Regulation Designation
An employee of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation earned the distinction of being the first regulator in the country to attain the Senior Professional in Insurance Regulation (SPIR) designation.
Study: Hurricane’s toll would hit $18.8 billion in Hillsborough
Here are highlights from recent projections on how the Hillsborough County economy might fare after a Category 3 hurricane.
Emergency Operations Center gives St. Lucie County an edge
St. Lucie County officials knew their 7,500-square-foot bunker of an Emergency Operations Center was undersized and low-tech.
Crist Signs Legislature’s Parameters for Historic Gaming Compact with Seminole Tribe of Florida
Estimated to provide billions of dollars to support education
Governor Charlie Crist today signed Senate Bill 788, relating to gaming, which outlines the Legislature’s parameters for a 15-year compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that will maximize funding for K-12 public schools.
Governor Crist Signs Legislation Strengthening Florida’s Seaport Security
Governor Charlie Crist today signed House Bill 7141 strengthening Florida’s international trade by increasing worker access to Florida ports while maintaining strict security standards.
Chiles family backs off threat to sue Florida
The son of late Gov. Lawton Chiles says a $700 million loan from an endowment fund named for his father “probably is legal” and he’s backing off a threat to sue the state.
Longtime conservative Bill McCollum drifts to middle
With a reputation as a conservative crusader during 20 years of voting in Congress for pro-life, gun rights and business issues, Bill McCollum is an unlikely candidate to follow the moderate political path set by the man he hopes to replace as governor, Charlie Crist.
Kendall‘s Rep. Anitere Flores a state prospect
She could be the Sarah Palin to Bill McCollum’s John McCain.
John McCain endorses Bogdanoff in Florida Senate race
State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, was one of John McCain’s earliest and most outspoken supporters in last year’s presidential campaign; now that she’s seeking a promotion to the Florida Senate, McCain is returning the favor.
Galvano, Reagan may compete for state Senate seat
State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, announced Friday that he will run for the state Senate, rather than for the post of state attorney general, which he had said he was considering.
Meek vows aggressive Senate campaign against Crist
Democrat Kendrick Meek on Saturday promised a hard-charging U.S. Senate campaign that will make Charlie Crist sweat.
Longtime homeowners face big tax hikes
There’s a flip side to Save Our Homes. With property values falling instead of rising, many longtime homeowners may suddenly get hit with big tax increases.
When they tear open their tax notices this fall, longtime South Florida homeowners are in for a jolt.
Wachovia report: Florida hit harder by recession
The worst of the recession likely has passed in most of the U.S., but Florida is on a more difficult road to recovery, according to a new report from Wachovia Economics Group.
White-collar crime, securities fraud increasing on the Treasure Coast
When Frank Carfagna decided to invest half of his retirement savings in a new business run by long-time acquaintance James William Downing, a handshake and a signed agreement were enough to put his mind at ease.
Column: Unwise pro-growth laws make Florida Hometown Democracy more likely to pass in 2010
Our state is divided into two camps.
Florida Keys agency to discuss Everglades, Florida Bay
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will discuss resolutions on Everglades restoration and the Florida Bay at its meeting Tuesday.
Resolutions on issues affecting Everglades restoration and possible Florida Bay management will be considered at Tuesday’s meeting of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council; the panel, meeting in Marathon, also will hear a report on how a potential rise in sea levels could affect the Florida Keys.
Childers’ prison time up this week
The bantam rooster of a bygone era in Florida politics and a Pensacola political patron of enormous influence will fly the coop this week, but his legal fight goes on.
Obama to offer broad rewrite of market rules
President Obama is ready to roll out an overhaul of the intricate rules and systems that govern America’s troubled financial institutions, proposing the most ambitious revision since the Great Depression.
Hearings Set On Regulatory Reform Proposals
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will outline the thinking behind the Obama administration’s regulatory reform proposals Thursday in rare consecutive hearings before the Senate and House financial services committees.
Property/Casualty Insurance Industry Not Systemically Risky, NAMIC Will Tell Key Congressional Panel
The property/casualty insurance industry has remained strong and solvent through the current economic crisis and poses no systemic risk to the nation’s economy: that’s what the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) will tell members of a congressional subcommittee this week.
Louisiana Citizens Depopulation Portal Closes on June 15
The Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s property insurer of last resort, says the Web site portal insurance agents use to authorize the transfer of policies to private insurers is slated to close June 15.
Texas Windstorm Insurer Extends Residential Waiver Surcharge
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association recently notified agents that its waiver surcharge program for residential dwellings has been extended to Sept. 1, 2009.
Insurer USAA admits to shifting costs to NFIP in Katrina case
An insurance company admitted to shifting its costs to the federal National Flood Insurance Program in the first wind versus water damage case from Hurricane Katrina to reach Mississippi’s high court.
Texas State Farm refund amount, if any, up in the air
$1 billion. $350 million. $0. Depending on whom you believe, that’s what State Farm Insurance owes its 1.2 million customers in Texas for overcharging on homeowner policies dating to 2003.
Attack Near Oman Shows Bandits Are Expanding Their Reach
Pirates commandeered a cargo ship in the territorial waters of Oman, dramatically extending their area of operation and threatening for the first time shipping in and out of the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
Hammered by the Market, Allstate Is Set for Recovery
The “good hands” folks at Allstate were dealt a bad hand over the past five quarters: A crash in the fixed-income market battered the bond portfolio backing Allstate’s life-insurance and annuity businesses, wiping out about 40% of the company’s net worth.
Workplace Injuries Rise After Daylight Savings, Researchers Find
“Beware the ides of March” was the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play about the Roman Emperor. These days, the phrase has taken on the ominous meaning that something bad is about to occur on or around March 15.
NAIC Names First Distinguished Scholar in Insurance Regulation
Mary A. Weiss, Ph.D., has been selected as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) first Distinguished Scholar in Insurance Regulation. This new appointment by the NAIC signals an increasing emphasis toward enhancing its research capabilities in insurance regulation.
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