Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, December 2
Dec 2, 2008
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Nationwide wants 10% hike in Florida insurance rates
Nationwide Insurance Co. of Florida wants to raise residential property insurance prices by a statewide average of 10 percent.
Cameras take aim at red-light runners
Cities throughout South Florida are giving the green light to red-light cameras.
Advocates hail them as a safety measure — a way to get folks to slow down and avoid crashes. ‘The single largest complaint I get every day is traffic related. Speed and red lights,” said Hollywood Commissioner Heidi O’Sheehan, whose city tentatively approved using the cameras last month.
VIDEO: Never a Dull Moment for Florida Commissioner
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty stays busy with a list of insurance related measures enacted during a special session of the Florida Legislature in January 2007.
EDITORIAL: Hurricane gamble Taxpayers exposed to too much risk
With Sundays official end to the Atlantic hurricane season, Floridas run of good fortune now stands at three seasons and counting. The state only suffered heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Fay, which threatened Manatee County but veered away. During the 2007 hurricane season, only a single tropical storm, Barry, belted Florida.
Martin County to remove 14 abandoned vessels
It was a little after dark near Hells Gate in the St. Lucie River when the Spragues 18-foot center console fiberglass-hulled fishing boat struck an unseen object floating just below the waters surface.
Bonita RV park ravaged by water off flood-zone map
Manna Christian RV Park, among the county’s most publicized flood-prone spots, is not in a flood zone according to new government maps.
$300,000 sculpture destroyed en route to Art Miami show
The $300,000 Survival of Serena sculpture, set to show at Art Miami this week, won’t make it — the piece was destroyed on its way from Venice.
Carole Feuerman’s artwork, Survival of Serena, is a haunting, vivid sculpture of a woman clinging for dear life to an inner tube.
Plan may aid ailing towns as state stalls foreclosures
Florida Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham on Monday submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to distribute housing assistance for communities throughout Florida needing help, including Titusville and Melbourne.
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez won’t seek re-election
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who has struggled to boost his approval ratings because of close ties to President George W. Bush, announced Tuesday he will not seek a second term in 2010.
Crist, other governors to meet with Obama
Florida’s Charlie Crist is joining his fellow governors for a meeting with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia.
- Read Senator Crist’s letter to President-Elect Obama here.
Crist rejects nominees for 5th District court
Brevard Circuit Judge Bruce Jacobus’ recommendation for a 5th District Court of Appeal vacancy is up in the air after Gov. Charlie Crist today rejected a list of six nominees, citing a lack of racial diversity.
Senate President Atwater Names Leadership of Newly-Created Senate Select Economic Committee
Senate President Jeff Atwater announced the newly-created Select Committee on Florida’s Economy (“Committee”) today, December 2, 2008.
Demand for state aid explodes – with less money to go around
Food-stamp distributions are at an all-time high. Medicaid costs are on the rise. The jobless are lining up for unemployment checks.
Fla. commission considers car emissions limits
A state commission is scheduled to vote on whether Florida should require tough emissions standards for new cars sold in the state.
Legislative leaders from the Florida Panhandle have a long history of bringing home the bacon. Among the most infamous examples were the football stadium that a Senate president from Pensacola tried to build at a university that didn’t have a football team and the original ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ that a House speaker got built with state funds near his hometown.
Some states are attempting to crack down on the practice of “double-dipping,” even though the practice is legal in nearly every state under existing pension and hiring rules.
David Duke helps son of ex-Klan leader in fight for Palm Beach County Republican seat
Derek Black says “of course” he will attend a meeting Wednesday for new members of Palm Beach County’s Republican Executive Committee. Never mind that the party chairman says Black’s “white supremacist” associations are not welcome and he will not be seated.
Senator Nelson: Clinton perfect for post
Obama appoints top diplomat
Sen. Bill Nelson sees Hillary Clinton as the right choice to heal bruised international relations.
Private offer competes with state buyout plan
The Lawrence Group on Saturday submitted a formal offer to the United States Sugar Corp. board of directors to acquire the company for $300 per share in cash.
Jeb Bush to sit on Rayonier board of directors
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will sit on the board of directors of a Jacksonville-based company that owns real estate and timberland.
Governor Charlie Crist Applauds FPL’s New Solar Facility
Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp attends groundbreaking of world’s first hybrid solar plant
Governor Charlie Crist and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp today, continuing their commitment to using alternative and renewable energy sources for the Sunshine State, celebrated the groundbreaking of the world’s first hybrid solar plant. Florida Power & Light’s Next Generation Solar Energy Center is the first large-scale solar facility in the state and is expected to be fully operational by 2010.
The nation’s leading coalition of first responders, catastrophe experts and businesses concerned with how America is prepared and protected from catastrophe marked the end of the 2008 hurricane season and today called upon congress to make the creation of a comprehensive national catastrophe program a top priority when the congress reconvenes in January
Obama Inauguration May Raise Insurance, Legal Issues for Enterprising Homeowners
The days leading up to the inauguration of Barack Obama could be an economic windfall for residential property owners in and around D.C.
Workers Comp, Liability Claims Against Public Sector Exploding
Liability and workers compensation claims against the public sector are multiplying at an unprecedented pace, according to a report from a tracking database maintained by a risk management research organization.
30-mile debris pile becomes symbol of FEMA delays
A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA’s sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season
FEMA Spends $28M Storing Trailers and Mobile Homes in Mississippi
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is spending $28 million annually to store travel trailers and mobile homes at five Mississippi sites while the agency determines whether they’ll be reused or sold as scrap.
La. Dept. Posts Auto, Home Insurance Buying Guide
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced today that his department is making available revised online auto and homeowners insurance rate comparison guides.
Study: Families’ Financial Strain From Autism
More than half a million U.S. children have autism with costly health care needs that often put an unprecedented financial strain on their families, national data show.
Regulators hang up on cell tower backup rules
Federal regulators have rejected proposed changes by the Federal Communications Commission that would require all U.S. cell phone towers to have at least eight hours of backup power.
Keys Named CFO At Guy Carpenter
Guy Carpenter & Company reinsurance brokerage announced today that Elizabeth Keys has been appointed chief financial officer effective immediately, filling the post previously held by Ajay Junnarkar.
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