Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, July 26

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No-Fault’s Demise Could Mean Higher Rates, Risk

Come Oct. 1, auto insurance will no longer be required in Florida.  It’s the consequence of the Legislature allowing Florida’s no-fault auto insurance law to expire.

 

Insurance reform doesn’t quell rate increase requests

TALLAHASSEE — When lawmakers tried to reform Florida’s troubled property-insurance system in January, they devised a tradeoff: The state would absorb more financial risks, and homeowners’ rates would drop.

 

Disaster Aid Available In A Neat, Cozy Box

Poke your head through the door, and you won’t find the Ritz-Carlton. Heck, you won’t even find a Motel 6.

 

The Pods Prototype

What’s inside: Five beds, air conditioner, stovetop, microwave, refrigerator, television, toilet, shower, storage space

 

N.Y. Gov. Urged To Veto Credit Score Bill

Property-casualty trade groups have called on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to veto a bill that would prohibit using information that a consumer provides in searching for a car or home loan to determine their credit score.

 

FDLE investigates allegations 60 voted in Palm Beach County and New York

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is looking into whether an estimated 60 people committed voter fraud by voting in the Nov. 7 election in both New York state and Palm Beach County, according to a letter from the Florida Department of State.

 

Rubio: Crist’s Plan Won’t Work

TALLAHASSEE – House Speaker Marco Rubio slammed Gov. Charlie Crist’s climate change initiative this week, saying the governor’s effort to lower greenhouse gases and crack down on vehicle emissions could hurt consumers by driving up their utility bills.

 

Crist wary of using state coffers to fix budget gap

Facing a sagging state economy and a $1 billion budget shortfall, Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday downplayed the idea of tapping state reserves but said he wants lawmakers to cut spending carefully.

 

Special session options limited

TALLAHASSEE – No new taxes. No additional fees. No help from budget reserves.  So says the governor. That leaves state lawmakers with just one option when they gather in September to plug a $1 billion budget gap: spending cuts.

 

Sentinel Help Team: Are insurance discounts worth it?

Months after the Legislature’s promise to solve the state’s property-insurance crisis, homeowners still are disappointed by the eye-popping costs of premiums — if they can get insurance at all.

 

Florida opens giant warehouse to stockpile disaster supplies

ORLANDO, Fla. — The state on Thursday opened a 200,000 square-foot warehouse and joint command center for disaster response, which will hold millions worth of stockpiled commodities.

 

Easy Money, Lifeblood Of Economy, Is Drying Up

NEW YORK, July 25 — In just a few days, shares of Internet travel company Expedia lost 12 percent of their value, one of the highest-flying executives on Wall Street watched his fortune shrink and the nation’s largest mortgage lender said many Americans with good credit were in danger of losing their homes.

 

Sept. 11 rescue dog with cancer dies

A black Labrador that burrowed through smoking debris after Sept. 11 and flooded rubble after Hurricane Katrina in search of survivors has died after developing cancer.

 

Marriage fraud accounts for 22 percent of fraud cases in South Florida

The couple was tired from a long weekend of selling their wares at the flea market. It’s where the unlikely pair met eight years ago. He was a native Floridian with stickers on his boombox telling foreigners to speak English. She was an immigrant from Peru with a mind for business.

 

Neurosurgeon, hospital settle whistle-blower case

In a highly unusual whistle-blower case, a board-certified neurosurgeon and the hospital where she worked have agreed to pay the federal government $1.275 million for performing unnecessary spinal surgery on Medicare patients, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami announced Thursday.

  

Analysis: Democrats Aim High in Agenda

Beset by poor approval ratings and internal differences, congressional Democrats hope to give themselves a triumphant send-off when Congress departs on a monthlong summer vacation.

 

Calif. SCIF Probe Expands

A three-agency investigatory task force has been formed in the latest stage of an ongoing probe into the operations of California’s state-run workers’ compensation insurer, an official said today.