Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, August 13
Aug 13, 2009
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Florida Insurance Agents Say State’s Home Mitigation Effort Is Failing
Florida’s efforts to encourage homeowners to harden their homes to better withstand big storms by giving them insurance premium discounts is not getting the job done, according to a report from insurance agents in the state.
Blog: Insurers are already lobbying for property insurance premium hikes
Florida is more than six months away from its annual legislative session, but lobbying on property insurance has already begun.
State Rep. Bill Proctor: Florida shouldn’t drive away insurers
State Sen. Mike Fasano was recently quoted as saying he’s “disappointed” that State Farm Florida has eliminated some discounts it offers to homeowners.
Storm brewing over new Florida hurricane center
Thanks to El Nino, the upper-atmospheric wind phenomenon that forms every three to five years, no named tropical storms have appeared more than a third of the way through the 2009 hurricane season.
5 years after Hurricane Charley, town in `extreme makeover’
When residents of Punta Gorda climbed out of the shelters and started cleaning up after Hurricane Charley five years ago, they saw an opportunity for a renaissance of sorts for the quiet southwest Florida town.
Study: Fla. health insurance costs grow at triple the rate of income
The nonprofit organization released the report Thursday in its efforts to drum up support for the health care reform bills pending in Congress.
Florida House GOP Leaders Endorse Charlie Crist for the United States Senate
The Charlie Crist for United States Senate Campaign today announced the endorsements of Florida House of Representatives Speaker-Designate Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park), State Representative Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel) and State Representative Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary).
State, feds spar over Fla. stimulus performance
Florida is either a leader or dead last when it comes to putting federal stimulus dollars to work on road projects designed to create new jobs.
News Service of Florida: 527 Running Ad Against Thrasher Denies Trial Bar Link
The organization behind a new television spot blasting frontrunning Republican John Thrasher in a Jacksonville-area Senate seat on Thursday denied being a front group for the trial lawyer lobby, whose strength is threatened in that chamber.
Regulators order Century to boost capital
Century Bank, the third largest financial institution in the Tampa Bay area, has agreed to a cease and desist order from the Office of Thrift Supervision.
Task force looks to save Florida $4B
An elite group of business and government leaders vowed Wednesday to find as much as $4 billion in savings from efficiencies in the state budget in time to recommend them to the Legislature this spring.
Time: GOP at War with Itself in Florida Senate Race
While his Republican Party has been flailing and losing and dwindling to its base, Florida Governor Charlie Crist has remained extremely popular by governing from the middle.
Florida, federal government declare truce in Everglades money war
After eight years of wrangling, the state and federal government have come to terms on how to split the multibillion-dollar cost of restoring the Everglades, clearing the way for the money that President Obama has pledged to the effort.
Stern to run as Democrat in Dist. 91
Setting up a showdown for a seat both parties covet, the daughter of a prominent campaign consultant will run as a Democrat for a Florida House seat that is the top local priority for the Broward Republican Party.
Column: Challenges big for Florida as exodus no longer anecdotal
I’ve got Tampa Bay friends, boomers mostly, who became empty nesters only to find themselves laid off from once-respectable, sustaining jobs.
State lawmaker to file legislation on link ads
State Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, plans to draft and file legislation to solve the problem of Internet “link ads” that led to a state Elections Commission investigation in the St. Petersburg mayor’s race.
Neighbors’ disputes fill Florida courts
A.J. Vizzi’s dream home sat behind the gates of the Eagles, a deed-restricted community of 850 nearly identical homes in northwest Hillsborough.
Crist, surgeon general travel to discuss flu
Gov. Charlie Crist and the state’s surgeon general are taking a statewide trip to remind parents that sick kids shouldn’t be going to school.
Louisiana Citizens CEO to Ask for 9% Rate Increase
The chief executive of Louisiana’s state-backed property insurance company is seeking a 9.2 percent average rate increase for 2010, though he said some policyholders will probably see their rates decrease.
5th Circuit Upholds $21M Katrina Damage Award to Grocer
A federal appeals court on Aug. 11 upheld a $21 million jury award to the owner of a New Orleans grocery chain that sustained damage in 2005 from Hurricane Katrina.
A new website from Liberty International Underwriters (LIU) helps architectural and engineering firms more easily manage and protect their operations.
Former exec: Insurers fomenting town hall chaos
A former health insurance executive says the disruptions taking place at lawmakers’ town halls around the country are the result of stealth efforts by health insurance companies.
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