Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, August 18
Aug 18, 2009
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Coastal communities spared major damage from storms
The coastal counties within the Big Bend were largely unscathed from the wind and rain damage Tropical Storm Claudette left in other areas of North Florida.
Blog: Hurricanes and the big casino
If you like playing the odds, here’s a number to remember: 5.3 percent. That’s what a recently-concluded overview of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund pegs as the probability this hurricane season that the state-created reinsurance fund would exhaust all of its financial resources.
Crist checks out beach erosion in Destin
Gov. Charlie Crist traveled to Destin Monday to survey damage done by Tropical Storm Claudette.
Verizon Says Wireless Florida Network Ready as 2009 Storm Season Heats Up
As the 2009 Tropical Hurricane Season heats up with three named storms developing this week, Verizon Wireless operations are well prepared and ready to serve Florida customers with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless network.
Florida home insurance: Shop around for the best price, coverage
State Farm, Florida’s largest private property insurer plans to leave the state.
Nation’s largest impact window manufacturer makes Florida acquisition
PGT, Inc., one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of residential impact-resistant windows and doors, today announced the acquisition of the operating assets of Hurricane Window and Door Factory of Fort Myers, FL.
Florida workers’ comp analyst devises money-saving software
Allen DiMaria’s job can be tedious at times – complicated by an inadequate computer program. As an insurance analyst with the Division of Workers’ Compensation, DiMaria must ensure that employers in Florida carry workers’ compensation insurance.
Crist’s list for Martinez seat grows longer
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) will name a replacement for retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R) before Congress returns from August recess, choosing from among what is likely to be a pool of seven potential candidates.
Draper drops out of race for agriculture commissioner
Audubon lobbyist quitting campaign to focus on environmental advocacy
Veteran Audubon of Florida lobbyist Eric Draper called it quits on Monday in his nearly three-month campaign for agriculture commissioner.
Sansom returns home to applause
Nobody at the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce seems to be holding Ray Sansom’s approaching trial against him.
Regulators will weigh whether FPL can keep salaries secret
Open records advocates push for disclosure
State regulators Tuesday will weigh whether to allow Florida Power & Light Co. to keep its employees’ salaries secret.
Effort targets money for Florida rail
With the deadline looming to apply for federal stimulus money to build a high-speed rail line, lawmakers, business leaders and community organizers will launch a campaign today to win funding for the project.
Florida modifies review process that was delaying unemployment benefits
Unemployed Floridians entitled to extended unemployment benefits will no longer be subject to a “prepayment review,” a spokesman for Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation said Monday.
Florida Task force urges foreclosure mediation
Florida should require mediation between mortgage lenders and borrowers to help courts better manage the crush of foreclosure cases and improve borrowers’ chances of keeping their homes, a judicial task force is recommending.
Phone company fined for Florida overcharges
A phone company accused of overcharging Miami-Dade jail inmates and their families for collect calls has agreed to pay $1.25 million in settlement fees to state regulators.
Federal stimulus creating few new jobs in Florida so far
Six months after Congress approved billions to stimulate the economy, Florida’s share is trickling into the state to build roads, shore up gaps in Medicaid and meet a host of local needs.
RIMS Exec Calls For National Comp Law
Terry Fleming, Risk and Insurance Management Society vice president, told an industry conference here that federal legislation is needed to standardize the payment of workers’ compensation awards.
Editorial: Do the right thing for Texas homeowners insurance consumers
It is time for some straight talk about homeowners insurance in Texas. Most consumers are not aware that their premiums are higher than they should be because state politicians chose to make some consumers subsidize others.
Could Insurance Reform Lower Your Premium?
A hefty homeowner’s insurance bill has been the cost of living in paradise for years now, ticking off residents and insurance agents in coastal and other disaster-prone areas.
New York Times: The Climate and National Security
One would think that by now most people would have figured out that climate change represents a grave threat to the planet.
Health Insurance Cooperatives Pushed as Alternative to Public Option
As prospects fade for a public, or government-run, option as part of health-care reform, key senators are considering another model to create competition for private insurers: member-owned, nonprofit health cooperatives.
Ed Reimers dies at 96; Allstate placed ad campaign in his hands
For 22 years, the veteran television and commercial announcer told TV and radio audiences that ‘You’re in good hands with Allstate.’
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