Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, Aug. 22

Click on a headline to read the complete story:

 

Florida Democrats want no-fault auto insurance law renewed

Insurance law assures care in emergencies

TALLAHASSEE House Democrats on Tuesday urged Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican legislative leaders to keep Florida’s no-fault insurance law alive for another year.

 

Allstate Home Rate Hike Blocked In Texas

The Texas insurance regulator said yesterday he would continue to work with Allstate to resolve issues after he halted the company’s statewide 5.9 percent hike in home insurance rates.

 

Nelson says look to state for relief on insurance

Don’t look for the federal government to fix the insurance crisis in Florida, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson warned in a blitz of the region Tuesday.

 

End near for no-fault auto insurance law

TALLAHASSEE — The curtain appeared to be drawing to a close on Florida’s no-fault auto insurance law Wednesday as state Senate leaders showed little enthusiasm for a proposal from House Republicans that would cap attorneys’ fees while trying to eliminate fraud and reduce medical costs from car accidents.

   

Insurance chief broke law one time, inspectors find

A group of state inspectors general says that Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty violated Florida law by using a state computer to help the political campaign of a friend but they are satisfied with his public apology.

 

Alaska High Court Stymies Insurer Credit Score Use

The Alaska State Supreme Court has reinstated a rule barring insurers from using “frozen” credit scores in renewal decisions, overturning an appellate court decision.

 

Crash test videos becoming consumer tool

Car shopping? Maybe you should go to the videotape. Jarring images of vehicles crashing into test barriers are becoming more prevalent on the Internet, giving safety-conscious car shoppers another tool when searching for the right car.

 

Mold problems can be aggravated by slow-moving condo associations

It isn’t home sweet home if being there makes you sick.  Mold is recognized as a health danger, yet many readers complain their condo and homeowner associations are slow to act when they report mold or problems that could lead to mold.

 

Experts counter drunk driving with tech

Technology that prevents a drunken driver from starting a vehicle holds the promise of greatly reducing alcohol-related deaths, the government and auto safety groups said Wednesday.

 

DNC may sanction Fla. Dems for early primary

The ugly elbowing over which states will go first in the 2008 presidential primary process is due to explode into open warfare Saturday as the Democratic National Committee decides what to do about “rogue” states that are threatening to violate party rules.

 

Look Again At Flood Exclusion, U.S. 5th Circuit Asked

Plaintiff attorneys have asked the federal appeals court in New Orleans to review two of its own rulings against class actions by homeowners disputing insurers’ treatment of Hurricane Katrina damage claims.

 

Bankruptcy Consultants Warned Of D&O Coverage Issues

Consultants who help firms through bankruptcy may be surprised to learn that their client’s directors and officers liability insurance coverage excludes them, according to a brokerage’s experts.

 

Kravitz to head Safety and Security Council

State Rep. Dick Kravitz, R-Orange Park, has been named chairman of the House Safety and Security Council.

 

Stearns asked to back health insurance bill
 
Mark Piotrowski, at right, the co-chairperson for the Alachua County Labor Party, leads area residents toward the entrance of the Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Building on Tuesday afternoon. The protestors gathered to urge U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, to support H.R. 676, the National Health Insurance Act.

 

The Blame Game and the Subprime Mortgage Lending Meltdown

The subprime mortgage lending blame game is in full swing — with people arguing about who’s at fault for mortgage defaults, bond losses and lender failures — but “we’re only in the very top of the first inning,” when it comes to how far and wide the lawsuits will reach and how severe the impact will be on the insurance industry, according to one industry expert.

 

Best bet for the state

Floridians have been encouraged to think of gambling as an investment. But gambling grows more like an infection than an investment, which comes to mind as Gov. Crist negotiates gambling rights with the Seminole Tribe.

   

Apologetic Allen disputes allegations of racism

Embattled representative addresses NAACP branch

Rep. Bob Allen said that since his arrest last month on a charge of solicitation for prostitution, he’s come to understand the civil rights movement was about more than the fight for racial equality.

 

Editorial: This still stinks

Florida’s insurance commissioner has lost the public trust and should go

The investigation’s over and the state didn’t even give Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty a slap on the wrist.