Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, October 20
Oct 20, 2010
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Blog: Sawgrass policyholders won’t hire their own claims reps
Sawgrass Mutual Insurance policyholders have voted to bar themselves from using public insurance adjusters, who represent policyholders in claims disputes with insurers.
Florida Catastrophe-Insurance Bonds Pay Price for Ominous Name
Florida’s state-run fund backing insurers against hurricane losses is paying the price for its ominous name.
FPL spends $623 million on power grid, but can it withstand another Wilma?
Since Hurricane Wilma struck in 2005, Florida Power & Light has trimmed trees along 47,000 miles of powerlines, inspected a half-million utility poles and upgraded equipment near every major hospital. All those improvements and more cost $623 million.
Kevin McCarty: Insurance Industry Has Seen A Transformational Year
Florida’s insurance commissioner said the insurance industry has gone through a radical period of change in the past year and has come out showing the state-based system of regulation can withstand the worst of economic turmoil.
Today Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty co-signed a letter to National Association of Insurance Commissioners President Jane Cline urging the NAIC to adopt an amendment to the proposed Regulation for Uniform Definitions and Standardized Methodologies for Calculation of Medical Loss Ratio for Plan Years 2011, 2012 and 2013.
State agency once again raises idea of taxes on HMOs and hospitals
A state agency has suggested again that one way that lawmakers could balance the budget is to generate more than $425 million in taxes on HMOs and hospitals.
News Release: Ceridian to Launch Florida’s Small Business Health Insurance Marketplace
Ceridian Corporation, a provider of health insurance exchange services, health care benefits, wellness program administration and outsourced payroll services, today announced it will develop and manage a virtual health insurance marketplace for the state of Florida.
Scott, Sink set to debate tonight
Candidates for governor Rick Scott and Alex Sink are set to mix it up in their second debate.
Blog: November special session? The stars appear to be aligning
It’s looking more and more likely that the Legislature’s November organizational session will also morph into a one-day special session to take care of business for the Republicans in charge.
Judge’s ruling allows GOP to pick candidate for Norman seat
The judge who disqualified Jim Norman from a state Senate race last week issued a ruling Tuesday that will allow local Republican officials to choose a new nominee for the contest.
Blog: Florida given $1 billion for foreclosure prevention
The Feds keep giving more money to Florida to help with foreclosure-prevention programs, but the aid is not expected to begin statewide until 2011.
Judge lets grand theft charge stand against former House Speaker Ray Sansom
A judge on Tuesday faulted a state attorney’s behavior in the case against ousted House Speaker Ray Sansom but said it did not amount to prosecutorial misconduct and declined to dismiss the charges.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Energy Focus — Firm Aims to Pump Up Florida Natural Gas Use
Trucks and high density vehicles moving across Florida highways using natural gas will soon have more options when they need to refuel.
Rubio, Crist, Meek land a few blows, avoid gaffes in U.S. Senate debate
Just two weeks before the Nov. 2 election that could end his long political career, Gov. Charlie Crist tried to rattle U.S. Senate frontrunner Marco Rubio by raising new questions about his character in the fourth televised U.S. Senate debate.
Study projects 400,000 jobs, $46 billion economic boost could come from restoring Everglades
Everglades = economy. That’s the message of a new economic study commissioned by environmentalists, which concludes that stepped up Everglades restoration would result in hundreds of thousands of new jobs and a more than $46 billion boost to Florida’s economy.
Obama names president of Miami Dade College as chairman of advisory commission on Hispanic education
The president of Miami Dade College was chosen to lead an initiative aimed at boosting Hispanic achievement
President Barack Obama Tuesday named Miami Dade College president Eduardo Padrón chairman of a presidential advisory commission on Hispanic education.
Blog: Court rejects FPL’s request to move forward without Commissioner Skop
Florida Power & Light will have to wait. An appellate court on Wednesday denied the utility’s request for an “emergency order” that would, in effect, allow the Public Service Commission to move forward with weighing half a dozen FPL proposals without Commissioner Nathan Skop.
U.S. government urged to push wind, flood insurer reforms
The federal government needs to drive reform efforts in wind and flood insurance, given that the public and private sector still have not come up with effective solutions five years after Hurricane Katrina, the Rand Corp. said in a research paper.
States’ Residual Markets Strayed From Intended Use, Insurance Research Council Says
A new study from the Insurance Research Council concludes that state-run residual markets have unintentionally provided the means for development in vulnerable coastal areas while some plans face an increasing risk of insolvency.
Lloyd’s to Restructure Claims Management Procedures
Tom Bolt, Lloyd’s Underwriting Performance Director, outlined plans in a speech last week to reorganize Lloyd’s claims handling procedures. He received immediate, and no doubt expected, support from Lloyd’s CEO Richard Ward.
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America is voicing concern to the Treasury Department that its plan for making payments to and getting funds from insurers following a terrorism incident incorporates a “one-size-fits-all” approach that may not work in the real world.
Insurance Industry Unveils Massive $40 Million Disaster Research Center
A major research arm of the property insurance industry used giant fans to blow down a two-story, Midwestern-styled house yesterday as part of an unveiling ceremony for a massive new research facility in South Carolina.
NAIC Keeps Surety Licensing Under Casualty Umbrella
Surety licensing will not be considered a “limited line” as regulators move forward with efforts to promote licensing uniformity.
NAIC Proposes $75 Million Budget for 2011
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ said it began its approval process for its 2011 today, after months of development.
Georgia Insurance Commissioner Race: Top Priorities, State Role, Money
One candidate to be Georgia ‘s next insurance commissioner thinks the state should build on its risk management schools to become a national leader in alternative risk transfer innovation.
Marsh Names Stevenson to Head Atlanta Office, Southeast Region
Insurance broker Marsh has appointed Lee Stevenson as Southeast partnership leader and head of its Atlanta office.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to bellis@cftlaw.com.