Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, December 15
Dec 15, 2009
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Column: People’s Trust Saga shows pros, cons of insurance regulation
A home insurer that grew fast under an unconventional — and illegal — business model is back in good standing after coughing up fines and agreeing to limit sales.
Florida’s Homeowners Choice extends stock buyback
The board of directors of authorized a plan to extend its share repurchase plan by an additional $3 million.
Hudson hurricane shelter built to withstand winds of 190 mph
Not every politician gets a day like the one state Sen. Mike Fasano had Monday.
South Florida on national list of ‘judicial hellholes’
New York and the appellate courts of New Mexico have been added to the American Tort Reform Foundation’s list of “judicial hellholes,” according to a report released Tuesday.
Families win damages in Miami Beach drowning suits
The family of a New York jazz musician who drowned trying to save a rabbi’s wife in treacherous riptides off Miami Beach has won $5 million in damages in a decade-old case that had raised serious liability issues for seaside communities that don’t provide lifeguards at public beaches.
Empty home burned is 19th suspicious fire in Tampa
A fire that heavily damaged a small, wood-frame home in the Ybor City neighborhood is the 19th suspicious fire in the area this year.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: UF, UCF back insurance requirement for students
Two of Floridas largest universities are throwing their weight behind a proposal requiring students to have health coverage ” likely boosting costs for thousands of uninsured students but potentially saving big money for cash-strapped state schools.
Blog: Cuba arrest stirs Florida politicians
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is pushing for a more urgent U.S. response to the case involving an American citizen arrested in Cuba, and has sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling it an “outrage that the Cuban regime has refused cooperation.”
Crist defends DOT secretary after CFO Sink calls for resignation over ‘pancake’ e-mails
The use of breakfast-related code words by the state’s top transportation officials in the subject lines of e-mails dealing with rail legislation has provoked outcry among two candidates for governor, public records advocates and a tax watchdog group.
Editorial: No special session on gambling.
Lawmakers are right that it’s not the time to call a special legislative session to address gambling issues. But dealing with gambling, as Tallahassee must this coming spring, is long overdue.
Alabama, Georgia, Florida governors talk water
The governors of Alabama, Georgia and Florida are meeting for the first time in two years to discuss a water sharing dispute that has been going on for two decades.
Blog: Lawmakers seek to make annexing tougher
Pinellas County legislators want to make it tougher for cities to annex in Lealman and East Lake neighborhoods after St. Petersburg’s disputed annexation of part of Tierra Verde.
State jobs shrink as recession continues
The recession has hit state government and employees are clinging to their jobs as Florida legislators cut job rolls.
Mississippi Levee board approves corps plan
The Levee Board has agreed to go ahead with the Army Corps of Engineers plan to prevent flooding in the capital city.
Disaster management firm moves to North Carolina with 430 jobs
A Louisiana-based disaster management consultant said Monday it’s moving its headquarters to North Carolina in a move expected to bring 430 jobs to the state in the next six years.
NAIC Accounting Change Could Help Insurers, Moody’s Finds
A change in statutory accounting rules by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners could help insurers’ financial flexibility, but it will not impact their ratings, said an analyst with Moody’s Investors Service.
Study Says, Lawsuit Activity Costs May Rise 3% This Year
Civil litigation costs rose only 1.1 percent in 2008, but this year they may have nearly tripled, driven up by damage from the financial crisis and medical malpractice cases, a consulting firm reported.
‘Reputation Risk Insurance’ Introduced by 110-Year-Old Risk Advisory Leader, Dewitt Stern
Tiger Woods Scandal Shows Need to Protect Brands and Advertisers from Sudden and Dramatic Losses
DeWitt Stern, the 110-year-old risk management and insurance brokerage firm specializing in insurance products for the entertainment, arts, and advertising communities, today announced that it will introduce “Reputation Risk Insurance” into the marketplace at the beginning of the new year. No other insurance product of its kind has ever been available, DeWitt Stern says.
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