Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, September 9
Sep 9, 2010
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Traffic fatalities drop most in Florida
Florida led the nation with 422 fewer traffic fatalities in 2009, according to a report released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The New York Times: Deaths Challenge Florida Beach-Driving Tradition
Sandy Fletcher, a bartender with a dark tan at the Breakers beachfront restaurant here, remembers seeing the commotion in July.
Blog: South Florida insurance executives arrested
Two former executives of First Commercial Insurance Co. were arrested Wednesday on eight first-degree felony charges for allegedly filing false or misleading financial statements for the company and its affiliate before they folded last year.
Florida CFO Alex Sink launches online “Insure, Secure, Recover” disaster prep video
Urging Florida residents to remain vigilant as National Preparedness Month kicks off this week and two named storms, Earl and Fiona, threaten the southern United States, Florida CFO Alex Sink launched a new disaster preparedness video at www.MyFloridaCFO.com to provide timely information Floridians can use to protect their families and their homes.
- To view the video, click here.
Departure of Explorer Insurance from Florida Points Up Fraud Problem
With a letter sent out a few weeks ago, Explorer Insurance announced that it will no longer write private automobile policies in Florida because there is too much fraud.
Florida releases health insurance company earnings
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida earned the most money among the state’s health care insurance providers, with nearly $4 billion made from direct premiums, according to a state report released Thursday.
- To view the report, click here.
2 Miami-Dade men sentenced to prison in major Medicare fraud case
Two Miami-Dade men who bribed assisted living facilities, home healthcare agencies and patients in an elaborate scheme to bilk $2.8 million from Medicare for bogus rehabilitation services were sentenced Wednesday to several years in federal prison.
Funds available for low-cost health insurance in Miami-Dade
Federal-state funds are available to help low- and moderate-income residents pay for a county-sponsored health insurance, the Miami-Dade mayor’s office announced Thursday.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: District 83 — Another Rooney Vies For Office
Palm Beach County is generally associated with Democratic politics, but the coastal slice of a coastal county that makes up state House District 83 leans Republican, and over the past 20 years it has elected Republicans, but may be leaning to the middle.
Jacksonville councilman has easy path to the state Legislature
Daniel Davis is automatically in as Republican replacement for Jennifer Carroll
Northeast Florida picked up a new representative in the Florida Legislature on Wednesday without casting a single vote.
U.S. Labor Secretary in Florida to promote job growth
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is planning to be in central Florida attending various events hoping to promote job growth.
FPL files landmark suit to keep state commissioner from input on company issues
Florida Power & Light Co. has gone to court, filing 582 pages of documents, in an unprecedented effort to bounce an outgoing state board commissioner off its case.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement finds no criminal wrongdoing in FPL review
A state investigation into anonymous employee complaints about Florida Power & Light Co. has found no evidence of criminal wrong-doing.
Sink creates political committee to raise money
Faced with an opponent who has already spent millions of his own dollars on the governor’s race, Democratic candidate Alex Sink has created a political committee to raise unlimited funds on her behalf.
Blog: Florida State Fraternal Order of Police gives endorsement to Alex Sink
The Florida State Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Democrat Alex Sink, following the endorsement earlier this year from the larger Police Benevolent Association.
Port logistics conference set for March
The Jacksonville Port Authority and American Shipper, a Jacksonville-based trade magazine, will host a logistics and intermodal conference March 21-23, 2011 at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach.
South Florida’s wish list for stimulus funds tops $3 billion
The wish list is enormous: From $4 million worth of fire sprinkler systems and alarm upgrades at Miami International Airport, to millions of dollars of new ramps on the Palmetto Expressway, to a new $100 million interchange on Oakland Park Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike in Broward County.
SunTrust names Central Florida CEO
SunTrust Banks Inc. has promoted David E. Fuller to president and CEO of its Central Florida region.
Okaloosa will use BP funds to give tourists $200 debit cards
Okaloosa County condominiums and hotels could soon see a boost in reservations as the tourism officials roll out their BP-funded program to attract tourists later this month.
Gay adoption case heard by South Florida appellate panel
Vanessa Alenier’s fight to raise an infant relative seized by state child welfare administrators ended up Wednesday exactly where she had hoped it wouldn’t: in a Florida courtroom filled with lawyers and advocates on both sides of the state’s politically charged gay adoption law.
Leon Circuit judge says he’ll rule before the end of the week
Leon Circuit Judge Charles Francis said Wednesday that he would decide before the end of the week whether to strike down Amendment 8, the Legislature’s attempt to water down a class-size amendment that voters approved in 2002.
Drywall catches up with Habitat for Humanity
At least 70 of the 315 houses that Habitat for Humanity has built in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005 have tested positive for corrosion problems caused by defective Chinese drywall, leaving people who were once grateful to Habitat for their homes feeling betrayed by the agency they had trusted.
New York Excess Lines Brokers Advised to Renew Licenses Soon
New York excess line brokers must soon renew their business entity licenses if they want to avoid possible licensing delays later this year, the Excess Line Association of New York said.
South Carolina program to help captive insurance companies raise cash
S.C. Department of Insurance will be unveiling a new program to help captive insurance companies meet mandatory funding requirements.
Keystone Insurers to Enter Tennessee Market
Keystone Insurers Group, with more than 215 franchise partners in six states, today announced it will expand into Tennessee early next year. The privately held company is owned by its employees and partners in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
Interest Rising In Europe As Reinsurance Domicile
Reinsurers are increasingly looking to find a home in Europe as companies remain concerned about Bermuda’s status with regard to tax legislation in the United States, according to Standard and Poor’s.
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