Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, June 28

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Crist wants special legislative session for auto insurance, budget cuts

TALLAHASSEE — Legislators are likely to be called into their third special session of the year in September to revisit two insurance issues that didn’t get fixed this spring and make emergency repairs to the state budget, Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday.

 

Finding no fault with PIP, Crist wants to keep it

Lawmakers are likely to return for a special session in September to revisit the political battle over auto insurance, Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday.

 

Crist: Special legislative session on PIP possible

Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he ”would be in favor of a special session” on auto insurance to be called before Florida’s no-fault law expires on Oct. 1 but he wouldn’t commit to how soon the session might be.

 

Business Briefs
  
State-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. said Wednesday it will have about $2 billion in surplus cash by the end of June, an amount previously projected for the entire year.

 

U.S. catastrophe fund proposed

TALLAHASSEE – A U.S. House bill seeking to stabilize the insurance market in disaster-prone areas would use private investors to build a national backup fund that states could use after the worst catastrophes.

 

Senate blocks immigration bill

The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush’s plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

 

Governor Crist Addresses The National Association Of Latino Elected And Appointed Officials Annual Conference

Governor Charlie Crist today addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Annual Conference in Kissimmee. The Governor remarked on the importance of the American dream including education, access to affordable health care and homeownership.

 

Fla. Has 60 Days to Reach Gambling Deal

TALLAHASSEE – The U.S. Interior Department has told Gov. Charlie Crist to reach a deal with the Seminole Indian tribe by mid-August that will allow it to expand gambling at six casinos around Florida.

 

County revisits lobbying policy

Leon County commissioners will be taking a look at new lobbying restrictions after all.

On Feb. 27, commissioners voted not to enact an ordinance that would have strictly regulated how lobbyists interact with commissioners and staff. Commissioner Cliff Thaell proposed the ordinance in an effort to reign in the influence he said lobbyists have at the county. Only he and Commissioner Rackleff supported the measure.

 

Climate-change panel in motion

Those hot under the collar about global warming might get a chance to offer ideas.  Floridians are worried about increasingly destructive storms, rising sea levels and other results of human-caused climate change, but they’re also frustrated by having little ability to do anything about it.

 

Citizens Property sees growth spurt

The policy count for Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer, surpassed 1.3 million in May, and it’s taking on new policies at an even faster pace this month.

 

GOP candidates skip Hispanic conference

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Republican presidential candidates made a major miscalculation this week by skipping the nation’s largest gathering of Hispanic elected officials, local party representatives and event organizers said.

 

TRIA Extension Introduced in House, NBCR Provision Meets Industry Opposition

A proposal to extend and revise the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) was introduced in Congress on June 18.

 

Adios, Republican stronghold

Both parties are courting the swing voters of the state’s fastest-growing ethnic group.

With an enormously popular governor in office and control of both legislative chambers, Florida Republicans have plenty of reason for confidence heading into the 2008 election season.

 

Insurer Regulatory Compliance Goofs Studied

Property and casualty insurers’ biggest regulatory compliance problem is failure to properly terminate a policy, according to a study by a consulting firm that listed areas of difficulty.

 

Treasury Chief Paulson Vows Review of U.S. Financial Services Regulation

The Bush administration plans to review the U.S. government’s regulatory system for financial institutions with the goal of making changes to better reflect modern markets.

 

Governor Crist Signs Historic Everglades Legislation

Governor Charlie Crist today marked another milestone in Florida’s environmental history, signing a “green” law that expands the restoration of the famed River of Grass to Lake Okeechobee and the farthest northern reaches of the Everglades ecosystem.

 

IMF director stepping down in October

International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo de Rato will step down in October, he said Thursday, some six weeks after upheaval at the helm of the sister institution, the World Bank.

 

Florida budget may be a billion short

Florida’s economy is sputtering so badly that Gov. Charlie Crist and the GOP-controlled Legislature may be forced to order cuts in the more than $71 billion state budget that lawmakers passed less than two months ago.

 

Report: Indian gaming revenues were up in 2006, but growth slows

MIAMI — Indian gaming revenues increased 11 percent to about $25.5 billion in 2006, a sign that money is still flowing from gamblers’ pockets into tribal operations from California to Florida, according to a report released Thursday.

 

ACUITY, Nationwide Earn ADDY Awards

Regional property and casualty insurers ACUITY and Nationwide have both received awards from the American Advertising Federation at the group’s national conference June 7-9 in Louisville, Ky.