Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, April 29

 

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Safe Home Program Insurance Benefit Scarce, Survey Finds

Many My Safe Florida Home customers are not saving money on their wind insurance, according to a survey released Monday by the state Department of Financial Services.

OIR: My Safe Florida Home Program Announces High Customer Satisfaction Before Hurricane Season 2008

Survey Highlights Customer Service, Savings, & Ease of Mitigation Program

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today released survey results from Floridians participating in the My Safe Florida Home (MSFH) program showing 97 percent of homeowners rate the application process as easy or somewhat easy, 80 percent rate their overall experience as excellent or good, and 82 percent of respondents say they are willing to recommend the program to neighbors as hurricane season draws closer.

EDITORIAL: Plan to tap Citizens is bad gamble

Try to follow this logic. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the underfunded state-run insurer, does not charge actuarily sound rates.

What’s going on in the Florida Legislature

Here’s a scorecard of actions taken by Florida lawmakers Monday and a look ahead at what’s expected at the state Capitol today.

Florida budget set for final vote

The moving target that has been Florida’s $66.2 billion budget came in for a bumpier than usual landing Monday evening when it was delivered to lawmakers’ desks at 6:28 p.m., setting up a final up or down vote on Friday, the last day of the legislative session.

Florida CFO to Politicians: Look at State’s Liability in Commuter Rail Deal

Florida taxpayers would be on the hook for losses due to train accidents in a proposed deal the state transportation department negotiated with CSX Railroad, according to the state’s chief financial officer.

Florida-based Old Dominion Insurance Earns Top Spot in Agent Survey

In a Florida Association of Insurance Agents commissioned survey, independent insurance agents ranked Old Dominion Insurance Co. as the top property-casualty carrier in the state.

Nation’s top hurricane predictor in the middle of a storm

By pioneering the science of seasonal hurricane forecasting and teaching 70 graduate students who now populate the National Hurricane Center and other research outposts, William Gray turned a city far from the stormy seas into a hurricane research mecca.

Soaring costs force many Florida workers to drop health insurance

Rising premiums mean many drop or trim coverage

Florida workers’ health insurance costs climbed nearly one-third between 2001 and 2005 while income rose only slightly, a national trend that is still worsening and is straining the health-care system and consumers, researchers reported Monday.

OIR: Long-Term Care Insurance

New Agent Training Requirements

The purpose of this memorandum is to notify Florida life and health insurers of new training requirements for insurance agents selling, soliciting or negotiating Long Term Care Partnership Program policies governed by Chapter 69O-157, Parts II and III of the Florida Administrative Code.

Bickering holds up Florida health insurance bill

In the end-of-session pressure cooker, the fate of a health insurance plan for 3.8 million is uncertain.

A health coverage plan for 3.8 million uninsured Floridians has stalled amid the down-to-the-wire politics of a state lawmaking session where there has been too little money and trust to ensure its swift passage.

Health premiums outpace incomes

Family health-insurance premiums climbed 29 percent in Florida over a five-year period while median family income remained almost flat, a national survey is reporting Tuesday.

What they’re tussling over in Tallahassee

Download child porn, get sued by victim What: People who distribute or even download child pornography could face civil action on top of criminal charges under a bill that would allow victims of child pornography in the state to sue the people who download and transmit their images for no less than $150,000 per photograph.

House OKs bill to expand credits for corporations

Supporters say it offers choices to poor families. Opponents argue it siphons money from already-strapped public schools.

Florida Capitol bomb scare a false alarm

Bomb squad detonates suspicious box

A big box crammed with plastic shopping bags from a shoe factory caused a bomb scare at the Capitol Monday afternoon during the last week of the legislative session.

Senate kills ‘disgusting’ gambling bill

The state Senate on Monday afternoon shot down a bill sponsored by Sen. Dave Aronberg that would have allowed card rooms to open in storefronts by transferring the license to n off-site location within a 30-mile radius.

Florida Senate rejects plan to let Palm Beach Kennel Club add card room

The Florida Senate on Monday soundly rejected a plan that would have let Palm Beach Kennel Club open an off-track card room and betting facility to help it better compete against Indian casinos and state-sanctioned slot machines at Broward County’s pari-mutuels.

House approves limits on local government reserves

Cities, counties and special districts could not keep more than 20 percent of their budgets in a reserve account and would have to publish online any contract worth more than $25,000 under a bill approved today by the Florida House.

State giving $15M to help Space Coast economy adjust after shuttle era

In an otherwise grim budget year, the Space Coast landed $15 million from the state to help wean its work force off the soon-to-be-retired shuttle fleet.

$50 million for Everglades cleanup slipped back into Florida budget

Legislative leaders slipped $50 million for Everglades cleanup back into the state budget only hours after announcing there was no money this year for the River of Grass, it became clear Monday.

Bill to expand water district powers withdrawn

The bill expanding the powers of the East County Water Control District has been pulled from consideration, Kreegel’s office announced this afternoon.

Bill passes requiring safer-burning cigarettes

Legislation that would mandate safer-burning cigarettes designed to reduce home fires will soon land on Gov. Charlie Crist’s desk.

New Advisen-RIMS Study Finds Shifting Relationship Between Insurance Buyers And Brokers

Broker Services and Remuneration Study shows buyers driving brokers toward services, moving from commission to fees; Buyers still waiting for certain placement and non-placement services

Under Embargo Until April 28, 2008 —The Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and Advisen, Ltd. announce the release of the Broker Services and Remuneration Study as part of the 2008 RIMS Benchmark Survey™ book.

Cat Bond Market Weakens As Reinsurance Rates Drop

Catastrophe bond market activity is set to fall from a lofty peak of $4 billion in issuances in 2006, but the market will remain strong in 2008 and move in different directions, experts said here.

Hispanics An $80 Million Ad Buy For Insurers Last Year

Led by Allstate, auto insurers spent about $80 million on television ads targeting U.S Hispanics last year, according to a publication that tracks that market.

La. parish president still facing lawsuits over Katrina

On the eve of Hurricane Katrina, massive pumps that keep water out of this New Orleans suburb went silent when the roughly 100 workers who run them were allowed to flee under a “doomsday” evacuation plan.

Insurers Boost California Economy By $27.3 Billion

California has a $1.6 trillion economy that ranks it as a global financial power, thanks in part to a multi-billion dollar boost from the insurance industry, according to a new report by the Insurance Information Institute of California.