Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, June 30
Jun 30, 2009
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
The Republican Barney Frank.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist is running for the U.S. Senate next year, and we wonder if one reason is that he doesn’t want to be in Tallahassee when the next hurricane hits his state.
Editorial: Rate reality and hurricanes
Gov. Charlie Crist is still gambling that Florida won’t be hit by a bad hurricane.
Op-Ed: Editorial forgot recent history of insurance deregulation
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would want to give insurance companies free rein (also known as little or no regulation) over consumers after the economic meltdown caused in part by the greed and incompetence of the world’s largest insurance company, AIG.
A.M. Best Assigns “A-” Rating to New Florida Workers Comp/Auto Insurer
A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to CastlePoint Florida Insurance Company with stable outlooks.
CFO Sink’s Division of Insurance Fraud Brings Five-Year-Old Fraud Case To A Halt
After fleeing the country and fighting extradition, law enforcement officers were successful in extraditing fraud suspect to Duval County
Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the arrest and extradition of a Duval County woman who fraudulently billed several insurance companies in Florida, Georgia and Connecticut over $330,000 for acupuncture services that were not rendered or were over-billed.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has teamed with three other federal lawmakers to write a letter to the Internal Revenue Service asking if homeowners affected by tainted Chinese drywall could be allowed to deduct casualty losses from their federal taxes.
By now, we’ve all heard about problems with Chinese drywall. It begins with an acrid odor, then physical damage is discovered, then alarm sets in. Unfortunately, this problem is still in its infancy.
Tampa’s Lykes Insurance names John Brabson CEO, Angela Whitaker COO
John A. Brabson is the new president and chief executive officer of Lykes Insurance Inc. in Tampa.
New Florida seat belt law goes into effect today
Drivers might start seeing along Florida highways those “click it or ticket” signs that are so ubiquitous in many other states.
The agency operating the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway approved a settlement Monday to recover nearly $75 million after an elevated section of the road collapsed during construction five years ago.
Nelson calls for federal investigation of report of children’s brain tumors in S. Florida
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has asked for an immediate federal investigation into news reports of children turning up with brain tumors in one small area of South Florida.
Miami Physician Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Role in $10 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
Miami physician Roberto Rodriguez, 54, was sentenced today to 97 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme involving HIV infusion services, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman of the Southern District of Florida and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
New York-Based Firm and Brokers Charged With Fraudulent Florida Sales of Variable Annuities
Sales Pitches Followed “Free-Lunch” Seminars for Florida Senior Citizens
The Securities and Exchange Commission today instituted an enforcement action against a Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based firm and several representatives and supervisors for their alleged roles in fraudulent and unsuitable sales of variable annuities to senior citizens who were lured through free-lunch seminars at restaurants in South Florida.
State worker files ethics complaint against Fla. CFO Sink
Alex Sink’s efforts at government transparency may have come back to bite her.
Audit: Top Florida officials spent $51K on plane commutes
In never-released findings, auditors concluded that top state officials spent thousands commuting to their homes or taking ‘unnecessary legs during business trips’ using state aircraft.
Top Florida officials misused state resources to travel between the capital and their homes, costing taxpayers at least $51,000 and raising potential IRS violations, according to state investigators’ findings that were removed from a final auditor’s report.
Study finds fault with Fla.’s plans for spending stimulus
Florida has poorly planned how it will spend transportation money from the federal economic-stimulus package, a national planning advocacy coalition said in a study released Monday.
Cigarette tax increase among new Fla. laws
Smokers will pay an additional $1 tax on a pack of cigarettes under one of 65 new state laws going into effect Wednesday, including a $66.5 billion budget.
Lee County business to grow in Texas
Biofuel firm’s CEO says Fla., FPL were no help
A Bonita Springs company has announced plans to build a $1 billion biofuel plant that would employ 4,000 workers. It just wouldn’t be located in Florida.
Bennett: I won’t be Senate president
Friendship and a desire to spend more time with his family has prompted Sen. Mike Bennett to withdraw from the race to be the Florida Senate’s next president.
Poll: Crist has big lead in Fla. Senate race
A new poll shows Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has a sizable lead in his campaign for Senate.
Sansom helped to write plan for own job
Former House Speaker Ray Sansom not only accepted a $110,000 job at Northwest Florida State College — he helped write the job description.
Most Insurance Exempt From U.S. Consumer Unit Proposal
Insurance products would be mostly exempt from oversight by the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency under legislation submitted to Congress this morning by the Treasury Department.
Wind Pool Proposal Heads to Mississippi Governor
A bill propping up the state wind pool with an extra $20 million is headed to Gov. Haley Barbour’s desk after clearing the Legislature Monday during the ongoing special session.
State Senator Hudgens Joins Race to Be Georgia Insurance Commissioner
Republican State Senator and businessman Ralph Hudgens, who is Senate chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee, is running to be Georgia’s next insurance commissioner.
P&C Insurers Post $1.3B Loss For 1Q
The property and casualty industry posted a $1.3 billion first-quarter loss-the worst results it has recorded in more than 20 years, the Insurance Services Office said.
U.S. House committees to hold Joint Hearing on Derivatives July 10
Secretary Geithner scheduled to testify
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank today announced a joint hearing on Friday, July 10, to examine the regulation of over-the-counter derivatives, during which Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will testify on the Administration’s proposal to increase oversight and transparency of the largely unregulated OTC derivatives market.
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Rule That States Can Press Bank Cases
The Supreme Court paved the way on Monday for states to enforce fair-lending laws and other consumer protection measures against the nation’s biggest banks, striking down a rule that limited such powers to federal banking regulators.
Report on Federal Probe Into Deadly Katrina Flooding Released
An in-depth study by more than 150 experts commissioned by the Army Corps of Engineers to look into the catastrophic failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina is done, though the report released June 26 divulged little research that hadn’t already been made public.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com.