Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, July 3

 

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State officials approve plan to shore up CAT fund

Florida residents might see an increase in property insurance rates because of a plan to bolster the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

State hedges against disaster $220 million is paid to hurricane fund

The state placed a $220 million bet Wednesday as a hedge against catastrophic hurricane damage this year, but decided at the last minute to protect Floridians from higher insurance premiums to pay for the plan.

State turning to Warren Buffett for hurricane fund bailout

Worried about financial problems if major hurricanes slam Florida, state leaders are turning to billionaire Warren Buffett for backup.

New pension fund director could be familiar face

Florida’s search for a new chief investment manager is closing in on a familiar name: Ashbel Williams, who had the job for the first half of the 1990s before leaving for a more lucrative career on Wall Street.

House Panel Set To Move On Insurance Office Bill

The Capital Markets Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee has tentatively scheduled action for July 9 on legislation that would create an Office of Insurance Information within the Treasury Department.

Hurricane inspection program to end

Officials plan to announce Thursday the end of the My Safe Florida Home program, even as requests for its free hurricane home inspections continue to deluge the state.

Hurricane ‘starter kits’ given to South Dade families

The line of waiting cars stretched out of Farm Share’s Distribution Warehouse’s parking lot and snaked almost the entire length of Southwest 320th Street.

States face dwindling unemployment insurance funds

The funds states use to pay unemployment benefits are running low, raising fears of higher taxes on businesses and less money to help out-of-work employees during tight economic times.

Siplin’s Florida Bar record now clean

State Sen. Gary Siplin’s record with The Florida Bar is being wiped clean. On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court granted Siplin’s request to expunge the record of his law-license suspension from The Florida Bar

Union now says it backs Diaz-Balart

Last week, transport union workers said they had ‘absolutely not’ endorsed U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart for reelection — but now say they have supported him all along.

One of the Miami trade unions that denied it was endorsing U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, after the congressman said he had the group’s support, has switched tracks and now says it is backing the Republican incumbent.

Bad blood hard to avoid in 13th District

At least on the surface, political experts say there is nothing surprising about the District 13 race turning very negative, very quickly.

OPINION:  New candidate a game-changer for Mack

Saunders may not get support he had hoped

Congressman Connie Mack, the third-term congressman from our 14th Congressional District, may be able to breathe a sigh of relief because his main challenger in November, Republican State Sen. Burt Saunders who is running with “no party affiliation,” now has to contend with a Democrat in the race.

Fidelity National adds room under its umbrella

The Jacksonville business grows to include a third public company
And now there are three.

Disney fires back on guns at work

For three years, much of the big-business community in Florida — including Disney, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation — had vigorously opposed legislation intended to ensure that employees could store guns in their vehicles while at work. That opposition was offset by strong support from the National Rifle Association, however, and such a bill finally was approved this spring by the state Legislature.

Powerball coming to Florida in January

Powerball and its eye-popping jackpots are coming to Florida in January.

St. Petersburg, Pinellas offer millions to Jabil

Under a shroud of secrecy, the city and county have approved millions of dollars in tax incentives to persuade Jabil Circuit, one of the Tampa Bay area’s largest high-tech employers, to stay put.

Publix puts solar energy plan into motion

Publix Super Markets Inc. is testing solar panels on three of its South Florida stores in a joint venture to save electricity with Florida Power and Light and the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Medicare rolls out bid system

Medicare expects to eventually save $1 billion a year by changing the way it pays for wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and other equipment, but suppliers say the new system could force thousands of businesses to close. A new competitive bid process started in South Florida and nine other metro areas this week. The government estimates an average savings of 26 percent on 10 types of items covered under the program, including diabetic supplies, hospital beds and walkers.

Legislative standoff leaves doctors in limbo over pay

Congress has pitted seniors fearful of losing Medicare Advantage benefits against the doctors who treat them in a standoff that has created a giant headache for physicians.

Insurers Plead With Regulators To Hold Off Conduct Data Bank

Insurance industry representatives have urged regulators to delay action on a central market conduct data bank with financial analysis statements, citing concerns about confidentiality and possible conflicts with state laws.

Insurance Crime Bureau Web Site Lists Total Loss Vehicles

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has created a new Web-based service with total-loss data for consumers so they can learn if a vehicle has previously been severely wrecked, flooded or stolen.

CDC tests ID sources of fumes in FEMA trailers

The report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta recommends using different building materials to produce emergency housing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Georgia Bars Insurance Firm Over Violations

Regulators in Georgia have barred a California company from doing business in their state, saying it violated rules adopted in 2007 to prevent the sale of misleading or unsuitable life insurance policies to military personnel.

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