Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, January 4

 

Above:  Newly-inaugurated Florida Governor Rick Scott greets outgoing Charlie Crist today. (Photo:  St. Petersburg Times)

 

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Rick Scott becomes Florida’s 45th Governor

Republican Rick Scott was to be sworn in as Florida’s 45th governor Tuesday with promises to streamline government, make the state more attractive to businesses and to gradually phase out the corporate income tax.

• Scott says he’ll talk about cutting regulations and merging agencies in inaugural speech
• Wife of Rick Scott expected to have active agenda

 

Scott freezes Florida rulemaking, contracts

Florida Governor Rick Scott got to work within minutes of assuming office.

 

Crist:  It was a privilege to serve

As this year ends, I want to express my thanks to you, the people of Florida, for giving me the tremendous privilege of serving as your governor, and previously as attorney general, education commissioner and as a state senator from my beloved Tampa Bay.

 

Motor vehicle division staffer who cleared husband’s record returns to work

A month after a jury acquitted her of criminal charges, a Collier County Division of Motor Vehicles supervisor who cleared her husband’s suspended license to avoid a ticket is expected to return to work Tuesday as a clerk.

 

Hospitals pay millions in Medicare settlement

Seven hospitals located throughout the southern U.S. have agreed to pay a total of $6.3 million in a settlement after allegations they were overcharging for osteoporosis procedures.

 

Personal bankruptcies in Florida rise 16.5 percent in 2010

Florida posted the seventh-biggest jump in personal bankruptcies in the country last year, increasing 16.5 percent from 2009, according to an American Bankruptcy Institute report released Monday.

 

Palmetto commissioners deadlock over new gaming facility

Zoning is the issue, not legality

Palmetto commissioners split Monday on whether the city should allow a new computer-based gaming business, so they put off a decision until a missing colleague returns to cast the tie-breaking vote.

 

Former Florida GOP leader back in court

The former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida will be back in court.

 

Florida No. 2 for loan modifications

The number of Americans falling 60 days or more behind in their mortgages fell 6.4 percent in the third quarter from the second quarter, but the percentage of those who fell 30 to 59 days behind rose by 4.3 percent, according to a new report by bank regulators.

 

Florida offers $118M for Jackson-Miami passenger rail

The Florida Department of Transportation is proposing to put up $118 million to bring back passenger rail service to the Jacksonville-Miami line if the federal government kicks in the remaining $150 million.

 

Florida has decades worth of development capacity

Florida’s planning chief says it’ll take decades to use up development capacity approved over the last four years.

 

Push to fix ethics laws goes nowhere in Tallahassee

Governor Charlie Crist is leaving behind a lot of good ambitions and unfinished business when he hands the office over to Republican Rick Scott this week.

 

Rivals line up to challenge Senator Nelson in 2012

U.S. Senator sees 2012 competition

Republicans are wasting no time lining up to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson in 2012.

 

Openly carrying handguns seems certain to be legal here soon

Robert Bork was in the process of having his name turned into a verb while his Supreme Court nomination went down in flames during that week in 1987.

 

Reinsurance Rates Take Dive At Renewal 

Reinsurance rates have decreased by as much as 10 percent as of the January 1 renewals, as two leading reinsurance brokers indicated there are reasons for concern in the marketplace.

 

Los Angeles water-line insurance could be money down the drain

Thousands of California homeowners recently received official-looking letters from a company called Home Emergency Insurance Solutions informing them that they face the prospect of thousands of dollars in unforeseen costs because they lack coverage for the pipes that bring water to their homes.

 

New California Insurance Commissioner Jones promises to look out for consumers

Longtime Sacramento politician Dave Jones became California’s seventh insurance commissioner Monday, promising an activist administration that will push for health insurance reform and look out for consumer interest – all while promoting a “robust” and competitive industry in the state.

 

New California regulator vows to back federal reform

As one of his first acts in office, California’s new insurance commissioner says he’ll back the national health care reform law by proposing emergency legislation to ramp up enforcement.