Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, May 30

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Crist at the Western Wall

JERUSALEM — Gov. Charlie Crist started his second day Wednesday in Israel with a tourist’s view of the Old City’s Jewish Quarter — a tourist protected with heavy security, that is, including Israeli border guards sporting M4 automatic rifles.

 

Florida governor begins 5-day tour of Israel

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist met for 45 minutes Tuesday with Israel’s foreign minister, kicking off a five-day trip designed to promote business ties with the Jewish state.

 

State Farm Auto Insurance Rate Cut OK’d

State regulators approved an average rate cut of nearly 16 percent for State Farm auto insurance policyholders. The rate decrease is based on the savings drivers can reap once the state’s no-fault auto insurance expires Oct. 1.

 

State Farm would cut car insurance rates if no-fault expires

TALLAHASSEE — State Farm will be able to cut its car insurance rates by about 16 percent on average if lawmakers do not continue the state’s no-fault accident system, state insurance regulators ruled Tuesday.

 

Florida lawmakers push bills to replace weather satellite

Congress will consider authorizing as much as $375 million to replace QuikSCAT, a satellite that has helped improve the accuracy of hurricane forecasts but is destined to die soon.

 

President Bush pledges assistance to combat Ga., Fla., wildfires

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — President Bush on Tuesday pledged federal help in response to wildfires that have savaged parts of Georgia and Florida.

 

New laws aim to reduce costs, but rates remain high

In one year, much has changed in the world of insurance in Florida.

Although the state was spared massive storms last summer, the insurance crisis worsened as more insurers cut coverage and shed policies. Allstate, Nationwide and USAA are all cutting the number of policies on their books.

 

Property tax talk heats up

House speaker visits area, calls Volusia ‘center’ of reform issue

DAYTONA BEACH — When it comes to cutting property taxes for struggling Floridians, state House Speaker Marco Rubio told Volusia County business leaders and tax activists Tuesday the question is not so much “how?” but “how much?”

 

New Orlean’s revival projects stalled by pessimism

Lured by congressionally authorized tax credits and other financial incentives after Hurricane Katrina, a procession of developers announced plans to build high-rises.

 

FSU declared “StormReady”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State University is prepared for the coming hurricane season, becoming the first college in the state to be declared “StormReady” by the National Weather Service.

 

Law Opens Door To State Politicians

TAMPA The Florida election law reform Gov. Charlie Crist signed last week got national attention for moving up the state’s presidential primary date and requiring “paper trail” voting.

 

Items that qualify for hurricane tax holiday

Beginning Friday and until June 12, storm-related items are exempt from state and local taxes. Qualifying items and price limits:

 

Lake Okeechobee’s low water levels threaten S. Fla. water supply

Lake Okeechobee’s water levels were poised Tuesday to drop to their lowest on record as South Florida’s worst known drought continued into rainy season, threatening a key water supply for nearly 5 million people and the Everglades.

 

Doctor Switch Updated

Federal officials offered an update Tuesday for thousands of Polk County Medicare members of insurer Universal Health Care.

 

Man pleads guilty in payroll scam

Authorities say his company skimmed from clients hiring illegal workers.

The owner of a South Florida check-cashing business pleaded guilty to money-laundering-related charges Tuesday in federal court in Orlando.

 

Attorney post has few takers

Interest in the once-plum job has soured with the political climate.

Wanted: Veteran attorney to oversee important cases in 35 Florida counties. Job expected to last 18 months or so. Salary: $145,400.

Sounds enticing, but so far there have been almost no takers.

 

Florida Insurers Grin And Bear Their Governor

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has been unleashing continuing salvos against insurers, but most industry officials are careful about mounting any verbal counterattack.

 

Bermuda Insurance Market Profits Reported

The Bermuda insurance market reported an improved 2006 combined ratio of 83.7, compared with 119.4 for catastrophe-scarred 2005, according to a new special report from A.M Best Co.

 

Lawyers Accuse Med Mal Insurers of Price-Gouging

A Washington trial bar association released a report accusing medical malpractice insurers of price-gouging doctors with excessive premiums.

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) report said in addition to charging excessive premiums, insurers are needlessly contributing to the growing cost of health care.

 

Quadriplegic seeks $24.2 million from Ford for crash

WEST PALM BEACH — A Boca Raton woman who became a quadriplegic in the instant her Ford Explorer was smashed from the rear by a vehicle half its size deserves $24.2 million from the automotive giant that put the flawed vehicle on the road, a Palm Beach County jury was told Tuesday.

 

Maine Close to Approving Dirigo Self-Insurance Venture

Despite arguments that the state should keep out of a business where only private enterprise belongs, the Maine Senate gave its blessing last week to a proposal to allow the state to venture further into health insurance.

 

Governor Crist Appoints Oellerich And Scharaga To The Florida Housing Finance Corporation

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today re-appointed David Oellerich of Tampa and appointed Stuart Scharaga of Palm Beach to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

 

Bush to Pick Zoellick for World Bank

Former Trade Negotiator Tapped to Replace Wolfowitz

President Bush today plans to name Robert B. Zoellick, a career diplomat and trade negotiator, to head the World Bank, seeking to dispatch the leadership crisis that has gripped the institution under Paul D. Wolfowitz, senior administration officials said last night.

 

Now, Spitzer Is Warming to Wall St.

As attorney general of New York, Eliot Spitzer made a name for himself as a tough cop willing to take on deep-pocketed industries like Wall Street and insurance. Now, as governor, he may be making life a little easier for them in an effort to keep financial services in New York competitive in the global market.

 

Op-Ed: Physician, Upgrade Thyself

Go into almost any medical office, hospital or clinic in the United States and your records will still be handled the old-fashioned way — on paper. You can use a computer to pay your taxes, to program your TiVo or to read a message from your great-aunt, but your doctor has to practically level a forest just to examine your medical files. The cost, however, isn’t calculated in trees but in human lives: Electronic medical records would reduce the risk of medical errors and spare hospitals the expense of missing records and unnecessary treatment.

 

ABC hopes advertising cavemen stand tall this fall

ABC is taking a big gamble this fall, betting that a series of 30-second, one-joke ad spots has the potential to fill up 30 minutes of prime time.

By taking Geico car insurance’s popular cavemen marketing campaign and expanding it into a full-length sitcom called, yes, Cavemen, ABC is hoping to catch up with its rivals, who have been trouncing the network during prime time.