Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, May 7
May 7, 2009
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Chief Financial Officer Split on Insurance Rates
Alex Sink backs raising rates for Citizens but is unsure of eliminating rate caps.
Florida’s elected Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink supports raising rates for policy owners with state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., but is hesitant to support a bill to eliminate rate caps on big private insurance companies.
Florida Domestic Insurers Have Backup Plans If State Hurricane Funds Slow
Most of Florida’s smaller domestic property insurers have initiated backup financing plans in the event the state-backed hurricane fund can’t meet its obligations right after a major storm hits.
Insurance executive, local sailor William McElmurray dies at 86
He was one of those lucky people who found his life’s passion when he was very young.
Law would end first responder fees
When Mary Trowbridge received a bill from the Ocala Police Department for $279.93 for an officer showing up at the scene of her 17-year-old daughter’s minor car accident, she was upset and wrote to the city’s mayor to complain.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Bad economy could hamper hurricane readiness
The stormy Florida economy could cloud power companies ability to deal with major hurricanes this year, the state’s largest electric and phone companies told the Public Service Commission Wednesday.
One in four emergency management jobs vacant in Broward
The head of Broward’s emergency management department said he is understaffed to handle hurricanes, but other officials say the county will be fully prepared.
Less than a month before the June 1 hurricane season starts, one quarter of the jobs are vacant in the Broward division that prepares for and responds to such disasters.
New law lets police ticket solely for lack of seat belt
With a stroke of his pen, Gov. Charlie Crist reversed decades of public safety policy Wednesday and signed a law that allows police to ticket motorists solely for not wearing seat belts.
Improve Medicare oversight, Miami’s U.S. attorney tells Senate
Miami‘s R. Alexander Acosta told a U.S. Senate panel that fixes need to be made at the top to stem the tide of Medicare fraud.
South Florida’s reputation as the capital of Medicare fraud came under the congressional spotlight Wednesday with U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta telling a Senate panel the best tool for fighting scams is tightening oversight at the top.
Florida senators lean on colleague to OK FEMA nominee Craig Fugate
With hurricane season just three weeks away, the U.S. senators from Florida are urging a colleague to drop his opposition to the former Florida disaster guru who’s been tapped to direct FEMA.
Free ‘perk’ — or insure 75,000 kids?
If highly paid state employees contributed to health insurance premiums at the same rate as lower-paid rank-and-file workers, the state would save $45 million in the coming year; and if that $45 million were applied to the Healthy Kids program, it would draw down federal match to total $143 million – enough to cover 75,000 uninsured children.
Florida Legislature reaches compromise on Seminole gambling revenues
Florida’s historic Hialeah Park racetrack would return. The Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock casinos would keep their slot machines and card games. South Florida’s parimutuels would bear a lower tax burden. And tracks around the state could seek bingo-style slot machines in the future.
Florida lawmakers to vote on $66.5 billion budget
A week later than they hoped, legislators return to the Capitol to vote on a $66.5 billion budget and finish their only constitutional duty.
State can claim rejected jobless money until 2011
Nearly 8 percent of the state’s $66.5 billion budget will be propped up with federal stimulus money, Gov. Charlie Crist was told Wednesday.
Even in lean times, Florida legislators make room for ‘turkeys’
With a $6 billion budget deficit, lawmakers had to cut back on programs that helped Alzheimer’s patients and foster kids – but they still managed to fund a few pet projects at universities and even nicotine patches for smokers trying to kick the habit.
Editorial: Florida Legislature gets a few things right
Let’s look at some of the good things our legislators did this year.
Everglades land deal faces six-month delay
The economy’s recent nosedive could push Gov. Charlie Crist’s monumental land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. back at least six months.
Sen. Bill Nelson: Obama supports a softer shuttle end date
President Barack Obama supports flying remaining shuttle missions if they slip past a deadline to retire the fleet next year, Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday.
State House District 60 race cranks up early
The race to succeed orthopedic surgeon Ed Homan as the state representative in House District 60 is off to an early start.
Legislative session: Big changes coming for anglers
Fishing from a beach, catwalk, jetty or pier will no longer be free of charge in Florida.
RMS Performs Risk Analysis for Ibis Re Hurricane Cat Bond
Risk Management Solutions has completed the expert modeling analysis in connection with the securities offering undertaken by Ibis Re Ltd., a special purpose reinsurance company domiciled in the Cayman Islands.
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