Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, August 14
Aug 14, 2008
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A state judge today struck from the ballot a controversial plan to wipe out most school property taxes, ruling that the proposal’s ballot summary on the amendment’s implications, prepared for voters for the Nov. 4 election, is misleading.
- To view a copy of the Ruling, click here.
Inspector General says FL didn’t report Medicaid violators
States are required to notify the federal government when they bar health-care providers from the state Medicaid program for fraud, negligence, sexual abuse or some other serious offense.
Florida Insurer Groups Align to Educate Public, Media
Professional Insurance Agents of Florida and the Florida Insurance Council have agreed to work together to form an agent/insurance company alliance aimed at educating the public and the media on insurance matters.
Company can’t crack insurance panel
Not even the company with the lowest homeowners’ insurance rates in the state is getting approval to raise rates from the state insurance office.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation turned down Florida Farm Bureau’s 28.4 percent average rate request hike last week, a month after formally denying a 30.3 percent rate hike request after a year-long process.
Revisiting the days of your ‘neighborhood’ insurance agent
Remember when you used to sit on your front porch with the whole family and talk to or wave at your neighbors? You knew everybody, your kids played in the front yard or in the street with the neighbor kids and everybody watched out for everybody else. If someone needed help, the whole neighborhood or even sometimes the whole town came together to help.
Damage from Charley still visible
August 13th marked four years since Hurricane Charley hit Southwest Florida, making landfall with winds estimated at 145 miles per hour. The Category 4 storm was the strongest to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Andrew and left behind nearly $14 billion in damage – most of it in Charlotte County. Four years later, the area is still trying to bounce back.
Cash available to help hurricane-proof homes
Funds are still available to help South Florida’s low-income families and seniors protect their homes against storms
Four nonprofit groups in South Florida have funds available to provide grants to low-income families and elderly homeowners to help strengthen their homes against tropical storms and hurricanes.
Boca firm sells battery-powered generator as safe for indoors
A local company is looking to shake up people’s hurricane-preparation routines this season. That is, at least when it comes to their generators.
Florida’s budget shortfall may hit $1.2B
With Florida’s economy worsening, economists are likely Friday to forecast a $1.2 billion loss in projected tax revenues, which could lead Gov. Charlie Crist to dip into reserves or propose more budget cuts.
Florida’s dwindling state budget could fall about $1 billion deeper into deficit due to a combination of record-high gas prices, the crashing housing market and record job loss in the state.
COLUMN: Laid-off workers who lose health insurance have options
Andrea Hannegan of Margate lost her job at a medical imaging firm about a month ago. Besides the loss of income, she’s now paying $417 a month to continue her health insurance.
Senior drivers may save with AARP class
Florida law requires that all automobile-insurance companies give drivers 55 and older with a good driving record a mandatory discount for three years following completion of the AARP Driver Safety Class.
Fla. to enforce new restrictions on voter registration
Florida will begin enforcing new restrictions on voter registration drives after the state won a legal challenge.
Republicans Line Up To Replace Traviesa In District 56 Race
The lure of an arguably certain election victory is proving a strong temptation for a number of Republicans lining up to replace Anthony “Trey” Traviesa as the party’s nominee for the State House District 56 seat.
Legislator can use city space for office
When state Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, opened a satellite office in a city-owned building last week, Sarasota City Commissioner Fredd Atkins questioned the move.
Legislative candidates focus on the economy
The three Republican candidates seeking to fill the vacated seat of Rep. Mike Grant in House District 71 say their business success has prepared them to make the tough budgeting decisions and reforms needed to revive Florida’s economy.
Candidates say tough budget choices require some creative thinking
Leon County legislative candidates agreed Wednesday that Florida’s fiscal crisis requires government to make tough choices about budget priorities and look for new revenue sources.
Leon County Commissioner Ed DePuy and both candidates challenging his at-large re-election also spoke of spurring economic development and streamlining operations, as the county grapples with a sluggish economy and budget reductions imposed by constitutional mandates. Even Sheriff Larry Campbell and his opponent in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary touted their budget and business-management skills in a forum recorded for repeated broadcast on cable television in the final days of the campaign.
Water officials offer no port talk
Water managers remained silent Wednesday on a proposal to develop an industrial complex on up to 9,000 acres in western Palm Beach County – smack in a potential pathway of their own Everglades restoration efforts.
State legislatures try limit phone-book distribution
Distribution of The Complete Phonebook begins today and should take about five weeks to complete, if the weather cooperates.
Progress investing in trash-based energy
You can’t plug a banana peel into a light socket, but your trash has electric potential. Progress Energy plans to turn trash into 100 megawatts of “renewable” electricity. In two projects announced Tuesday, the St. Petersburg utility plans to buy power from a 40-megawatt project with Vision Power Systems of Jacksonville that will produce electricity by burning waste left over from making ethanol from sorghum.
Farmers To Pull Out Of N.C. Homeowners Market
Farmers Insurance confirmed it plans to pull out of the North Carolina homeowners insurance market because of the rapid growth of last-resort catastrophic insurance plans in the state.
Feds: No sanctions over children’s insurance
Reversing itself, the Bush administration said Thursday that states for now won’t be penalized for failing to install restrictions making it harder for middle-income children to participate in a federal-state health insurance program.
American National Hit With $66M Jury Award
Three American National Insurance companies have been ordered to pay compensatory and punitive damages to Farm Bureau companies totaling more than $66 million for unlawfully recruiting agents.
IRS Told To Stop Taxing Mutual Deal Policyholders
A federal judge has told the Internal Revenue Service it inappropriately requires policyholders who receive stock in a mutual-to-stock conversion to pay taxes on the proceeds when the stock is sold.
PCI: Dinallo Wrong To Tie Auto Rates To Mileage
An insurance trade group said New York’s insurance regulator is wrong to assume that reduced mileage by auto policyholders translates into lower claim costs.
RMS Launches Winter, Convective Storm Models for U.S., Canada
Newark, Calif.-based Risk Management Solutions (RMS) launched new Winterstorm and Severe Convective Storm Models to enhance its suite of catastrophe risk models for the U.S. and Canada. Built to satisfy the needs of both underwriters and risk managers, the models provide the insurance industry with a more complete view of risk and increase RMS’ coverage of natural catastrophe risk in North America to as much as 90 percent, the firm said.