Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, August 20
Aug 20, 2009
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Florida Hearing on Citizens Insurance Rates for 2010 Postponed
A Florida hearing into rate changes for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for next year that had been scheduled for Aug. 25 has been postponed due to a glitch in the electronic transfer of data accompanying the rate filings.
NCCI proposes workers’ compensation rate reduction
The National Council on Compensation Insurance proposed a 6.8 percent overall workers’ compensation insurance rate reduction in Florida.
Editorial: Don’t blow away homeowner insurance discounts in Florida
After 2004s devastating hurricanes and the hefty rate hikes that followed, insurance companies began offering hefty discounts to homeowners who armored their dwellings with storm shutters, reinforced garage doors and the like.
Editorial: Floridians can do more in preparation for storms before they arrive
While we keep our fingers crossed for a quiet, uneventful hurricane season, we should realize that luck alone is no defense against storm damage.
Options market allows bets on where hurricanes hit
As the owner of a 25,000-square-foot manse, Ken Horowitz has run up a hefty tab for windstorm insurance premiums, deductibles and repairs.
Treasure Coast’s slumping economy affecting home insurance decisions
Kevin Griffin is hoping for a quiet hurricane season.
Biden in Florida to announce almost $1.2B for medical records
Vice President Joe Biden plans to announce Thursday nearly $1.2 billion in grants to help hospitals transition to electronic medical records.
CFO Sink Announces arrest of six people for insurance fraud at Miami area medical center
Arrests Include Owner of Medical Center and Other Medical Center Employees
Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the arrest of six individuals for committing insurance fraud and bilking insurance companies for almost $50,000.
Supreme Court panel recommends forcing banks to negotiate with homeowners facing foreclosure
Banks should be forced to negotiate with homeowners facing foreclosure, a Florida Supreme Court panel recommended Monday.
Poll: McCollum, Crist hold leads in races for Fla. governor, U.S. Senate
Attorney General Bill McCollum leads Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink 38-34 percent in a poll released today while Gov. Charlie Crist maintains his big lead over Republican rival Marco Rubio in the GOP race for U.S. Senate.
Blog: The Maestro gets his meeting
George LeMieux, former chief of staff to Gov. Charlie Crist, emerged Wednesday as a leading contender for a coveted appointment to the U.S. Senate.
Bill McCollum: Familiar face angling for big breakthrough
He’s virtually a household name in Florida politics.
Roberto Martinez might follow Mel Martinez in Senate
Gov. Charlie Crist flew to Miami Tuesday afternoon to vet former U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez for a U.S. Senate appointment, less than 24 hours after U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart took himself off the short list.
Is Florida finished?
Former Mayor Delaney, state Rep. Carroll on U.S. Senate list
Governor looking for someone to appoint for remainder of Sen. Mel Martinez’s term
Northeast Florida is home to two of the seven people Gov. Charlie Crist says he is considering to complete U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez’s term, a prospect that has generated hope that the region could have a louder congressional voice on behemoth issues like health care reform and pollution control.
Thrasher gets GOP endorsements
On the heels of a couple of hard-hitting ads against him, former Speaker John Thrasher is unveiling a list of GOP endorsements in his campaign to win the seat of the late Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville.
Lakeland Woman Heads GOP Hispanic Assembly
Alci Maldonado of Lakeland was recently elected national chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly during the organization’s convention in Virginia.
Kiplinger: Florida tax-friendly for retirees
Kiplinger.com has selected Florida as one of the most tax-friendly states for retirees in a story titled Tax Friendly Places to Retire.
Political change ahead as Jewish population shrinks in Broward, grows in Palm
Jewish residents, who became Broward’s dominant political force in the last quarter of the 20th Century and turned the county into a Democratic stronghold so powerful that even presidential candidates came courting, are dying and moving.
Alachua County bucks state population trend
While Florida lost residents over the past year for the first time since the end of World War II, Alachua County saw the largest population growth in the state, according to University of Florida estimates.
Regulators order FPL to reveal top 463 salaries
Florida Power & Light Co. must reveal how much its 463 highest-paid employees make, state regulators decided Tuesday, so that they can determine whether FPL’s $1.3 billion request to raise base rates is justified.
Financial data from insurers sought
A spokesman for the health insurance industry accused Democrats yesterday of mounting a fishing expedition, as individual insurers decided whether to honor a request for financial records sought in a House committees investigation.
Jim Donelon: Litigation-Spawned Disaster Looming for Louisiana Citizens
Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance says a $95 million litigation award against Citizens Property Insurance Company has the potential of creating a disaster for the state-backed insurer of last resort and the state of Louisiana.
Conseco Faces Proposed Class-Action Suit by Shareholders
Conseco Inc. is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit by shareholders alleging the U.S. long-term care and health insurer violated federal securities laws.
Major Storm Activity Could Bring Silver Lining of Price Hikes for Insurers
The first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season may end up skipping past the United States, leaving insurers to hope that the next ominous storm clouds will come ashore with a silver lining.
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