Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, November 15
Nov 15, 2010
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Paige St. John: Florida Insurers rely on dubious storm model
Hurricane Katrina extracted a terrifying toll — 1,200 dead, a premier American city in ruins, and the nation in shock. Insured losses would ultimately cost the property insurance industry $40 billion.
Paige St. John: Insurers’ computer models deeply flawed
Property insurers today are largely dependent on the secret algorithms of just a few simulation programs to determine who qualifies for home insurance and how much it will cost.
More storms now than ever? Yes. No. Maybe.
The common insurance industry claim that hurricanes are on the rise lacks an essential ingredient — scientific agreement.
Insurance rates in Florida keep rising, with or without hurricanes
Robert W. Elton’s property insurance has more than doubled in five years.
Blog: Citizens’ premium hikes blamed on county data
Citizens Property Insurance customers have complained of premium increases since the state-backed insurer started using Broward County property appraisal data.
Property managers make money off condos’ insurance
Some say that’s a conflict of interest because management companies also help associations pick their insurance.
Sunshine State News: Adjusters Strike Gold in Florida Sinkholes
Becalmed by a string of relatively uneventful hurricane seasons, a growing army of claims adjusters has found lucrative work … in sinkholes.
Opinion: With Klein’s defeat, Florida lost best chance at property insurance relief
When U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, lost to Allen West, Florida lost the politician who offered the best chance for property insurance relief.
Monroe County Commissioner Heather Carruthers has placed two separate proposals on Wednesday’s agenda she said will bring greater transparency to government and keep commissioners from meddling in government contracts or influencing the hiring of county employees.
The quickest way to reduce Florida’s worst-in-the-nation unemployment problems and get our economy back on its feet is to provide relief to our job producing small business sector.
Builder lobby’s list: septic tanks, home inspections
The Florida Home Builders Association plans to push the state Legislature next spring to reduce development requirements, increase funds for affordable housing and reconsider alternative septic-tank designs.
Rare veto override votes set Tuesday in Florida
Florida lawmakers are poised to do something they haven’t done in 12 years and that they’ve accomplished only twice in the last 24 – override a governor’s veto.
Haridopolos adds to Senate team: David Simmons, Anitere Flores, Evelyn Lynn
Incoming Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos today announced the appointment of the newly created Republican Conference chair and Majority Whips for the Senate.
Republican Conference Chair Evelyn Lynn (R- Ormond Beach) will serve as chair of the newly-created Republican Conference.
Crash course for 54 new lawmakers at Florida Capitol
As one of dozens of newly elected state lawmakers, Rep. Doug Broxson of Milton wants to improve the lives of everyday Floridians.
Road to Rrepublican Party of Florida Chairmanship Runs Through Sarasota
In the run for Republican Party of Florida chairman, Joe Gruters, the young party leader from Sarasota County, may have the inside track.
Can Fort Myers businesses collect lost revenue from gas line break?
Although many businesses are adapting to the gas line break in Southwest Florida, they still stand to lose plenty of revenue if gas service is not quickly restored.
EPA to reveal Fla. water pollution rules
The federal Environmental Protection Agency for the first time has set water pollution standards for a state.
Revamped Florida law allows wrongly arrested to get record cleared but few using it
There’s a seldom used Florida law that enables an innocent person who is mistakenly arrested to erase everything about the arrest or court case – and it’s free.
As governor, Rick Scott likely to push big changes for schools
Former Gov. Jeb Bush shook up Florida’s education establishment and sparked major reforms during his eight years in office.
Mecca Farms’ purchase haunts taxpayers to the tune of $6.5 million a year
Citrus land once envisioned as the cradle of Palm Beach County’s biotech future instead became a more than $100 million real estate mistake, with taxpayers picking up the tab.
New rates proposed for Louisiana Citizens
The Department of Insurance is reviewing a proposed 2 percent average rate increase for almost 5,800 businesses insured by the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners releases annual homeowners insurance report
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) today released its 2008 Homeowners Insurance Report, providing data on market distribution and average cost by policy form and amount of insurance.
USAA to boost cat bond exposure with additional cover
U.S. insurer USAA has launched a new series of notes to boost the coverage of U.S. earthquake, severe thunderstorm, winter storm and wildfire exposures in its recent Residential Reinsurance 2010 Ltd transaction.
Vehicles ranked by their insurance costs
InsWeb Corp., the Gold River-based online provider of insurance quotes, has released a list of the most expensive and least expensive auto models to insure.
Putting Money on Lawsuits, Investors Share in the Payouts
Large banks, hedge funds and private investors hungry for new and lucrative opportunities are bankrolling other people’s lawsuits, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into medical malpractice claims, divorce battles and class actions against corporations – all in the hope of sharing in the potential winnings.