Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, June 8
Jun 8, 2009
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U.S. Rep Klein’s national catastrophe consortium bill now backed by Obama Administration
U.S. Rep. Ron Klein’s national catastrophe fund bill could win broader support in Washington, D.C., especially now that it has the backing of the Obama administration.
When it comes to calamity created by Mother Nature, Floridians know it can wreck homes, businesses and the state’s insurance market.
Column: Crist’s veto of Senate Bill 714 comes as surprise
Proposal addressed insurance rules
In a move that surprised most observers, Governor Charlie Crist vetoed Senate Bill 714 on June 1.
Letter: Give Florida homeowners choice on insurance
This spring, more than 80 percent of Florida’s state legislators voted for the “consumer choice” property insurance bill, which would give our constituents new, high-quality options for protecting their homes.
Al Lawson: Everyone wins under the property-insurance bill
Florida’s economy is built on small businesses. And some of the most important small businesses in Tallahassee – and every other community in our state – are insurance agencies operated by local entrepreneurs.
State Representative Bill Proctor: There’s no disguising the choice in HB 1171
Re: “Veto the anti-consumer property insurance bill” (My View, June 3): As a rule, I do not respond to writings such as Brad Ashwell’s on House Bill 1171, but in my view, his comments are so misleading and the state’s property insurance situation is so precarious as to compel a response. I will comment on a number of assertions contained in Ashwell’s My View.
Huge South Florida levee needs repairs
A 105-mile-long mound of dirt and rock helps stop the Everglades from flooding South Florida communities sitting on former swampland. Now, after 60 years of holding back the water, the East Coast Protection Levee needs help.
Policies may not cover the drywall
It may not be the sexiest of topics, but the intricacies of insurance policies may prove to be paramount in deciding who winds up footing the bill for the tainted drywall eating away at homes in Florida and other states.
Florida seat belt law to change June 30
Officers will be able to ticket more easily
Police officers across the state are preparing for a law that will go into effect June 30 allowing them to pull over and ticket drivers for not wearing a seat belt.
CFO Sink Announces Arrest of Jacksonville Agent for Issuing Fraudulent Insurance Policies
Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced that Julia Christina Hadley, Vice President of People’s Choice Insurance in Jacksonville, was arrested for the second time in two months on charges of diverting over $50,000 in an ongoing scheme to defraud insurance consumers.
It’s now official: Horseback riders 16 and younger must wear a helmet when riding on public roads and rights of ways and while taking riding lessons.
Column: Injured workers are crooks (and other wisdom from the Florida Legislature)
Every few years Florida lawmakers reform the workers’ compensation system again. Every time they do, they find something unreasonable to do with it. This year they topped themselves. The reform consisted of taking the word “reasonable” out of the law.
Businesses tout some gains in recent legislative session
The state’s business and economic leaders claimed a few victories in this year’s legislative session — they won big on workers’ compensation reform.
Lehman Brothers collapse costs Fla. and its citizens $1 billion
A price tag is now emerging for what last years collapse of investment giant Lehman Brothers could cost the state of Florida: more than $1 billion.
Charlie Crist, Alex Sink and Bill McCollum are all running for higher office on platforms of transparency and openness. And all three have said it’s a new day of just such openness at the State Board of Administration.
Economy puts Sink in different position than her husband
Alex Sink knows what it is like to lose the governor’s race.
McCollum touts his polls, but his party’s numbers are slipping
This week offered good news and bad for the Florida Republican Party.
Gelber running for Fla. attorney general
State Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach says he’s running for Florida attorney general.
Aronberg’s bid may muffle Palm Beach County’s voice
Will Palm Beach County lose clout to Lee County now that state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, has entered the 2010 attorney general’s race?
Senate President Jeff Atwater has yet to draw opponent for Florida Chief Financial Officer
Senate President Jeff Atwater’s political biography and fundraising prowess is casting a long shadow in the race for Florida Chief Financial Officer.
Community banker. Democratic giant killer. Fundraiser extraordinaire — With a resume like that, it’s little wonder that Republican Senate President Jeff Atwater hasn’t yet drawn a Democratic opponent in the race for Florida chief financial officer.
Blog: GOP Senate challenger to Crist and Rubio
Former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith, now of Sarasota, has filed to run for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat: “I can no longer sit on the sidelines in the fight for the soul of the Republican party.”
Crist leading over Rubio for U.S. Senate seat, poll shows
The race for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat is more than a year out, and like weather forecasts, polls get fuzzier the farther they try to look into the future.
Crist’s high court pick puts him in political center
Charlie Crist seated his fourth Supreme Court nominee, burnishing his reputation as a center-leaning governor
The fourth African-American to ever sit on the Florida Supreme Court formally took his seat Friday in a ceremony that helped cement Gov. Charlie Crist’s reputation as a centrist.
Lawsuits cloud Rep. Vern Buchanan’s political future
Flush with cash and buoyed by a big reelection victory last fall, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan seemed a prime Republican contender for U.S. senator or Florida governor.
Offshore drilling activists eye 2010 ballot
Claiming that offshore drilling is the answer to the nation’s addiction to foreign oil, conservative activists are gearing up a constitutional drive to lift Florida’s 20-year-old ban.
Redistricting drive could reshape politics
To the average citizen, it sounds like the most boring subject in government – a movement to reform the process of drawing legislative district boundaries.
Florida legislator a Madoff victim; now it’s time to rebuild
In some ways, Franklin Sands is like untold thousands of victims of the Bernie Madoff investment scam.
More sprawl feared in bid to boost Florida economy
With the economy seemingly in a tailspin and the housing market rocked by the subprime mortgage crisis, developers focused during this year’s legislative session on easing laws meant to limit sprawl and manage growth in Florida.
Miami native named acting U.S. attorney
Jeffrey Sloman, a Miami native with 25 years of experience as a federal prosecutor and trial lawyer, has a new title: acting U.S. attorney.
GAO Cites FEMA Preparedness Gaps
Agency Making Progress, Report Says
Almost four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has failed to clarify the responsibilities of different agencies that would respond to such disasters, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.
East Coast May Feel Rise in Sea Levels the Most
Sea levels could rise faster along the U.S. East Coast than in any other densely populated part of the world, new research shows, as changes in ice caps and ocean currents push water toward a shoreline inlaid with cities, resort boardwalks and gem-rare habitats.
Vehicle fraud cases heat up amid economic downturn
Suspicious car fires or arson rise 27% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier as owners seek a payoff.
Drivers facing a financial crunch are increasingly trying to opt out of hefty loan and insurance payments – by torching their cars.
New York City Wins $1.5 Million Asbestos Damage Ruling
A bankrupt building supplies manufacturer owes New York $1.5 million for asbestos damage to city schools, an arbitration panel has ruled, the New York law department said.
Insurers’ Asbestos Exposure Is Billions Higher, But Bearable, Actuary Says
Prior calculations of the U.S. property-casualty insurance industry’s ultimate exposure to asbestos claims have probably underestimated the amount by $10-to-$15 billion, an actuary predicted.
Guy Carpenter Report Finds Power of Remedy Laws in Europe Expanding Insurers’ Fields of Exposure
Update on Continental European Legal and Legislative Trends Also Addresses Impact of Global Financial Crisis on Legal Liability
Guy Carpenter & Company today published the latest installment in its series of updates on key legislative and legal developments impacting insurers and reinsurers in Continental Europe.
Louisiana House Votes to Repeal Motorcycle Helmet Law
The Louisiana House of Representatives has approved a measure that would allow adult motorcyclists to ride without helmets, so long as they have health insurance and $100,000 in liability insurance coverage.
New Non-Profit Supports Insurance Education in Texas
A group of Texas-based insurance industry professionals in late May announced the launch of a new non-profit group, the sole mission of which is to support insurance education in the state of Texas.
U.S. to Propose Wider Oversight of Compensation
The Obama administration plans to require banks and corporations that have received two rounds of federal bailouts to submit any major executive pay changes for approval by a new federal official who will monitor compensation, according to two government officials.
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