Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, March 17
Mar 17, 2009
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The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Executive Committee has voted to revisit the controversial issue of insurers’ use of consumers’ credit information to determine their rates.
Citizens’ reassessments hit some Florida homeowners hard
Walter Baker is reeling from sticker shock: The insured value of his Lake Worth home has nearly tripled to $300,000, a jump that increased his windstorm insurance premium with Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from $1,300 to $3,000.
Florida awarded stimulus money to fight wildfires
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has been awarded $900,000 under the federal stimulus plan to conduct wildfire prevention efforts.
Florida Program Manager Allied American Enters Personal Lines
National program insurance manager Allied American Underwriters-AAU, headquartered in Tampa, has introduced a new national personal lines division.
Jacksonville families take FEMA’s offer to escape risky flood zones
The goal is to cut claims by reducing the number of victims
Summer showers are cause for concern for families living along Wills Branch on Jacksonville’s Westside. They know it’s just a matter of when, not if, the creek will flood.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Medicaid money on hold as agency reviews rules
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson said Tuesday during a meeting on federal stimulus implementation that it’s not clear if the agency needs legislative approval to spend more than $800 million that the state is getting as a result of an increase in the federal Medicaid share that’s part of the stimulus package.
Education, labor and taxes on legislators’ agenda for St. Patrick’s Day
On a day traditionally devoted to wearing green, grassroots advocates across the political spectrum will try their luck on influencing decisions by Florida legislators.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Local governments get tougher impact fee
Local governments would be held to a higher standard when property owners challenge impact fees under a measure that unanimously passed a House committee on Tuesday.
Florida Senate analyzes state pay cuts for savings
Florida taxpayers could save upward of $304 million if the Legislature cut every state worker’s salary by about 5 percent, according to an analysis produced by the state Senate.
Two new property tax cuts in the offing
Property tax cut proposals could help business owners and others while draining money from local governments.
Business owners, snowbirds and first-time home buyers could save $1.2 billion over three years if a pair of property tax cut plans are adopted.
Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater to return tainted donation
Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater said Monday that he will return a $5,000 political donation he received from a New York politician who is under indictment for alleged influence-peddling.
Florida Growth Management: Don’t Dismantle Community Affairs
A disturbing bill surfaced last week in the Florida House of Representatives calling for abolishing the state’s growth-planning agency, the Department of Community Affairs.
Crist, CFO Sink unveil Sunshine Spending website
Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today announced a new Web site that will allow Floridians to track how state government spends their taxpayer dollars.
Miami Jury Awards More Than $38 Million in Pharmaceutical and Medical Negligence Case
A Miami-Dade County jury awarded Amanda Slavin $38,323,196 in compensatory damages against defendants McKesson Medication Management LLC and a local neurosurgeon Tuesday.
Florida ranks near bottom in getting federal disease-prevention funds
Florida is one of the worst-ranked states in the nation for getting federal money to spend on disease prevention, according to a new report.
Court hearing opens on water managers’ $2.2 billion bond proposal for U.S. Sugar deal
Gov. Charlie Crist’s high-stakes bid to save the Everglades went back on trial today, with challengers attacking the $1.34 billion land transaction with U.S. Sugar Corp. as a sweetheart deal for a struggling but well-connected agro-giant.
Florida senator offers bill to make it cheaper for cigarette makers to appeal judgments
Sen. Mike Haridopolos has stepped into Florida’s tobacco-litigation morass with a bill that would make it cheaper for cigarette makers to appeal judgments in favor of sick smokers.
Two Florida Lawyers Sue Over Surplus Civil Court Fees
Two of Florida’s longest-practicing lawyers sued in the Florida Supreme Court on Monday to stop the state from spending surplus civil court filing fees — estimated at about $99 million this year — for purposes other than the judicial system.
U.S. Senate Panel Hears Debate Over Insurance Regulation
The head of W.R. Berkley Insurance Co. testifying at a Senate hearing on the future of insurance regulation voiced support for creation of a “independent” federal insurance regulator as the best means of regulating property-casualty insurance.
U.S. Treasury Readies Systemic Risk Financial Regulation Blueprint
The U.S. Treasury is expected to propose within days the creation of a “systemic risk regulator,” probably the Federal Reserve, to oversee banking and market problems that could threaten the economy.
Key U.S. Senator Eyes Need For Federal Insurance Oversight
The ranking minority member of the Senate Banking Committee signaled today that plans for a general overhaul of financial services regulation should involve considering federal insurance industry oversight.
Mississippi Homeowners Urged to Buy Flood Insurance Now
Mississippi residents cannot afford to ignore the reality that 90 percent of all natural disasters in the nation involve flooding, according to Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.
State Farm Recalls Good Neigh Bears(R) Due to Choking Hazard
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, Tuesday announced a voluntary recall of the consumer product, saying the eyes on these bears can come off, posing a choking hazard to young children.
RCIS Launches Write Your Own Program for Flood Insurance
Rural Community Insurance Company (RCIC), a Wells Fargo Company and subsidiary of Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS), said it has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Write Your Own (WYO) Program.
Alleged STOLI Schemes Have Insurance Companies on Guard
“Think about it: Do you want just anyone to have a financial interest in your early demise?” That will get your attention every time.
Disaster Losses May Be a Tax Gain
An often-overlooked deduction may help turn a major property-casualty loss into a tax time gain.
Towers Perrin Study: Commercial Insurance Rates To Firm This Year
Commercial insurance rates had their smallest decline in eight quarters in the last three months of 2008 at 3 percent, and prices should continue firming this year, a consulting firm’s study found.
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