Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, Feb. 27

 

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Smaller Insurers Likely Will Have to Pick Up the Slack in Florida

What happens when Florida’s biggest private homeowners insurance company puts a moratorium on writing new business?

Democrat narrowly wins Bob Allen’s Florida House seat

The former Cocoa Beach councilman beats Sean Campbell by about 400 votes.

Democrat Tony Sasso narrowly defeated Republican Sean Campbell by about 400 votes in Tuesday’s election for state House District 32, ending a fierce battle marred by attack ads and misleading accusations in the final days of campaigning.

Gov. Crist urges Florida legislators to dig into reserve funds

The governor dislikes the Legislature’s plan to cut the budget, especially in education.

Gov. Charlie Crist signaled Tuesday that he doesn’t like legislative leaders’ half-billion-dollar plan for cutting this year’s state budget, saying they should use reserves to avoid education cuts.

EDITORIAL: State of Florida desperate for new revenue sources

ISSUE: Budget woes cloud the Sunshine State.

FPL mystery: How did small fire knock out power to millions?

It took only three minutes for an overheated switch and then a fire at a power substation near Miami on Tuesday afternoon to shut down a nuclear plant south of the city and trigger Florida’s largest blackout in at least 20 years. Figuring out why is going to take longer.

Crist, Cabinet OK lands purchase list

Lack of money led the governor and Cabinet Tuesday to approve a conservation lands purchase list that places a priority on 21 projects statewide.

State Panel Urges Taxes on Internet, Mail Sales

Tax and budget commission says Fla. would earn billions in revenue.

Ice cream cones and certain candy bars would be exempt from taxation under a new recommendation aimed at taxing Internet and mail-order sales.

Could insurance agent be effective state reformer?

His political credentials are impeccable, his community ties solid, his personal background seemingly skeleton-free.

Five vie to unseat ‘nice man’ from District 9

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis will finish his first term in office at the end of this year, and five challengers hope to stop the Palm Harbor Republican from gaining a firm grip on the 9th Congressional District his father held for 24 years.

House dismisses District 13 election appeal

Democrat Christine Jennings’ 15-month challenge of the election that sent her rival, Republican Vern Buchanan, to Congress by 369 votes officially ended when the U.S. House swiftly and formally dismissed the case.

States’ deal for water in trouble

An agreement proves elusive as Alabama walks from talks days before the deadline.

Remember that deal the governors of Florida, Georgia and Alabama struck at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee to work out a water-sharing deal?

Lynx to roll out nation’s first fleet with biodiesel fuel

Central Florida’s bus system next year will become the first mass-transit agency in the nation to run a fleet using its own blend of environmentally friendly fuel, officials said Tuesday.

FPL’s wind turbine project gets $2.5M grant

Florida Power & Light Co. received a major boost to its wind turbine project Tuesday as the company was awarded a $2.5 million state grant.

Mariano To Lobby For Catastrophe Fund In D.C.

Change might be blowing in the wind for insurance coverage for hurricanes and other natural disasters, Commissioner Jack Mariano thinks.

Louisiana high court hears two big hurricane cases

Louisiana’s highest court waded today into a high-stakes legal debate spawned by the insurance industry’s refusal to pay for water damage from the failure of levees in greater New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

More Insurer Trials Likely: Conviction Of 5 Former Execs May Spur Additional Criminal Prosecutions

The clubby and once-cloaked insurance industry is bound to face more criminal cases after a Hartford jury’s conviction this week of five former insurance executives in a complex fraud scheme, some legal experts predict.

First Auto Policy Sold 110 Years Ago Today

Today marks a significant anniversary in the history of insurance: 110 years since the first auto insurance policy.

Governors Want Kids’ Insurance Expanded

Three Democratic governors told Congress on Tuesday that the Bush administration has made it virtually impossible for them to expand health insurance coverage to more moderate-income children, and they asked lawmakers to intervene.

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