Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, September 4
Sep 4, 2008
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Homeowners Choice, Inc. (HCIIU), a Florida-based provider of homeowners insurance, today announced that its wholly-owned insurance subsidiary, Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Company, Inc., has received approval from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to increase its policy takeout authorization from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to 95,000 policies from 30,000 policies.
No ruling on insurer’s bid to block inquiry information
The Connecticut Supreme Court has declined to rule on a Florida company’s efforts to block Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal from disclosing information he obtained while investigating the insurance industry.
Agriculture disaster status sought for 36 Fla. counties
A disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is being sought for 36 Florida counties that suffered crop damage from Tropical Storm Fay Aug. 19., Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said Wednesday.
FEMA brings hope to the flood-weary
Agents patrol neighborhoods to offer information on emergency assistance
Federal and state officials were in Leon County on Wednesday to spread the word about the financial assistance that’s available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for victims of Tropical Storm Fay. A half-dozen agents from FEMA, the Florida State Emergency Response Team and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office walked the Timberlake neighborhood, talking to residents or leaving information on doorknobs.
Red Cross says disaster fund is broke
American Red Cross officials said their national disaster fund is broke, and they’re asking for help to pay for relief activities in the wake of this season’s storms.
Watch still on for price-gouging
Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services is still on the look out for price-gouging as Tropical Storm Hanna approaches.
When storms exit, health risks enter
Contamination of private wells, mold growth among concerns following Fay
Tropical Storm Fay may be long gone, but it has left many potential dangers in its wake.
Strongest Storms Grow Stronger Yet, Study Says
A new study finds that the strongest of hurricanes and typhoons have become even stronger over the last two and a half decades, adding grist to the contentious debate over whether global warming has already made storms more destructive. I think we do see a climate signal here, said James B. Elsner, a professor of geography at Florida State University who is the lead author of the paper, being published in Thursdays issue of the journal Nature.
OP-ED: Securing boats when hurricanes threaten
So, how do you secure boats properly when a hurricane threatens?
WellCare program will stay in Duval
Despite announcing last month it would leave Duval County, the largest provider in the local Medicaid reform pilot program will now stay put.
High court axes 3 key amendments
The Florida Supreme Court removed three high-profile constitutional amendments from the November ballot, including one calling for a tax-swap plan.
The Florida Supreme Court dealt a blow to a tax revision plan and school vouchers Wednesday, removing from the November ballot three controversial amendments that could have dramatically altered the future of Florida.
Elections board up before dawn after finding 2,700 ballots overnight
Palm Beach County elections officials early today found 2,700 of the 3,478 ballots that somehow disappeared between last week’s election and a weekend recount.
Greer would buck national GOP again
Could Florida in 2012 once again be at the center of a nasty fight over the primary schedule? Perhaps. Republicans at the national convention Monday decreed that only Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina can hold their 2012 primary or caucus votes before the first Tuesday in March, though a special committee will hammer out more details of the recommended primary in 2010.
Democrats’ House District 44 candidate has yet to campaign
A once-hot race for the state Legislature so far looks like a dud.
Just months ago, Democrats trumpeted the candidacy of Joseph Puglia, who is challenging Republican incumbent Robert Schenck for the House District 44 seat. The state party even ranked the race near the top of its priority list and promised help.
Some water will be released from Lake Okeechobee
Starting Thursday, gates on either side of Lake Okeechobee will discharge the equivalent of about 5,800 Olympic swimming pools a day.
With Tropical Storm Hanna’s fringes expected to skirt the coast in coming days, federal engineers confirmed Wednesday that they’ll start letting water out of rising Lake Okeechobee.
The economic vise gripping many of Florida’s businesses and residents is prompting Florida Power & Light Co. to slash expenses, and is expected to stunt profits for its parent company.
Natural gas storage comes to Florida in 2012
Florida is slated to get its first natural gas storage facility, which will hold 8-billion cubic feet of natural gas in Martin County.
Nation’s largest food distributor pays $300,000 to end investigation into fake grouper
Two years after the St. Petersburg Times exposed fake grouper in Tampa Bay restaurants, the nation’s largest food distributor and supplier of much of that fish has agreed to pay $300,000 to end a state investigation into the matter.
GOP Platform Adds A Cat Policy Plank
The Republicans adopted language in their platform this week calling for a “national disaster insurance policy,” following an earlier vote by the Democratic Party to back a national catastrophe fund.
Alabama Gov. Names Ridling as State’s New Insurance Commissioner
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley filled a recently vacated opening on his cabinet, naming a commissioner to head the Department of Insurance.
Consumer Federation of America: Weakened Gustav nonetheless causes billions in damages
Storm-ravaged homeowners in the path of Hurricane Gustav will file an estimated 175,000 wind- and flood-damage claims with insurance payouts likely to top $5 billion, the Consumer Federation of America reported Wednesday.
Insurers Estimate Gustav Claims as High as $10 Billion
Residential and commercial damages from Hurricane Gustav will trigger an estimated $4 billion to $10 billion in insurance claims, a third of which could affect the energy industry.
OSHA Offers Gustav Recovery Help
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said it will be offering the full resources of the agency to assist in protecting workers in the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast.
U.S. Navy concerned about Gulf Coast post-hurricane workforce
U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter said on Wednesday he was concerned about maintaining a stable workforce at Gulf Coast shipyards after the recent evacuation caused by Hurricane Gustav.
Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, the leading global risk and reinsurance specialist, announced today that it has won the Reinsurance Broking Team of the Year award at The Review Worldwide Reinsurance Awards 2008. The award, in recognition of the extension of Guy Carpenters i-aXs risk management platform to workers compensation and life, accident and health business lines, was presented yesterday at The Dorchester Hotel in London.
Alabama Beach Pool Reports Progress on Coastal Insurance Issues
The Alabama Insurance Underwriting Association, known as the Beach Pool, today released a progress report on a series of coastal insurance recommendations made by a state task force following Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The 20-member Hurricane Insurance Issues Task Force released its final report in August 2005, just weeks before Hurricane Katrina came ashore.
Iowa Task Force Reviews Flood Aid; Special Legislative Session Considered
A task force created to assess damage from this year’s flooding and make recommendations for recovery released a report on Tuesday, September 2, that called for expanded housing programs for flood victims and financial assistance for businesses wanting to rebuild.
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