Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, June 29
Jun 29, 2009
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Citizens debates new insurance rates
When Florida lawmakers approved a major insurance bill this spring, a key part of the debate focused on 10 percent rate increases for customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Citizens puts off decision on rates
Florida’s largest property insurer has delayed a vote on pending rate increases.
Citizens Property challenged on replacement costs
Pasco policyholders continue to pepper officials with questions about the way Citizens Property Insurance Corp. calculates the replacement cost of homes, which affects premiums.
Insurance agents having to consider life after State Farm
As the company leaves the Florida property insurance market, a generation of agents who once aspired to sell policies for the firm are moving on to other options.
Working side by side with his father, Matt Carlucci Jr. aspired to become a third-generation State Farm agent.
Insurance Bill Veto Override Unlikely
When Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a major insurance bill last week that had strong support among lawmakers, insurance companies and major Florida businesses, speculation began immediately that the Legislature could override the governor’s veto.
Column: There’s a storm brewing, this one man-made
Without legislative action this spring, policyholders of Citizens Property Insurance faced a Jan. 1 end to their three-year rate freeze and the reckoning of a requirement that the state-run insurer-of-last-resort start charging “actuarially sound” rates.
Column: If Big One hits, the state could go bankrupt
The notion’s so damn bleak, it must have been imagined by Victor Hugo.
Column: Florida badly needs solution to homeowners’ insurance woes
Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill last week that would have allowed insurance companies free rein in setting homeowners’ insurance rates.
Homeowners Choice Provides Comments on Crist’s Veto of HB 1171
Departure of State Farm Insurance Would Provide Opportunities for Other Insurers
Homeowners Choice, a Florida-based provider of homeowners’ insurance, today commented on the veto by Florida Governor Charlie Crist of Florida HB 1171, legislation that would have allowed companies like State Farm Insurance to offer unregulated property insurance rates.
Letter: Stop bailing out insurance industry
Please allow competition in the insurance industry and stop bailing them out.
There’s gold in them there walls: The business of tainted drywall
What do environmental laboratories, building contractors, chemical manufacturers and air quality technicians all have in common? All these businesses are hoping to be the ones to come up with a million-dollar answer that will solve the tainted Chinese drywall problem and to secure a share of the potentially lucrative remediation of thousands of homes across the country.
Click it or ticket begins Tuesday in Florida
Katina Beverly of Jacksonville was taught years ago to always wear a seat belt, whether as a driver or a passenger.
Florida Keys ill-prepared for rising sea
Despite being called ‘ground zero’ for sea-level rise in the United States, the Florida Keys have lagged behind the rest of South Florida in planning for the potentially massive problem.
Treasure salvors searching for an 18th-century wreck in the Florida Straits a few years ago made a fascinating but little noticed discovery.
State still lets Central Florida’s sludge foul Everglades, critics say
The foul waters of Lake Okeechobee, the failing health of the Everglades and even sick dolphins along the South Florida coast might seem like troubles so distant they could hardly be the Orlando area’s responsibility.
Pensacola pier funds to be diverted elsewhere
Ivan-damaged structure will not be repaired
A natural gas pipeline to Pensacola Beach; phase I of a wastewater treatment plant in Midway; a $4 million expansion on the South Santa Rosa Recreation Center: these are some of the alternate projects the City of Gulf Breeze wants to pay for with Hurricane Ivan recovery grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency instead of repairing the city’s fishing pier.
What will carbon caps cost Florida?
Figuring how much a new cap-and-trade system might cost the average Floridian and who will win and lose in business proves as complex and controversial as the climate.
Crist signs bill to battle securities fraud
On the same day Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years for his involvement in a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme that left thousands financially devastated, Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law a bill that gives Florida’s top law enforcement officer new tools in the battle against securities fraud.
New state laws take effect July 1
On July 1, a yearly ritual takes place in Florida: a crop of new laws passed by legislators and signed by the governor takes effect.
Some believe Seminoles will balk at pulling blackjack out of casinos
Is the noose tightening around Seminole Casino Immokalee’s blackjack tables, or will they remain in play?
State’s revenue collections beat forecast
For three years, collections had been overestimated. Some say it’s an indicator the recession is slowing.
A report was released this week showing that state revenue was up in May, this following the 16 percent increase in existing housing sales between May 2008 and May 2009, and it may be one more indicator the recession has begun to slow.
Data suggest more moving out of Fla.
Once the dream of many a retiree and young person seeking to live in paradise, the prospect of living in Florida seems to be less attractive in the current economic downturn.
Growth’s house of cards falls hard on Flagler County
From the center of the Grand Landings subdivision – a 1,500-acre project carved into the sand and scrub of Flagler County – you can sit all afternoon and never hear the ka-chunk of a single nail gun.
Officials await Crist’s decision on water rights
Florida’s water management districts are poised to act quickly if Gov. Charlie Crist signs a controversial bill that would give staff members working behind closed doors even more power to grant lucrative water rights.
Editorial: Prison reform efforts ramping up
Criminal justice reform has long been a cause championed by civil libertarians. Now that business leaders, taxpayer watchdogs and law-enforcement veterans in Florida have joined in, Gov. Charlie Crist and legislators have no good excuse for ignoring this imperative.
Special investigator: Grounds to sanction Sansom
The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Ray Sansom’s dealings with a Panhandle college has concluded that there is probable cause that the former speaker of the House violated House rules and could be sanctioned.
Space program’s scope, and difficulty, shown from Cape to the moon
Pushing the proverbial boulder uphill that’s America’s space program gets tougher every day, especially with President Obama’s blue ribbon panel holding hearings on NASA’s future.
Florida candidates scramble to show fundraising prowess
With a Tuesday deadline looming, candidates have been scrambling to raise money — desperate to build impressive bank balances in time for the first public demonstration of their fundraising prowess.
Three Catastrophe Measures Introduced In U.S. House
Three House bills have been introduced to provide federal funds through several programs to assist homeowners, businesses, public officials and first responders in preparing for disasters.
U.S. House: Prompt Action On SL/Re, Agent Licensing Bills
Bills modernizing and reforming regulation of the surplus lines and reinsurance industries and streamlining nonresident insurance agent and broker licensing could be acted on by the full House next month, according to industry officials.
Surplus Lines, Reinsurance Streamlining Bills Introduced in Senate
Legislation aimed at streamlining and reducing barriers in state regulation of surplus lines insurance and reinsurance has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.
New House Bill Would Permit After-Market Crash Parts Use
Legislation that would clear the way for the use of auto parts from after-market suppliers for collision repairs was introduced Thursday in the House and Senate.
Cat Bond Market Still Seeking Collateral Solution
Insurers are still seeking a universal solution to weaknesses in catastrophe bonds exposed by Lehman Brothers’ collapse, though structural improvements have helped push sales past $1 billion this year.
Perspectives: What Does the NAIC Natural Disaster White Paper Say and Who’s Listening?
After 15 drafts since early 2005, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopted the Natural Disaster White Paper at its Summer Meeting in Minneapolis this month.
Oklahoma Insurance Department: Scammers Targeting Agents
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has warned insurance producers and adjusters across the state to be on the lookout for imposters posing as Oklahoma Insurance Department employees seeking confidential personal information.
North Carolina Coastal Insurance Fix Would Alter Deductibles, Limits
North Carolina legislators started grappling last week with how to beef up the state-created but underfunded insurance program for coastal property, and immediately confronted the possibility that all of the state’s insured property owners could pay more after a catastrophic hurricane season.
Michael Jackson’s Death Raises Event Cancellation Issues
The sudden death of the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, leaves behind some uncertainty in the insurance world regarding coverage for his scheduled 50 live performances at London’s O2 Arena.
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