Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, July 2
Jul 2, 2009
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THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: McCarty–Here Are The Companies That Could Take Some Property Policies
Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty sent to legislative critics on Wednesday a list of the more than 50 companies that have gotten a license to start selling property insurance in Florida since 2006, the latest volley in a back and forth over the future of how homes will be insured in hurricane-prone Florida.
Blog: McCarty lauds Proctor’s ‘commitment,’ seeks sit-down on HB 1171
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty wants a sit-down with Rep. Bill Proctor, the lawmaker whose rate deregulation legislation he opposed.
McCarty: Despite Risks, Insurers Still Investing In Florida Market
Florida’s insurance commissioner has released a letter detailing how, despite hurricane concerns, carriers are continuing in the state insurance market, raising capital and forming new companies.
Allstate Floridian changes name to Castle Key
Allstate is further distancing itself from Florida’s troubled property insurance market, changing the name of its Allstate Floridian subsidiaries to Castle Key, the Northbrook, Ill.-based insurer said today.
Crist issues executive order on wildfire danger in Central Florida
Governor Charlie Crist issued an Emergency Order today regarding wildfire dangers in Central Florida.
U.S. Congressional subcommittee meeting in West Palm Beach to discuss insurance
A subcommittee of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing from 10 a.m. to noon today in West Palm Beach to address the skyrocketing cost of homeowners’ insurance and a national catastrophe fund.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Names Eric Lingswiler Director of Life and Health Product Review
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty today announced that he has appointed Eric Lingswiler to the position of director of Life and Health Product Review. Mr. Lingswiler has served as interim director since Aug. 18. He will report to Deputy Commissioner for Life and Health Mary Beth Senkewicz.
Florida Recipients of FEMA aid notified of publication
More than 650,000 Florida households began receiving recorded calls from the government Tuesday telling them their addresses are being turned over to newspapers, part of a $1.1 million initiative to inform people who applied for disaster aid the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency lost a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit to The Fort Myers News-Press and three other newspapers that sought more detail about how the agency distributed hurricane disaster aid.
Why It’s Easy to Steal From Medicare-Miami, Detroit Models Enabled Scamming
Arrests in Detroit and Miami are another argument against importing to the rest of the health economy the model that enabled these scams.
The White House made a big show last week about “turning the heat up” on Medicare fraud, as Jane Friday — er, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius put it.
CFO Sink Urges Florida Families to Sign Up For KidCare
Florida CFO Alex Sink on Wednesday urged Florida’s families to make sure their children have health care coverage as new reforms to simplify and streamline Florida’s KidCare program went into effect Wednesday.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Court says Crist must name 5th DCA judge
The Florida Supreme Court told Gov. Charlie Crist Thursday that he must name a new judge to an appellate court after months of fighting over the slate of candidates for the job.
Governor resumes gambling talks with Seminole Tribe
Hard rock casino Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe of Florida began negotiating a new gambling compact today that would bring new revenue to the state in exchange for the tribe’s right to a monopoly on some of its casino games.
Florida Finds Owners for $173 Million in Unclaimed Property, Benefits, Deposits
Florida returned over $173 million in unclaimed property for the most recent fiscal year– the largest amount in state history, according to CFO Alex Sink and her Bureau of Unclaimed Property.
McCollum, Sink both face ethics complaints over use of state planes
Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Republican and Democratic rivals respectively in the 2010 race for governor, are now the targets of ethics complaints charging that they used state airplanes for personal travel.
Sansom committee to meet later this month
The proceedings will be open to the public and proceed similar to a judicial hearing
The select House committee appointed to consider sanctions against state Rep. Ray Sansom won’t meet until the end of July, its chairman said Wednesday.
$20M biofuel plant near Delray planned
Ag-Oil, a Delray Beach-based biofuel start-up, plans to build a $20 million pilot-scale biodiesel production facility.
Ag-Oil, a Delray Beach-based biofuel start-up, plans to build a $20 million pilot-scale biodiesel production facility in the Agricultural Reserve west of Delray Beach with the potential to produce 15 million gallons a year.
Sizing up Atwater’s Republican primary competition
Republican state Rep. Pat Patterson kicked off his campaign Wednesday for state chief financial officer from his hometown of DeLand.
U.S. Senator Nelson meets with Acreage brain cancer victims, families
Residents worried that a brain cancer cluster has cropped up in The Acreage met with Sen. Bill Nelson today looking for answers.
Child’s death highlights debate over pythons, other exotic animals
The killing of a 2-year-old by a Burmese python revives the discussion on how to best regulate exotic animals.
When exotic animals attack, they reignite the debate about how best to regulate them — particularly in Florida, where anacondas, pythons and even iguanas have recently come under scrutiny by local and state governments.
Texas Senate passes safety net for state agencies, including insurance department
The Texas Senate approved a bill to save five key state agencies that otherwise would expire, including the state insurance and transportation departments.
10 Questions: Lousiana Citizens CEO John Wortman
John Wortman, the head of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation who has run private insurance companies and the consulting firm Wortman Capital Associates in Florida, might be the only CEO you’ll ever meet who wants to lose as many customers as possible.
Louisiana Commissioner: Session Successful for Insurance Bills
Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says the recently adjourned 2009 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature was a success when it came to insurance legislation.
Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Consumer Advocacy Team Receives APIR Designation
Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon has announced that Deputy Commissioner Clarissa A. Preston, John A. Lamke and Sherice D. Forte’ have completed the requirements for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Associate Professional in Insurance Regulation (APIR) designation.
Mississippi Names Haire Deputy Insurance Commissioner
Mark Haire, general counsel for the Mississippi Insurance Department (MID), has been named deputy commissioner by Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.
MySpace, Web Servers Not Liable for Assaults, California Court Rules
Internet servers like MySpace cannot be held liable when minors are sexually assaulted by people they first meet on a website, a California appeals court ruled in an opinion filed late Tuesday.
Appraisal Institute Calls on HUD to Rescind Mortgage Regulation
Calls for New Rules on Appraisal Management Companies
The Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest real estate appraisal association, today led a coalition of four organizations and 35,000 members calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to rescind regulations regarding appraisal management companies (AMCs). The coalition also sought new rules on AMCs.
Video: PCI’s president and CEO David Sampson on Fox Business News
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America CEO David Sampson and Taxpayers for Common Sense VP Steve Ellis on the growing risk for insurers in states like Florida.
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