Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, July 29
Jul 29, 2010
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Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate: Allstate Rate Hike Requests Exaggerated
Florida’s insurance consumer advocate told regulators Allstate’s Castle Key subsidiaries do not need the double-digit rate increases they are asking the state to approve.
Florida Congressman Rooney pushes bill for Catastrophe Savings Accounts
Federal lawmakers are once again going to be asked to allow homeowners to put aside money for the financial impact of a major catastrophe, such as a hurricane, earthquake or something man does.
Editorial: Our Views — Insurance showdown
Regulators should protect Florida homeowners from huge rate hikes
Florida residents are crossing their fingers no hurricanes target the state this year as we enter the heart of the season.
Editorial: Insurance rate hike may hurt, but it’s honest
OUR POSITION: Insurance rate hike a difficult but sound decision by Citizens
For years, millions of Florida property owners have enjoyed an insurance premium subsidy paid for with little but blind luck and meteorological mystery.
News Release: 21st Century Holding Company Announces Earnings Release Date
21st Century Holding Company today announced that it will release its 2010 second quarter financial results at 2:00 PM on Thursday, August 12, 2010 followed by an investor conference call at 4:30 PM (ET).
A group of 22 plaintiffs – individuals and businesses – filed a lawsuit July 26 against officials with the former Old Southern Bank.
Hulk Hogan’s insurance lawsuit sent back to Pinellas state court
Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against his insurance company over a wreck involving his son has been transferred back to state court.
Program now available in 16 states
RMA Administrator William J. Murphy has announced expansion of the Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage plan of insurance along with enhancements to its Vegetation Index program for the 2011 crop year. RMA is able to expand and enhance this program because of savings recently generated by renegotiation of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement.
Blog: Florida has third highest uninsured rate for health insurance in U.S.
About a quarter of Floridians don’t have health insurance, according to newly released census data.
Doctor shopping explodes in Florida
Lakeview Center psychologist Irvin Williams evaluated a patient this week addicted to the painkiller OxyContin.
Florida plan wins top Medicare rating, but most beneficiaries can’t enroll
Florida is one of just three states with a top-rated, five-star Medicare Advantage plan. But most of the state’s 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries can’t enroll in it.
Judge tosses Florida health care-related Amendment 9 off the ballot
A Legislature-approved proposal crafted in response to the new federal health care law was tossed off the November ballot Thursday by a Tallahassee circuit judge who called it “manifestly misleading.”
Governor Charlie Crist today appointed Charlie Liem as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Gov. Charlie Crist just announced at a Cabinet meeting that LeRoy Collins Jr. – one of Crist’s department heads, a retired Navy submariner and rear admiral, and the son of the former Florida governor LeRoy Collins – had been hit and killed while bicycling.
Wal-Mart stops fresh seafood sales in Florida, denies BP oil spill connection
Wal-Mart is discontinuing the sale of fresh seafood in its Florida superstores, a Florida agriculture official told a panel looking into the economic impact of BP’s massive oil spill on the state’s economy.
- State oil spill task force asks BP for ‘our seafood is safe’ marketing money
- Economic fallout from BP oil spill will haunt Florida for years, reports say
Florida leads nation in foreclosures in first half of 2010
Florida led the nation in foreclosures in the first six months of the year, according to new data released this morning.
Florida has four of national top 11 highest metro unemployment rates
Despite a slight drop in its jobless rate to 12 percent, the Tampa Bay area had the fifth-highest unemployment rate among the biggest metro areas in the country in June, according to Labor Department data released Wednesday.
Florida Concealed Weapons Permits on the Rise
The state issued 175,555 new licenses between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, up from 25,352 new licenses 10 years earlier.
Jacksonville’s Sea Star Line Agrees to Settle Cargo Price Fixing Lawsuit for $18.5 Million
Sea Star Line of Jacksonville has agreed to pay $18.5 million to settle claims in a class-action lawsuit that contends companies fixed prices for shipping cargo in the Puerto Rico trade lane.
Scott and Greene lead by double digits
Florida businessman Rick Scott holds a 43 – 32 percent lead over State Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely primary voters released today.
Statewide Scott-McCollum TV debate in GOP governor’s race looking doubtful
Rick Scott is all over TV, spending his millions on ads promoting himself as an outsider candidate for governor against “career politician” Bill McCollum.
Florida’s Wasserman Schultz leads Democrats’ attempt to tie GOP to Tea Party
South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will help lead a nationwide Democratic campaign this fall that will try to tie Republican candidates to extreme elements of the Tea Party movement.
AirTran to open pilot base in Orlando
AirTran Airways plans to open a pilot base this fall in Orlando, joining Atlanta and Milwaukee as domiciles for its pilots.
‘Transformers’ Filming Sparks Kennedy Space Center Interest
Bonnie King has never seen anything like this in her more than two decades promoting the local film industry.
Fate Of Taylor National Flood Insurance Program Wind Bill Unclear; Compromise Bill Surfaces
As Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., continues to lobby the House for his bill adding wind to the National Flood Insurance Program, another bill in the Senate seeks a compromise to settle the “wind vs. water” issue.
Gulf Coast Residents File Personal Injury Suit Over Oil Dispersant
The first personal injury lawsuit involving the chemical dispersant Corexit 9500 has surfaced in Alabama, where two Gulf Coast residents and property owners allege that BP PLC’s use of the product is causing people to get sick.
Chinese drywall dilemma reaches renters
Mother says repaired home made family sick
Anyone in the market to move may want to pose the question: “What’s in the walls?” in addition to questions about square footage.
Fed Seeking Council Members To Help Implement Financial Services Reform
The Federal Reserve Board is seeking nominations for appointments to a council that may influence how the Fed sets up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Survey: Public Opposes Allowing Policyholder Suits Against Insurers
A majority of Americans believe that laws allowing people to sue their own auto insurance company for punitive damages, in addition to receiving benefits for their insured claim losses, are not a good idea.
Ten Key Indicators Show ‘Global Warming is Undeniable’
Melting glaciers, more humid air and eight other key indicators, show that global warming is undeniable, scientists said Wednesday, citing a new comprehensive review of the last decade of climate data.
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