Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, August 26
Aug 26, 2010
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Governor Charlie Crist today appointed Lt. General Robert F. “Bob” Milligan, USMC (Ret.), as interim executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Washington Post: Former Florida Emergency Director Craig Fugate refocusing a chastened FEMA
W. Craig Fugate’s corner office at the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sparse: a few family photos, a couple of blue and orange mementos from his beloved University of Florida Gators, and not much else.
USA Today: 5 years after Katrina, homeowners insurance costs more
In Florida, average premiums jumped 41% from 2005 through 2007
Five years after Hurricane Katrina leveled a large part of the Gulf Coast, homeowners as far away as Maine are still paying the bill.
Doctor defends his Englewood pain clinic
Alleged Pill Mill Receives Lease Termination Due to Neighboring Tenant Complaints
An Englewood pain management doctor who feels wrongly vilified because of the state’s negative “pill mill” image says he is willing to change his business if that is what is best for the community.
Melbourne Airport Authority Approves Yet-Unamed Business for State-Backed Tax Break
Insurance Premiums Among Expenses Authorized for Coverage by $5 Million Tax Credit Program
The Melbourne Airport Authority on Wednesday unanimously voted that a proposed, though unnamed, business project should qualify for state-backed tax break.
GOP tries to patch things up after contentious gubernatorial primary
At sunrise Wednesday, the vice-chairwoman of the Florida Republican Party sent a message to GOP activists: “Remember, there is no past in politics.”
Rick Scott’s win invokes fear among Tallahassee insiders, but Alex Sink is bigger worry
For powerful Tallahassee insiders accustomed to winning, Rick Scott represents their worst fears.
Once McCollum backers, business leaders reassess candidates Scott and Sink
Tampa Bay’s business community finds itself in search of a candidate.
The Washington Post: Three-way Florida Senate race begins without a clear favorite
Gov. Charlie Crist is the man in the middle in Florida’s high-stakes race for the Senate, a candidate without a party whose hopes of moving from Tallahassee to Washington depend on his ability to fend off a squeeze play from his Democratic and Republican rivals.
Florida Department of Transportation to get nearly $700,000 in federal grant money
The Florida Department of Transportation will receive $600,000 of $11.6 million in grants to help disadvantaged business enterprises compete for federal highway contracts.
Florida’s education system appears headed for trial
Florida’s education system is a step closer to being put on trial.
Crist announces plans for Florida tourism conference
Efforts to overcome a slumping economy and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are among the topics that will be discussed at the 43rd Annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
Reinsurer to appeal Travelers’ asbestos coverage award
The New York State Supreme Court has awarded Travelers Cos. Inc. $262.3 million plus interest from several reinsurers in asbestos litigation stemming from policies written as long ago as 1948, but at least one of the reinsurers said it plans to appeal.
Investigation of Chinese drywall takes a German detour
Knauf Gips, a family-owned German company with operations throughout the world, has argued for almost two years that it is not legally responsible for the millions of pounds of defective drywall that one of its China subsidiaries has admitted exporting to the United States.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Holland to Face Doak in November
Longtime insurance agent John Doak of Tulsa has defeated former Insurance Commissioner John Crawford of Oklahoma City for the Republican nomination for state insurance commissioner.
Huge losses put federal flood insurance plan in the red
In Wilkinson County, Miss., a home has been flooded 34 times since 1978.
The New York Times: Kentucky Supreme Court — Christian-Only Health Plan Is Insurance
A Christians-only health care plan provides a ”contract for insurance” and doesn’t qualify for exemption from state regulations as a religious publication, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a decision that potentially opens the plan to stricter regulations by the state.
Oklahoma Supreme Court Overturns Fee on Paid Medicaid Claims
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has overturned a state law intended to raise revenue for the state’s Medicaid program.
What are the consequences of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing corporations “unlimited spending in pursuit of political ends”? The world of campaign finance is new, confusing — and very alarming.
City landscapes could draw storms near
Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, devastating New Orleans and other regions along the Mississippi River Delta.
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