Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, March 4
Mar 4, 2009
Above: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist called his Tuesday State of the State address ‘a dose of reality.’
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Session Opens; “Be Concerned,” Cretul Warns
Florida Legislature kicked off its 60-day lawmaking session Tuesday under a cloud of economic worry, with less money, greater demands for services, and a looming ideological showdown over whether and how to accept a financial bailout from Congress.
Insurance Taxes Could Fund Private School Vouchers
Insurance taxes may pay for private school vouchers for low-income children.
Florida Emergency Director Fugate To Head FEMA
Normally, Craig Fugate isn’t shy about speaking his mind. He has been outspoken about urging Floridians to take responsibility for their own well being in the wake of hurricanes. He also has implored neighbors to check on neighbors after a storm has passed.
Harbor Insurance Forms From Buyout Of Two Insurers
National City Insurance Group, with four locations from Port St. Lucie to Palm Bay, along with Florida Consolidated Agency in Palm Beach County, have been purchased by a former employee of the Cleveland-based bank, which has merged with PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
EDITORIAL: Leave Alone Court Finding On Worker’s Comp Reform
No one wants to see the return of the day when Florida businesses were bombarded by crippling workers’ compensation claims. But reforms adopted by the Legislature in 2003, as the state Supreme Court found, went too far.
Lawsuit Over Chinese Drywall Includes Two South Florida Builders
A class action lawsuit in federal court names several home builders, including TOUSA Homes and South Kendall Construction, an importer and a company that manufactured drywall in China.
State Farm Exit Causes Headaches
Teresa Jackson, a State Farm policyholder for 18 years, has been looking for replacement coverage since State Farm announced, in late January, plans to pull out of Florida’s property insurance market.
BOB LOTANE: State Farm Policyholders Need To Exercise Caution
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation recently announced that State Farm’s property insurance policies in Florida will eventually transfer to state-approved insurers.
South Florida-Based Imperial Life Settlements Acquires Licenses In Four States
Imperial Life Settlements, LLC, a life settlement provider, announced today the addition of business licenses in Nevada, Ohio, Indiana and Nebraska.
Florida Nurses Fight For Prescription Authority
For 14 straight years, a bill has been introduced in the Florida Legislature that would let nurse practitioners write prescriptions for potentially addictive drugs.
Governor Crist: We Must Spend To Jolt Economy
In a short and perfunctory State of the State speech on Tuesday evening, Gov. Charlie Crist urged the Legislature on Tuesday to rally behind his plan to spend billions in federal stimulus money as ”a bridge to better economic times” in Florida.
Competition Heating Up Race For Putnam’s Seat
A competitive race with well-known candidates and possible primaries on both sides is developing for the U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow.
Odds Favor Abortion-Ultrasound Bill
Requiring women to get an ultrasound screening before they can have an abortion, an issue that roiled the past two legislative sessions, is back; this time, its odds of passage have improved.
Florida Legislature To Discuss Seminole Gaming Pact
The fate of revenue sources takes the spotlight Wednesday as legislators discuss Gov. Charlie Crist’s gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe and continue the debate over whether to eliminate some sales tax exemptions.
SunRail Pulls Into Florida Senate Again
The proposed Central Florida commuter train rolls into its first state Senate hearing today with a full contingent of supporters and likely passage onto the next stop.
When Governor Charlie Crist declared his plan to restore the Everglades, environmental groups heralded it as one of the most important conservation efforts in the nation’s history.
Space Florida Under Fire At Capitol
Space Day in the Florida Legislature couldn’t come at a more difficult time, with lawmakers facing a budget crisis and leaders in both chambers critical of the state’s efforts to retain and attract the industry.
Republicans Trying To Find Voice And Direction
The governor’s annual report card on the state of Florida exposed the nationwide rift in the Republican Party over whether increased government spending will repair the economy.
Comparing ideals to stars, a top Republican leader in Tallahassee presented lawmakers Tuesday with an old navigational instrument used by seafarers in uncharted waters.
A Collision Over Duties And Dollars
Legislation sows conflict between judges and county clerks
Usually genial toward one another, circuit court judges and county clerks are now facing off in a turf war over who should collect and spend the hundreds of millions of dollars in court fees paid each year by Floridians.
Frank Aide Warns State Legislators Of Fed Reform
A top House Financial Services Committee aide told state insurance legislators on Friday that legislation passed in this Congress will create a federal regulator for insurance, “certainly at the systemic risk level, and very probably beyond that.”
Industry Defends Use Of Education, Job Data In Rate-Setting
Three property-casualty trade groups on Saturday made an impassioned plea before state legislators, defending the appropriateness of using education and occupation data in setting rates for personal lines products.
Stimulus Package Dramatically Alters HIPAA Privacy And Security
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also informally known as the stimulus bill, was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009; the act contains surprising modifications to HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules.
Supreme Court Rejects Limits On Drug Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a $6.7 million jury award to a musician who lost her arm because of a botched injection of an anti-nausea medication, brushing away a plea for limiting lawsuits against drug makers.
A.M. Best Requests Comment On Draft Update To Its Country Risk Methodology
A.M. Best Co. is requesting comments from market participants in the insurance industry and other interested parties on its proposed update to its country risk methodology.
Fed Chief Blasts AIG For Exploiting Regulatory System
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke blasted American International Group at a Senate hearing today, saying “nothing has made me more angry” than AIG’s ability “to exploit a huge gap in the regulatory system.”
Insurers Adopting New Risk Management Processes
Simba Information reports that MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of TowerGroup’s new report “Risk Governance for Life Insurers: The Self-Help Plan for a Recovering Industry,” to their collection of Insurance market reports.
Virginia Insurer’s Decline Came With Scant Warning: Policyholders at Risk After Firm Seized
A Virginia-based life insurance company’s descent into receivership last month came with little if any warning and with potentially harmful consequences for policyholders, illustrating the risks consumers face as the financial meltdown weakens life insurers.
Galveston mayor says FEMA needs to be revamped
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster assistance protocols should be revamped so areas suffering as a result of Hurricane Ike can get the aid they need faster, Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas told a House Homeland Security subcommittee.
Legislators Propose Making Texas Insurance Commissioner An Elected Position
Several lawmakers Tuesday pitched insurance reform proposals that they said would better protect consumers and help stabilize rates in the wake of a new study affirming Texas standing as the most expensive home insurance market.
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