Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, September 3
Sep 3, 2008
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Florida Republicans said the mention of a catastrophe insurance fund — part of the national party platform for the first time ever — signals growing support for a federal insurance backstop, which has been a priority for Florida’s congressional delegation since Hurricane Andrew ripped through Homestead in 1992.
Convention notebook: Will storm anxiety yield catastrophe fund?
The anxiety from the succession of hurricanes swirling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic Coast has made at least one positive impact for Florida at the Republican National Convention.
State-FEMA Disaster Outreach Gains Momentum
Community Relations teams and Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) will be assisting individuals, households and businesses affected by Tropical Storm Fay in Brevard, Hendry, Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Volusia counties, recovery officials announced.
Crist to Floridians: Watch Hanna closely and stay out of the water
State officials are dealing with an alphabet soup of storm systems as effects of Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav continue to trouble regions of Florida even as three potential other threats loom in the Atlantic.
EDITORIAL: The lessons of Gustav apply to Florida
Emergency planners helped Gulf residents weather Hurricane Gustav a lot better than they did Hurricane Katrina.
Folks who barely avoided Fay’s flooding fear they might go under
Florida residents still soggy from Tropical Storm Fay watched anxiously Tuesday as a new storm took aim at the U.S. coastline and two more lined up in the Atlantic Ocean.
WellCare HMOs will stick with Medicaid pilot project
State Medicaid program won’t have to shift into crisis mode, after all. On Tuesday afternoon, the Agency for Health Care Administration said it received notification from HealthEase and Staywell — subsidies of WellCare Health Plans Inc. — that that they will continue to participate in the state’s Medicaid privatization pilot program, after all.
Florida man sentenced to jail for health care fraud
A 72-year-old man federal investigators said filed fraudulent health care claims as part of a kickback scheme that fleeced Blue Cross/Blue Shield of $780,000 was sentenced Wednesday to 51 months in prison.
State postpones election certification
The much-vaunted paper ballot was sold as a way to make sure every vote counted.
Instead, its debut in Palm Beach County threw the election process into turmoil as officials announced Tuesday that about 3,400 ballots that were counted in last week’s election did not turn up when a recount was conducted over the weekend.
Lake Okeechobee draining may have to start quickly
With more storms brewing and Lake Okeechobee still rising from Tropical Storm Fay, engineers plan to crack open the flood gates.
The slow draining down of Lake Okeechobee could begin as early as Wednesday. With three tropical systems looming in the Atlantic Ocean, the Army Corps of Engineers said Tuesday it hopes to begin slowing the lake’s record-setting rise — and lowering the potential risk to its aging levee.
Florida Supreme Court strikes down Amendment 5 tax swap plan
The state Supreme Court today struck the Amendment 5 tax swap from the Nov. 4 ballot, after morning arguments in which a clear majority of justices argued that the ballot summary is misleading about its potential implications for school funding.
In Florida, wages don’t match cost of living
For Many Workers, Wages Are Barely Keeping Pace with the Cost of Living
If it seems like your paycheck is barely keeping pace with the cost of living lately, you’re probably right.
Florida Rep. Legg’s got one foot in district, one in Trinity with family
It is the classic campaign photograph: a portrait of the political candidate, his wife and children on the front porch of their home.
Moffitt Institute receives $10.5-million federal grant to study lung cancer
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute has received a $10.5-million federal grant to study lung cancer.
Gustav or Not, Property Insurers Keep Up Lobbying in St. Paul
With Hurricane Gustav slamming into the Gulf Coast today, the schedule here at the Republican National Convention has been upended today and official events have been canceled. But lobbying, even for the property insurance industry (which will surely be paying out a fair amount of claims in coming months), goes on.
Most Gulf Coast Structures Not Safer Today Than They Were Three Years Ago, IBHS Says
In the three years since Hurricane Katrina, some Gulf Coast states have taken much-needed steps to make communities safer. However, it is critical that people understand what has yet to be done – and what they need to do right now.
Louisiana governor says Gustav now an official ‘major disaster’
La. Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday said he’s won two promises from the federal government that will ease Louisiana’s hurricane recovery: funding for residents and the opening of the strategic oil reserve.
BestDay Podcast for Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Modern USA’s John Jerger and Ray Blacklidge on Fla. Business Plan
Insurance Companies Say Identity Theft Coverage Is Important
Insurance companies are beginning to offer coverage to protect customers from identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.
Which of these eight fraud prevention techniques do you use?
Download this free Combating Claims Fraud Whitepaper from SAS to discover how to make predictive analytics the keystone of a secure financial strategy. You’ll also learn how combining analytics with other tools and technologies will boost your fraud detection rate and help you curtail your losses.
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