Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, Oct. 31

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Crist’s property tax push begins in Jacksonville

Already having counteracted property tax cuts by eliminating some city programs and approving various fees, Jacksonville officials have decried losing up to $75 million next year if more property tax relief is approved.

 

Tax plan is open to legal fight

TALLAHASSEE – The Legislature’s tax cut plan would deepen inequalities in Florida’s tax system and could lead to a lawsuit by those who own nonhomestead property.

 

Onus now on taxation commission to deliver real property tax reform

ISSUE: Warmed-over tax reform goes to voters.

The Florida Legislature has produced another tax-break package to put before the voters in January. To quote a popular expression: “It is what it is,” and unfortunately this “it” is a disappointment.

 

State cracks down on home inspectors for storm mitigation

The state has significantly tightened the requirements for home inspectors and will not renew the contracts of five of the 11 companies hired to do free inspections under the My Safe Florida Home hurricane-hardening program.

 

State OKs hurricane surcharge through next year

Florida’s largest home-insurance failure will continue to cost consumers through 2008. State regulators have approved a 2-percent surcharge on home and car policies for a third time to raise at least another $300 million for the Florida Insurance Guarantee Fund.

 

Workers’ comp rate cut OK’d

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved a workers’ compensation insurance rate cut of 18.4 percent.

 

Insurers willing to take Citizens policies for homes west of I-95

Thousands of Florida homeowners insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will soon receive notices that private insurance companies want to take their home policies away from the state-backed company.

 

Hudson wins GOP primary for state House seat

A Naples real estate agent won the GOP primary for an open state House seat Tuesday, likely setting the stage for a general election victory next month.

 

Democrats respond to Florida suit

WASHINGTON – Florida Democrats are to blame for sidelining themselves in the race to choose a presidential nominee, and the Democratic National Committee has wide latitude to set primary rules as it sees fit.

 

Allen’s ‘legislator’ comment tossed

A Brevard County judge threw out as irrelevant state Rep. Bob Allen’s alleged comment to police after his arrest on a solicitation charge about whether his status as a legislator “would help.”

 

Flood Insurance Rate Revision Bill Passes Committee

WASHINGTON —Legislation calling for the phase-in of actuarial rates for flood insurance on higher-priced homes built before the National Flood Insurance Program went into effect was passed unanimously today by the House Financial Services Committee.

 

Be Practical On Climate Risks, Insurers Warned

BOSTON —Instead of obsessing or arguing over the global threat posed by climate change, property insurers should focus on practical steps to limit catastrophe exposures on individual homes and businesses, a panel of industry experts here urged.

 

Number of uninsured veterans nears 2 million

WASHINGTON – The number of uninsured veterans jumped sharply in the first half of the decade to 1.8 million in 2004, a new study shows.

 

Tampa health insurer coming to South Florida

Avalon Healthcare expanded its hospital network in South Florida, after signing a contract with Tenet Healthcare Corp. The agreement covers 11 Tenet acute care hospitals in the Miami metropolitan area, as well as Tenet’s ambulatory surgery and imaging center, according to a release.

 

Klein opponent takes jabs in Afghanistan

It’s the political equivalent of a roadside ambush — and Republican U.S. Congress hopeful Allen West has, of all things, a uniform to blame.

 

Aon Corp. to slash 2,700 jobs

Aon Corp., in a move it said will cut costs and ‘create a more streamlined organization,’ unveiled this afternoon a restructuring plan that will generate pretax charges of $360 million, and eliminate a total of 2,700 jobs at the Chicago insurance brokerage.

 

Federal Study Offers Dire Outlook on Child Insurance

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 – Twenty-one states will run out of money for children’s health insurance in the coming year, and at least nine of those states will exhaust their allotments in March if Congress simply continues spending at current levels, a new federal study says.

 

U.S. wants docs to go paperless

The nationwide adoption of electronic health records could save the health-care system more than $75 billion annually, according to a report in a 2005 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

 

Guy Carp Partners with WSI Corp. to Assess U.S. Hurricane Risks

Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, Marsh & McLennan’s global risk and reinsurance unit, has announced a collaboration with WSI Corporation, a provider of weather-driven business solutions, to “help cedants better assess the impact and potential loss damage of hurricane activity on their U.S. risk portfolios.”

 

Spanish insurer to purchase Commerce Insurance

Spain’s largest insurance company tonight offered to pay $2.2 billion in cash for Commerce Group Inc. and plans to use the Webster insurer as its platform for growth in the United States.

 
Lawmakers wary of car insurance plan

Lawmakers who oppose Governor Deval Patrick’s plan for ‘managed competition’ in the auto insurance market told colleagues yesterday that the proposal could hurt their reelection hopes.

 

UK insurer launches networking site for over-50s

British insurance and holiday company for the over-50s Saga has launched a social networking Web site for silver surfers in a bid to emulate the huge popularity of MySpace, Bebo and Facebook.