Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, October 6
Oct 7, 2010
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Judges hear Citizens Property Insurance immunity case
An appeals court says a decision on whether state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is immune from lawsuits alleging bad-faith practices is a matter of timing.
Blog: What does your insurance company know about you?
Home insurers will now be able to access detailed information about Citizens Property Insurance policyholders and their claims.
Californians disagree with the idea that communities should levy fees on out-of-town motorists who cause accidents that require city-funded emergency response services, according to poll results recently released by a California insurance organization.
Florida members of National Federation of Independent Business, Employers Holdings ink deal
More than 18,000 Florida members of the National Federation of Independent Business now are eligible to receive a 5 percent flat dividend on workers’ compensation policies thanks to a new agreement between NFIB and Employers Holdings Inc.
Florida-Based Brown & Brown buys New York firms Martin Benefits, Human Resources
Brown & Brown Inc. acquired substantially all of the assets of Martin Benefits Consulting LLC and Martin Human Resources LLC.
Progressive Insurance Expanding in Florida, other states
Progressive Insurance recently announced plans to add hundreds of new jobs in Colorado, Florida, Ohio and Texas by the end of January 2011.
Tampa may set up health clinics for city workers
Faced with skyrocketing healthcare costs, Tampa officials want to set up medical clinics for nearly 4,000 city employees and their dependents.
WellCare’s Florida political muscle at issue
WellCare Health Plans became one of the biggest political contributors in Florida between 2004 and 2007, using a web of companies and employees to shower the state Republican Party and GOP candidates with campaign cash.
Lender Processing Services returns fire on media coverage of DOCX probe
Lender Processing Services Inc. is firing back against recent media coverage of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Florida Attorney General’s Office into one of its subsidiaries that processes and files lien releases and mortgage assignments for lenders.
Blog: FPL critic — FBI is looking into the utility
Thomas Saporito has filed numerous complaints to state and federal agencies about Florida Power & Light since he was canned by the company.
Florida Republicans want to cut federal spending – but not in state
Confident their party will gain strength in Congress next year, Florida Republicans are confronted by a dilemma: how to whack government spending without severely pinching the flow of federal funds to their growing and economically troubled state.
Florida pension system still lags
The unfunded pension liabilities for state employees grew in 2010. The system can afford to cover nearly 88 percent of benefits promised.
Florida oil spill claim payouts start flowing smoothly
Money doled out quicker, but Escambia lags behind Okaloosa, Baldwin
Following weeks of scathing criticism for slow processing, the Gulf Coast Claims Facility has opened the floodgates for BP oil spill damages payments – more than tripling payouts to local residents for the past 10 days.
Blog: Alex Sink — I won’t take public campaign finance dollars
Democrat Alex Sink said she’s not taking public-campaign finance money (aka “welfare for politicians”).
Sink quietly releases environmental plan to key groups
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, caught up in an increasingly bitter and tight race with Republican Rick Scott, has quietly distributed her environmental platform in the last week.
Blog: Florida Attorney General candidate Jim Lewis calls for legalizing marijuana
Fort Lauderdale lawyer Jim Lewis, who’s running a poorly funded, little-noticed campaign for state attorney general has come up with a notable way to attract attention.
Write-ins and Independents Fill Out Ballot
So here is your election quiz for the year: How many people are running for governor of Florida and how many are running for the U.S. Senate.
The New York Times: Florida Lawmaker Alan Grayson Is a Proud Firebrand
Calling voters on behalf of Alan Grayson, the Florida congressman and Democratic firebrand, can require the finer arts of persuasion.
POLITICO: Democrats pour cash into Florida redistricting bid
In an unusual public alliance of “good government” groups and liberal activists, several Democratic groups are quietly pouring millions of dollars into supporting two obscure Florida ballot measures that could be crucial to the long-term battle for control of Congress.
Keiser University sues Florida State College
Fort Lauderdale-based Keiser University sued Florida State College at Jacksonville for creating a negative impression of its for-profit institution.
Government unveils new system for auto safety ratings
The Transportation Department now simulates scenarios involving women and evaluates side crashes and crash-prevention technologies
Federal safety officials unveiled a more comprehensive crash rating system for vehicles that for the first time evaluates how women fare in accidents by using female crash dummies and takes into account side pole crashes and crash-prevention technology such as electronic stability control.
Challenger Presses Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner on Motor Vehicle Records Fees
The Republican running to replace the current insurance commissioner in Oklahoma in the November election is seeking to make increased fees for access to motor vehicle records a campaign issue.
Agents Seek To Exclude Commissions From Medical Loss Ratio Requirements
A coalition of insurance agent groups is asking the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to exclude commissions from a new medical loss ratio requirement in the health care law.
Oregon to Streamline Insurance License Application Process
Oregon’s Division of Insurance announced it is changing the order of the resident license application process to streamline the process so that producer applicants take required exams before submitting an application to the division.
Risk Management Solutions Reviews 2010 Hurricane Season to Date
Risk Management Solutions reports that as of October 5, 2010, there are “exactly eight weeks left until the end of the official hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
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