Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, Sept. 4

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Home insurers fail to deliver state’s promised cuts

Michelle and Kevin Erbrick are a lot like many homeowners in South Florida. The couple closely followed the special legislative session on insurance in January in hopes they would see insurance rates come down after several years of increases.

 

State may get more uninsured

Some predict 2 million without car insurance after PIP’s death

Florida highway safety officials warned Gov. Charlie Crist months ago the end of the state’s no-fault auto-insurance laws would mean a potential 2 million uninsured motorists on Florida roads.

 

Officials looking to fill in PIP gaps

Florida highway safety officials warned Gov. Charlie Crist months ago that the end of the state’s no-fault auto insurance laws could mean 2 million uninsured motorists on Florida roads.

 

Op-Ed: If PIP disappears . . .

To truly appreciate the impact of allowing Florida’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law — also known as mandatory ”no-fault” automobile insurance — to expire, one must understand what it was like before the law was enacted in 1971.

 

What to do if you lose property insurance

Some of the nearly 100,000 Florida homeowners whose policies won’t be renewed in 2008 by State Farm and Nationwide will learn their fate this month.

 

Cancer may join workers comp list

Gone are the days when on-the-job injuries consisted of the occasional car accident or a slip and fall.

 

Top Florida Democrat sees the bigger picture

Alex Sink’s focus is on finances, not politics

After enduring years of Republican domination in Florida politics, Democrats have a foothold in the Capitol with Alex Sink as the state’s chief financial officer.

 

State finance chief to speak at Dem dinner

The state’s chief financial officer will be the keynote speaker this month during Lake County Democrats’ sixth annual Claude Pepper Dinner.

 

Editorial: Conundrum

Lawmakers must perform magic

The tension’s mounting, as the Sept. 18 special legislative session draws nigh and state agencies, as well as an array of Floridians who carry out various public-private programs mandated by state law, are scrambling to live under an across-the-board 10-percent spending cut that may simply not be feasible in many instances.

 

An Insurance Offer You Shouldn’t Refuse

Title insurance. I’ll bet you think of it every night as your head hits the pillow: “At least we’re covered by title insurance.”

 

Hurricane Bonds Provide an Unlikely Shelter

Investors Assume Risk but Receive High Rate of Return if Disaster Strikes

Investors looking for safety from declines in the mortgage and corporate bond markets may find it in the path of a hurricane.

 

Patchwork City

Insurers Bear Brunt of Anger in New Orleans

Maxine Cassin, a prominent local poet, thought her homeowners insurance would be more than enough to cover the $100,000 of hurricane damage to her Uptown house here. But two years after Hurricane Katrina hit, Ms. Cassin and her husband, Joseph, are still stranded far from home; their insurer has offered them just $41,000.

 

Primary Boycott Spurs Backlash

TAMPA Dissension and bitterness surfaced among Florida Democrats on Sunday in the wake of pledges to boycott the state’s primary campaign by the leading presidential candidates.

 

Skepticism is an antidote to deception

Several years ago, when medical malpractice was as hot a topic as property insurance is today, an array of organizations seem to come out of nowhere identifying themselves as “Citizens for . . .” or “Americans for . . . or “Patients for. . . . “Taxpayers for. . . . or “Persons of Nobel Calling for . . .”

 

FEMA: Some aid must be repaid

More than 21,000 Florida households located in areas with winds less than 39 mph – the threshold for a tropical storm – received disaster aid in 2004. But many of those residents were ordered by the government to pay the money back.

 

Democrat Focuses on the Financial Toll

If the White House retains any hope of persuading moderate Democrats to support the president’s strategy in Iraq, Representative Tim Mahoney of Florida would seem to be a top prospect. A fiscal conservative from a mostly Republican district, Mr. Mahoney visited Iraq in July and acknowledged seeing military progress.

 

Legislators Seek Parasailing Curbs

Jim Sebesta likes to parasail. “It’s fun. I love it,” the St. Petersburg resident said. But he doesn’t do it anymore.

 

Sorry, Charlie: New act needed to solve state’s problems

Charlie Crist has made politics look easy. The most affable politician was following Jeb Bush, one of the most arrogant. On his way to winning last year in a landslide, Gov. Crist said all the right things about lowering taxes and insurance premiums.