Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, July 17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Above:  Florida Governor Charlie Crist visited this week with Lord Peter Levene, Chairman of Lloyd’s of London to discuss reinsurance policies.

Below:  Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, Governor Charlie Crist, and Peter Levene, Chairman of Lloyd’s of London.

 

 

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State Farm requests 47% rate hike on homes

State Farm asked Florida insurance regulators Wednesday for a 47.1 percent increase on its homeowners policies in the state.

State Farm’s rates could rise 70% for some

State Farm Florida, the state’s largest private home insurer, wants to boost homeowner policy rates an average of 47 percent — and even higher in South Florida.

State Farm plans to drop 50,000 policies

State Farm Florida Insurance Co. said it will not renew about 50,000 Florida homeowner policies, starting Jan. 1.

Florida awarded $21.5M in Bristol-Myers Squibb settlement

Florida was awarded $21.5 million as part of a global settlement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and its former wholly owned subsidiary Apothecon, Attorney General Bill McCollum said Wednesday.

$250 fire-rescue fee hot topic in Gables budget workshop

In his presentation at the Coral Gables City Commission’s first budget workshop, City Manager David Brown stressed the positive: Many city homeowners could see tax decreases next year for the first time, thanks to the doubling of the homestead exemption approved by state voters in January

Who voted against doctor-pay fix? Crenshaw, Mica

A majority of Florida’s 27-member Congressional delegation are Republicans who tend to side with President Bush on most things. But when it came down to the wire on the Medicare bill to fix a steep cut in doctors’ pay, almost all of them skedaddled. Only two stuck with Bush on the veto override: Republican Reps. Ander Crenshaw of Jacksonville and John Mica of Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando.

Grayson, Stuart fill election coffers

Democrats Alan Grayson and Charlie Stuart are headed for an expensive showdown in their congressional primary next month. They raised a combined $761,000 this spring — but in vastly different ways, election records show.

District 16 candidates raising funds in attempt to unseat Mahoney

Doubling his personal contribution to $500,000, former Palm Beach Gardens Council member Hal Valeche has started the second quarter with the most cash on hand among three Republicans seeking to unseat Congressman Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, for District 16.

Posey, Blythe fund-raising leaders in bid to win Weldon’s seat in Congress

State Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, maintained an even collection pace, amassing $220,521 for his run for Florida’s 15th District in Congress, as the Federal Elections Commission began to post candidate’s second-quarter finance reports Wednesday.

Own money puts Valeche at head of fundraising pack to try to unseat Mahoney

Doubling his personal contribution to $500,000, former Palm Beach Gardens Council member Hal Valeche has started the second quarter with the most cash on hand among three Republicans seeking to unseat Congressman Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, from Florida’s 16th District in Congress.

Posey collects $220,521 for congressional race

State Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, maintained an even collection pace, amassing $220,521 for his run for Florida’s 15th District in Congress, as the Federal Elections Commission began to post candidate’s second-quarter finance reports Wednesday.

Greens claim no knowledge of 5 candidates

One of the candidates running for the open seat of state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, is a puzzle. state Sens. Jeff Atwater and Dave Aronberg have a mystery on their hands.

3 Democrats head into primary for state House District 27 race

The race leading up to the election of a state representative for District 27 may turn out to be the business community versus grass-roots campaigns.

3 face off in Republican primary for state House seat

One thing is clear in the race to replace four-term state Rep. Joe Pickens: The Republican who prevails in the primary will emphasize economic growth in largely rural District 21.

Homeowner associations face possible state regulation

Q. Should the state have power over homeowner associations?

A. Only if you decide you want it and legislators agree.                                

Caring a casualty in taxed hospitals

As a nurse practitioner at San Juan Bosco Clinic in Allapattah, Mara Elena Torres has thousands of stories about the plight of some 600,000 people without health insurance in Miami-Dade County. The Jackson Health System is a key protagonist.

GOP legislators split over drilling off Florida

The high price of gasoline has cracked the once solid wall of antidrilling sentiment in the Florida Legislature.

EDITORIAL:  Bush hitting dry holes in energy blame game

Despite President Bush’s less-than-subtle jab this week, Florida is not the reason why gas prices are more than $4 per gallon.

Jeb Bush: Hindsight on oil drilling is 20/20

With current knowledege, former governor would have favored it

Jeb Bush told the Keynoter this week that if he’d known while he was Florida’s governor that oil would spike above $4.30 a gallon in the Keys, he would have been in favor of drilling for oil off Florida’s coast.

New leader of state universities’ Board of Governors has tough task ahead

Leading the state universities’ governing board during a time of major budget cuts and power struggles with the Legislature is not a task for the faint of heart.

Florida Police Benevolent Association:  State’s public safety ‘roof’ needs overhaul, not patch

Consider your public safety force as the roof of your state government providing protection to Florida’s inhabitants. Next, imagine the Florida Legislature is the homeowner who is expected to maintain the roof through the appropriations process (budget). So, how have the fiscal stewards of our roof spent our money?

Raytheon cleanup could take years

Cleaning up the toxic mess at the Raytheon plant won’t be easy.

Since its discovery in 1991, the plume of contamination has slowly spread beneath the Azalea neighborhood, reaching at least the edge of Azalea Elementary School. Now, with everyone from Gov. Charlie Crist to Sen. Bill Nelson demanding action, Raytheon officials say it will begin a preliminary cleanup.

Day 4 – Mission to Europe: Last day of climate change trip

Florida Gulf Coast University President Wilson Bradshaw is part of a trade/energy/climate change mission to Europe led by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. This is the fourth and last of his progress reports from London for Daily News readers:

Insurance Legislators to Regulators: Slow Down Market Conduct Plan

Naming critical concerns regarding confidentiality and authority, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) advised a slowdown of a market conduct annual statement (MCAS) proposal being considered by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

EDITORIAL:  Federal Regulation Snaking Its Way in Congress

If you have a queasy feeling these days, it might be the sensation of your paradigm shifting.

That means our whole way of doing business is under pressure to change – some say it is an attack, others call it overdue reform. Either way, changes are likely from the federal level.

2 Self-Insure Organizations Set D.C. Meetings

The Captive Insurance Companies Association said its one-day Fall Seminar Sept. 25 in Washington, D.C. will feature six sessions including case studies.

States eye cycle of retiring, rehiring

States are cracking down on a controversial practice that lets government workers collect pension benefits while continuing to work for a salary. The practice called ‘double dipping’ lets tens of thousands of state and local workers retire, collect pension benefits and then keep working, often at the same job. ‘What was going on was absolutely ludicrous,’ says Kentucky state Rep. Mike Cherry, a Democrat. Kentucky’s Legislature last month ended a policy that let workers retire, get rehired and start a second pension in addition to the first.

AAA To Cut Homeowners Insurance $50 Million in Northern California

California State Automobile Association Inter-Insurance Bureau (CSAA-IIB, or AAA of Northern California) customers in Nothern California will see a 10.6 percent rate cut, a total savings of $50 million, including more than $28 million in savings for Bay Area homeowners, the California Insurance Commissioner announced.

La. Gov. Lets Auto Liability Law Become Effective Without Signature

Even though Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal didn’t sign the bill, a new law will raise auto insurance rates for more than one million Louisiana motorists in 2010 by increasing the minimum liability coverage required for drivers. Jindal let it take effect without his signature.