Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, June 28

Jun 28, 2010

 

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Weiss Ratings:  Floridians have greatest selection of home insurers

Eight companies control only 38.4% of State’s market share

In most hurricane-prone states(1), homeowners have few choices of insurance coverage, with just eight property and casualty insurers in each state controlling up to 77.2 % of the market share, according to Weiss Ratings, the nation’s only provider of independent insurance company ratings.

 

Security First’s Locke Burt:  Many in hurricane-prone areas aren’t ready

You’ve seen the news stories, and you probably think you’re “really” ready. When you think of hurricane preparation, supplies and boarding up windows immediately come to mind.

 

Bring on drywall lawsuits:  Lawyer calls Miami case a ‘bellwether’ for victims

Victims of noxious Chinese drywall are making progress in court, in part because of a bombshell document uncovered by a Florida lawyer.

 

Slip-and-fall suits to lose traction in Florida

A piece of chicken brought Tyrin Cherry to his knees.  Literally.  And it could cost KFC $20,000.

 

Suspected ‘staged’ accidents to bilk insurers surge in Florida

The number of suspicious auto accidents are believed to have been staged or deliberately caused by criminals in Florida has increased a dramatic 58% in a one-year period, according to a study by an insurance fraud group that analyzed questionable claims

 

Palm Beach County school district pulls pain clinic ads

A South Florida mother is upset Palm Beach County schools accepted $3,300 from a pain clinic in exchange for advertising on campuses.

 

Unsealed complaint slams WellCare

Florida Office of Insurance Regulation actuary found nothing wrong with a WellCare’s Cayman reinsurer subsidiary

The complaint that launched a federal investigation of WellCare Health Plans four years ago by a whistleblower within the company has now been unsealed, and the picture it paints of the state’s largest Medicaid HMO contractor is grim.

 

Hundreds of new Florida laws go into effect Thursday

A raft of new rules enacted by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Charlie Crist will affect nearly everyone – college students, teachers and parents, motorists and even horse owners.

 

Special session on oil drilling a no-go

Remember that early-summer drumbeat for a special lawmaking session to pass a constitutional ban on oil drilling?

 

U.S. Supreme Court’s corruption ruling draws notice in Florida

A U.S. Supreme Court decision this week limiting a key tactic federal prosecutors use to fight public corruption drew notice here in Florida amid several investigations tied to political figures.

 

Column:  Bennett and Crist clash

State Sen. Mike Bennett and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist are on opposite ends of an issue once again.

 

Rick Scott and his role in Columbia/HCA scandal

As he meets Republicans around Florida, Rick Scott, the new front-runner in the Florida governor’s race, has been greeted with applause — and with blunt questions about his past

 

UCF First in Fla. to Start Online Carpooling Network

The University of Central Florida is becoming the first college in the state to offer an online carpooling network.

 

Oxendine Sill Georgia GOP Favorite Despite Insurance Donations Probe

A state probe into insurance industry contributions funneled to Republican John Oxendine is turning into a drawn-out saga, which opponents are trying to use to cast an ethical …

 

Law issued to regulate Islamic insuranc in Abu Dhabi 

Abu Dhabi’s Ministry of Economy issued a law on the Islamic insurance system (Takaful) to regulate the work of Islamic insurance companies in the country.

 

Who did the New Orleans drywall settlement favor? The jury’s still out

Dozens of attorneys packed the New Orleans courtroom of U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon on Thursday in New Orleans to discuss the latest on the Chinese drywall litigation.

 

New York Times:  Natural Disasters Happen. Will Your Home Be Ready?

The oil spill wreaking havoc in the Gulf of Mexico may be capturing your attention at the moment. But the odds are far greater that a natural disaster – a hurricane, wildfire or windstorm, for instance – will affect you.

 

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