Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, May 1

 

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Legislators compromise on ‘homeowners’ bill of rights’

The state House late Wednesday night passed a sweeping property insurance bill that is touted as a “homeowners’ bill of rights.”

Revamped insurance package passed by House

Private property insurers will soon be more tightly regulated under a voluminous measure passed in the Florida House.

House bill extends Citizens rate freeze

The Florida House late Wednesday passed a bill that would prevent rate increases for customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. until January 2010.

Citizens insurance rates may hold steady

Rates for the state’s largest property insurer could remain the same at least another year, but leaves all insured Floridians open to charges if a hurricane hits.

State sued in Poe case

A lawsuit has been filed against the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association claiming the agency failed to notify consumers there’s a deadline for resolving claims against the failed Poe insurance companies.

Class-action suit filed against insurance deadline

Property owners who had policies with the now-bankrupt Poe Financial Group did not receive sufficient notice of a June deadline to dispute claims in court, lawyers argued Wednesday after filing a class-action lawsuit.

Insurer Homeowners Choice plans $10 million IPO

Homeowners Choice Inc., a newcomer in the Florida property and casualty insurance market with strong ties to the Tampa Bay area, plans to expand its presence by raising as much as $10 million in an initial public offering.

Insurance- ‘Green’ Coalition Opposes Expanding Government Catastrophe Bailouts

An unusual alliance of insurance and environmental groups is urging lawmakers to focus on policies that encourage property mitigation and environmental protection in catastrophe-prone areas, rather than expanding the government’s flood insurance or “bailing out” Florida’s catastrophe plan.

Highlights of condo, homeowner association laws before Legislature

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHANGES, APPROVED AND PENDING Bills numbered 995 and 1378 passed in both the House and Senate; 601, 679 and 1105 passed in the House and await possible Senate action.

Georgia water restrictions threaten Florida ecosystem, officials say

Florida environmental officials Wednesday blasted a federal proposal to reduce the water flowing from Georgia into the Apalachicola River, calling it deadly for rare species and the seafood industry.

OPINION: How a minor storm could bankrupt Florida

Here’s one scary Halloween scenario that could easily come true: By trick-or-treat time, just past the hurricane season’s peak, Florida’s state government easily could be bankrupt — and its taxpayers reeling from enormous new costs — unless the Legislature abruptly changes course.

Central Florida commuter-rail deal clings to life

For a while Wednesday, Central Florida’s commuter rail appeared doomed.

‘Green’ energy bill heads to governor

An expansive energy bill headed for the governor’s desk is just the first step in making Florida a national leader in clean energy, a lawmaker said Wednesday.

Bill banning South Florida sewage in ocean awaits Crist’s OK

Utilities in South Florida eventually would have to stop dumping 300 million gallons of sewage a day into the ocean under a bill that now needs the governor’s signature to take effect.

Florida Forever successor advances

The state’s program for buying land for conservation would continue for another decade under a bill that will now go to the governor’s desk.

Senate sinks abortion bill requirement

A proposal that would have required all Florida women to have an ultrasound before an abortion failed in a tie vote in the Florida Senate.

In a surprising rejection of conservative election-year politics, the Republican-controlled state Senate on Wednesday defeated a measure requiring women to get an ultrasound exam and view the results before proceeding with an abortion.

Daniel Webster bids farewell to Legislature

The Florida Senate said goodbye Wednesday to Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster with a few tears, some jokes and the naming of a Department of Transportation building after the 28-year lawmaker.

Florida Sen. Steve Geller, D-Cooper City, leaving office after 20 years

Steve Geller walked into the Legislature 20 years ago as a member of the “Broward Mafia,” one of the Democrats from South Florida who controlled the state House and, in many ways, the future of Florida.

House to approve anti-genetic discrimination bill

Genetic testing can make it easier to determine a person’s risk of debilitating diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, but many people worry that it also makes them targets for insurance rate increases and job loss.

A bill expected to pass Congress overwhelmingly and be signed into law by President Bush should provide some relief by prohibiting insurance and job discrimination by companies using genetic information.

Official defends secret earmark

U.S. Rep. Don Young for the first time offered a public explanation on Wednesday for a secret transportation earmark that so angered fellow lawmakers that they called on the Justice Department to investigate it.

Report: Insurance-Related Securities Could Prompt Disaster Coverage

A new report released today says that by decreasing barriers in the emerging market of insurance-linked securities, insurance companies might be able to obtain the capital needed to cover more risks in disaster-prone areas of the country.

COMMENTARY: Protecting Louisiana Important For Entire U.S.

Despite the hundreds of thousands of words written about Hurricane Katrina, fundamental misunderstandings about Louisiana’s vulnerability to hurricanes continue to cloud the policy debate.

Coast Strongly Influences Louisiana, Texas Property Markets

Louisiana and Texas share a lot. Besides sharing a common border, they share the Gulf of Mexico–both its bounty and its battering, in the form of tropical storms and hurricanes.

 

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