Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, Jan. 2

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Neil Frank disputes ‘questionable’ storm counts

A well-known name in hurricane-forecasting circles Neil Frank is challenging how the National Hurricane Center classifies storms.

 

Insurance crunch hurts clients

Some small companies will cover ‘rejects,’ but it’s tough to find them

While insurance giants grow increasingly picky about which homes they’ll cover in Volusia and Flagler counties, a few startup companies have been taking some of the rejects.

 

Census: Fla. no longer a paradise

It appears that the Sunshine State is losing some of its sparkle.

Florida’s population grew slower in the year ending July 2007 than any year this decade, according to Census Bureau data released this week.

 

State legislators hitting term limits

Quick, what do term-limited Florida legislators have in common with Britney Spears?  An inability to learn from mistakes, House Minority Leader Dan Gelber said.

 

Crist remains popular after a tough first year in office

Property taxes didn’t ‘drop like a rock’ during Gov. Charlie Crist’s first year in office, but neither did his approval rating.

 

Insurance 2008

Chasing opportunity, several companies last year took 225,000 policies off the hands of Florida’s state-subsidized insurer, Citizens Property Insurance.

 

SW Fla.’s top 10 business stories of 2007

1. Real estate mogul’s death Frank D’Alessandro, one of Southwest Florida’s most prominent real estate brokers, drowned in a kayaking accident off New Jersey’s coast in September.

 

Insurance Insiders Discuss OFC’s Impact

State insurance regulation prevents U.S. insurers from being globally competitive, a reinsurance industry official and former Federal Reserve Board governor told a recent industry meeting.

 

Reinsurance prices fall on lack of storms-brokers

The cost of reinsurance has fallen after another relatively disaster-free year has likely led to large profits and increased pressure to cut prices, two of the world’s largest reinsurance brokers said on Wednesday.

 

Free Rx samples go to wealthy and insured: U.S. study

Insured and wealthy Americans are more likely than needy patients to get the billions of dollars in free drug samples distributed by pharmaceutical companies to win patient and doctor loyalty, a study released on Wednesday said.

 

Year in and year out, FEMA gets it wrong

As the nation welcomes the arrival of the new year 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is proud to announce it is committed to resolving the unfinished business of 2004.

 

Accused hurricane shutter scam artist wanted in Indian River, other counties

Authorities in Indian River, Brevard and other counties are looking for a man wanted in a series of hurricane shutter scams. 

 

Regulatory Approval For Hospital Construction Hinders Competition
 
When state regulators decided South Bay Hospital in Sun City Center could move to a new location, they disappointed area residents and a competitor that also hopes to build a new hospital in Riverview.

 

Florida’s freeze on investment pool hurts cities

On Nov. 28, Marcia L. Dedert, finance director of this rapidly growing city, called the administrators of Florida’s state-run investment pool to ask whether it was still safe to park her city’s money there.

 

Report: State workers’ wages lag behind jobs in private sector

Gov. Charlie Crist has seen the end of an eight-year decline in state employment, but the average salaries of workers in Florida’s government agencies and their rate of pay raises lag behind money most might make in the private sector.