Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, June 10
Jun 10, 2008
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Florida to sell bonds to pay storm claims
Gov. Charlie Crist and a top state financial official on Tuesday approved the sale of up to $625 million in bonds to pay claims from Hurricane Wilma back in 2005.
Removal of vessels from Indian River Lagoon meets resistance by state regulators
As the 2008 hurricane season begins, county coastal engineers are trying to remove eight derelict boats from the Indian River Lagoon, where they still lay after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 tossed them around.
COLUMN: Two cities add fees for accidents
Cause a wreck, even a fender-bender, in West Melbourne or Cocoa and it will cost you hundreds of dollars in new fees charged by police and fire departments there.
Does dry month of May mean hurricanes heading toward Florida?
It can bedevil or bless us.
Brown & Brown, Inc. Announces the Asset Acquisition of HBA Insurance Group, Inc.
Thomas E. Riley, Regional President of Brown & Brown, Inc. William E. “Bill” Beckham, President, and Ernesto T. “Tito” Freyre, Jr., Chairman of HBA Insurance Group, Inc. of Miami, Florida, today announced the asset acquisition of HBA Insurance Group, Inc. by a subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Florida’s insurance program to be avoided, not emulated
When looking for advice on how to run a proper insurance program, it is probably not a good idea to emulate a failing system.
Homeowners’ Bill of Rights or Bill of Goods?
When the legislature takes the formal step of titling a bill, it is usually trying to keep the public’s attention focused on the positive aspects of the bill while downplaying some of its less-appealing aspects.
Workers’ Comp: All Is Quiet on the Legislative Front
What happens when legislature enacts an insurance reform bill that results in rates being cut by 50 percent over a five-year period?
Medicare to explain new rules for equipment purchases
Medicare beneficiaries in Palm Beach County will soon start receiving information in the mail explaining changes in how the program will pay for the purchase and rental of medical equipment.
District 16 candidate Rooney adds a pair of GOP strategists to campaign team
Tom Rooney, a candidate for Florida’s District 16 in Congress, has added GOP strategists Randy Enwright and Andy Palmer of the Enwright Consulting Group to his campaign team.
About 100 people are expected to attend Suzanne Kosmas’ congressional campaign kickoff this morning in New Smyrna Beach.
Miami Beach commissioner resigns to run for House District seat
Miami Beach Commissioner Richard Steinberg, who is running for the House District 106 seat, submitted his letter of resignation Friday. He will step down effective Nov. 4.
Public Service Commissioner faces several challengers
Florida Public Service Commissioner Lisa Edgar could face some strong competition in her bid to remain on the powerful regulatory board.
EPA won’t limit dirty-water transfers to Glades
In a case with national implications, federal regulators refused to monitor South Florida water managers’ practice of pumping polluted water into Lake Okeechobee and the
Everglades.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that Florida’s controversial practice of pumping polluted water from farms and suburbs into the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee is none of the federal government’s business.
U.S. Representative Mica: Commuter-rail costs are in line with others across U.S.
In an effort to rebuff critics of commuter rail, U.S. Rep. John Mica released a study Monday that shows a much-debated liability agreement falls right in line with about 20 other similar freight and commuter deals across the nation.
Rubio: Crist threatens Jackson
Supporters of Jackson Memorial Hospital said $20 million approved by the Legislature for the hospital may be in jeopardy.
Gov. Charlie Crist’s office has made an ”implied” threat to Jackson Memorial Hospital: participate in a new healthcare project or risk a $20 million budget veto, according to the Florida House leader and sources familiar with the conversations.
The Florida Department of Transportation will have to use $1.7 million from the statewide bridge repair fund for the construction work on Interstate 75 in Manatee County after a tanker explosion and fire last week.
Surplus Lines Bill Said To Get Key Backing
State regulators are “very close†to endorsing federal legislation that will establish surplus lines carriers’ home state as their primary regulator, and their backing is an important step for the bill to win passage this year, an industry lobbyist said yesterday.
A carefully developed Office of Insurance Information could be a step toward modernizing the state-based insurance regulatory system, according to the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).
Travelers Supports Fed Cat Reinsurance Paid For By Insurers
A Travelers executive speaking at a rating agency conference last week said his company’s proposal to deal with insurance issues arising after natural catastrophes now embraces the concept of a federal reinsurance program.
Mississippi: Fortified Homes are now modular
Modular homes built in north Mississippi are the first in this state to receive a Fortified Home designation that qualifies the owner for wind-pool insurance discounts once the home is properly installed.
Former Mississippi Risk Consultant to Repay $380,000
The Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that a former Hinds County risk management consultant must repay the county $380,000.
Louisiana: Bill would set rule on expert testimony
A House committee Monday forwarded legislation that would make a court procedure uniform across the state.
Will global warming spawn more killer hurricanes? Insurance modelers disagree
Debate in community about impact of climate change on cyclonic formation, strength; ‘wide range of views’
As the 2008 hurricane season begins amid growing attention to climate change questions, catastrophe modelers are working to determine what effect temperature trends will ultimately have on their models.
South Carolina: Gov. Sanford, State and Local Planners to Address Hurricane Plan
Governor, State Emergency Officials, Coastal Disaster Preparedness Officials to Discuss Readiness
Governor Mark Sanford and state emergency preparedness and response personnel will travel to Horry, Charleston and Beaufort counties Wednesday (June 11, 2008) to join local emergency planners to discuss South Carolina’s preparedness as we head into the 2008 storm season that began last week.
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