Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, December 1
Dec 1, 2009
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Blog: Tampa Bay home restoration executive charged by SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission accuses Tampa home restoration executive Brian M. Marshall of helping create a “fantasyland of fraud” to inflate his company’s stock after Hurricane Katrina.
Why a Company in Bermuda Can Raise Your Rates in Florida
Insurance carriers across Florida continue to pay higher reinsurance rates even though the state has not been hit by a hurricane since 2005.
Storm approaching Florida could be worse than Ida, forecasters say
A powerful winter storm will blast across Northwest Florida on Tuesday night and Wednesday bringing torrential rains, gale-force winds and storm surges comparable to a tropical storm.
Cracked floor tiles unnerve Hernando County homeowner in sinkhole area
Veronica Pereria’s Black Friday yard sale was going well.
Column: Arcane lawsuit threatens beach restoration
An abstract legal theory, so outrageous in its implications that most Floridians hardly regard it as a serious, gets a full hearing in the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday. We’re that close, if this decision comes down to a usual 5-4 split, to tossing beach restoration projects into chaos.
Flood insurance program awash in red ink
New flood maps could mean extra insurance burden
Amid health care debate, top Florida employees’ free premiums scrutinized
Top Florida lawmakers are balking at Congress’ plans to help more poor people get health care, though they’ve protected an entitlement of their own for years: free insurance premiums.
SunRail special session to start Thursday
AFL-CIO comes out against commuter rail for metro Orlando
State lawmakers agreed Monday to hold a special session starting this week to decide the fate not only of the SunRail commuter train planned for metro Orlando but the future of rail travel throughout Florida.
- Letter to House Speaker Cretul seeking to delay Session until Monday
- CFO Sink joins call to postpone Session
Gov. Charlie Crist’s call for a statewide grand jury to investigate political corruption was rejected Monday by the Florida Supreme Court as too vague, so the governor’s office quickly refiled its request.
Lake Okeechobee water once again headed west, despite concerns about South Florida supplies
Lake Okeechobee water once again is being used to ease west coast environmental concerns, even as dry weather threatens South Florida water supplies
Space Coast legislators discuss jobs, space
Legislative delegation meets to discuss priorities, goals
Jobs and space: Considering NASA’s murky future, these should be the top priorities of the Space Coast legislative delegation this year in Tallahassee, local leaders agreed Monday.
PSC to try setting Fla. conservation goals again
The Public Service Commission is taking another stab at setting energy conservation goals for Florida’s major electric utilities. The panel rejected goals recommended by its staff on Nov. 10 because they were too weak.
Ethics Commission may ask for more power and steeper fines
Talk about good timing.
Florida Democrat appointed ambassador to Portugal
Allan Katz of Tallahassee, a Democratic Party activist and early supporter of President Barack Obama, has been nominated ambassador to Portugal.
State Farm bumps rate for Gulf Coast policyholders
Mississippi’s largest insurer is getting nearly a 20 percent wind insurance rate increase for Gulf Coast policyholders, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said Monday.
Corps to Shrink Pump Project on New Orleans’ West Bank
The Army Corps of Engineers says the cost of a $1 billion pump-and-floodgate project on the western side of the New Orleans area is rising, forcing the agency to consider cutting up to $300 million in work.
Flagstone places $175M catastrophe bond to cover U.S. risks
Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Ltd. says it has placed a $175 million catastrophe bond to cover risks from U.S. hurricanes and earthquakes.
Supreme Court declines appeal in Ford Explorer rollover case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review Ford Motor Co.’s five-year attempt to have an $82.6 million product liability decision reversed.
Auto insurance report now available
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners today announced the release of its 2006/2007 Auto Insurance Database Report, which provides the average costs associated with personal automobile insurance nationwide.
Insurer Trade Group PCI Names Isler Lobbyist for Southeast
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has named Micaela Isler as regional manager, state government relations. Isler will cover the Southeast Atlantic region which includes the District of Columbia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Accounting scandals change face of finite
Roughly five years after finite reinsurance was tarnished by high-profile scandals, coverage by that name is no longer being written, though similar products continue to exist.
Extent of Chinese drywall problem questioned
That is how many U.S. homes potentially could contain the allegedly defective building product, some have estimated. Multiple media outlets covering the drywall story — including The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and the Bradenton Herald — have quoted the estimate, as have various federal and state elected officials
Copenhagen won’t be a zero-sum game on climate change
When the Copenhagen climate summit convenes next week, the European nations that have led the crusade against global warming will be able to report that the continent has met the targets for carbon-emission reductions set in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
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