Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, February 3
Feb 3, 2009
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Sansom’s replacement now permanent
Ray Sansom’s short-lived and tumultuous tenure as Florida House speaker effectively ended Monday night when his Republican colleagues anointed a new leader.
Company tries to reel in State Farm castoffs
Security First Insurance, a Florida homeowners insurance company run by former state Sen. Locke Burt, isn’t waiting for regulators to approve State Farm’s exodus from Florida’s property insurance market.
Insurance regulators question State Farm’s dire claim
State Farm, Florida’s second-largest home insurer, pleads poverty as it attempts to exit the state and send more than 700,000 customers scrambling for coverage.
It could be worse: You could live in Florida
For Louisiana homeowners stunned by their rising insurance rates, remember that it could be worse. You could live in Florida.
Institute for Policy Innovation: Thank Gov. Crist for loss of State Farm
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is reaping the whirlwind — and Floridians are suffering — for his challenge two years ago to insurance companies to make his day by pulling out of the Sunshine State.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: It’s time we told insurance giants ‘Enough!’
Re: “State Farm’s exit leaves Florida on the brink of a crisis” (My View, Jan. 31).
The doomsday predictions of Eli Lehrer regarding State Farm’s exit from the Florida homeowners’ market sounds as though it was crafted by the insurance industry’s play book for corporate lobbyists. The industry has been singing this same old tune since Hurricane Andrew hit Miami in 1992.
State price gouging investigation targets a major gas wholesaler
More than 10,000 Floridians complained to state agencies about steep increases in the price of gasoline after Hurricane Ike last year, and at least two retail stations in North and Central Florida have agreed to settlements of price gouging allegations for about $6,000. A grab bag of such settlements with small-scale businesses is typical after a disaster.
2 lose appeal in Florida insurance scam
Two men sentenced to federal prison for cheating investors out of more than $100 million in an insurance scheme have failed to convince an appeals court that they were unfairly convicted of mail fraud.
Miami’s Lennar Corporation files lawsuits in Chinese drywall case
Lennar Corp. has filed a major lawsuit against a lengthy list of manufacturers, suppliers and installers whose products or services were used by the company in the construction of its homes carrying Chinese drywall.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined 18 fellow governors in sending the attached letter to President Barack Obama signaling support for the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which passed last week in the U.S. House and is currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate.
Florida has ‘shovels ready’ for federal cash
Florida has lists of “shovel-ready” transportation and environmental projects that can swiftly put federal stimulus funds to work, state officials Monday told Gov. Charlie Crist.
Group of GOP Senators Led by Mel Martinez Draft Stimulus Alternative
A group of Republican senators drafted an alternative stimulus measure that narrows government spending to infrastructure programs and helping unemployed Americans, addresses the housing crisis and relies mostly on tax cuts.
Florida Republican’s ‘No’ vote on stimulus package irks those ‘in the trenches’
In a Florida county hit hard by the recession, officials rail against their Republican congressman’s opposition to the economic package. They say politics has no place in an economic crisis.
Reporting from Cape Coral, Fla. — Jim Burch is a proud man from a proud town. “It breaks my heart to say we need help,” he says.
Florida Bank Receives $10.9 million in Treasury CPP Funds on Jan. 30
First Southern Bancorp, Inc. received $10.9 million on January 30, 2009 as part of the U.S. Treasury’s distribution of approximately $1.15 billion to 42 banks across the nation as part of its Capital Purchase Program.
Seminoles try again for gambling deal with Florida
The Seminole Tribe of Florida came to the capital Monday and made an offer Florida legislators may find hard to refuse: It promised to create 45,000 new jobs, deliver billions in economic development and hand a check over to the state for $288 million in new revenue to spend next year.
Crist keeps options open for Senate run
It’s not surprising for the governor of the fourth-most populous state to fly to Washington, especially when $800 billion in economic stimulus money is up for grabs.
Dudley Goodlette tapped as state House’s top staffer
Naples Republican and former state Rep. Dudley Goodlette will return to state service as House of Representative chief of staff, the newest head of the House announced today.
Former Florida congressman gets Alaska board slot
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has appointed former Florida congressman David Weldon to serve on the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp.’s board.
Putnam, 2 Others Gear Up for Campaign
The official acknowledgement by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of his entry into the 2010 race for Florida commissioner of agriculture left two Republicans already seeking the job nonplused but vowing to stay in the race.
EDITORIAL: Lawmakers fight attempt to stop district-rigging
Every 10 years, the Florida Constitution requires the Legislature to work together to undermine the concept of “one person, one vote.”
Fitch Downgrades Allstate Corp. and its Subs; Outlook Remains Negative
In contrast to A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings has downgraded the senior debt rating of the Allstate Corporation to ‘BBB+’ from ‘A’, and the financial strength ratings of Allstate’s P/C and life insurance subsidiaries to ‘A+’ from ‘AA’ and ‘A’ from ‘AA-‘, respectively, and has assigned a negative outlook to the ratings.
GAO Probing If U.S. Cash Gives AIG An Unfair Edge
The Government Accountability Office has launched a probe into whether American International Group’s federal funding lifeline is providing it with an unfair advantage in the pricing of commercial insurance products.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Dead One Month After Retirement
Former North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, who retired last month after serving 24 years as state regulator, died Monday, 12 days after suffering a stroke.
2008 Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame
A serial home arsonist, an elected judge who made phony auto injury claims, and dentists who did worthless root canals on children were among the nine swindlers elected to the Insurance Hall of Shame.
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