Sine Die Weekend Edition: Capitol to Courthouse Headliners–Sunday, May 8
May 8, 2011
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Above: Senators John Thrasher and Evelyn Lynn on the Senate floor during the contentious final hours of the 2011 Florida Legislative Session. (Sunshine State News Photo: Gary Rohrer)
Column: Legislature passed one market-rigging bill
Public revolt forced them to shelve Citizens proposal
In the end, your Florida Legislature scaled back its wish list of dozens of misguided and punitive insurance “reforms.” Instead it passed one market-rigging bill that could multiply private insurers’ premiums and make your next hurricane repair job take longer.
Florida Judge: Insurance should cover Chinese drywall case
A Florida judge has ruled that a couple’s damage from tainted Chinese drywall is covered by their homeowner insurance policy.
Keys conference focuses on sea level changes
With hundreds of miles of coastline and low-lying areas, there’s no place in the United States more vulnerable to sea level changes than the Florida Keys.
Escambia Storm evacuation zones change
As the 2011 hurricane season approaches, Escambia County Emergency Management encourages residents to check their property on the updated storm surge evacuation zone map.
Meridian Investigative Group of St. Petersburg investigates workers’ comp in 12 states
Paul Colbert has watched cripples walk and the blind see again. No miracle worker, his Meridian Investigative Group in St. Petersburg gets 90 percent of its business videotaping evidence to deny bogus workers’ compensation claims.
Missing Florida Woman’s Boyfriend Arrested In New York For Insurance Fraud
A former New York prison guard whose police-recruit girlfriend disappeared in Florida in March has been charged with faking an injury so he could retire on disability, state police said Friday.
Florida to push ahead with sweeping changes to the state’s $22 billion Medicaid program
The Florida Legislature on Friday approved the creation of a statewide managed care program on the last day of session. The new managed care programs bring the Jeb Bush Medicaid Reform experiment in five Florida counties to an end. Rep. Charles Chestnut says the plan “sucks.”
Naples-based Health Management Associates Inc. announced a new alliance with the University of Florida and Shands HealthCare to strengthen cardiac and stroke emergency services at three regional hospitals in central Florida.
Winter Haven to get $20-million health care center
When Legoland opens later in the year, officials believe it will speed up the already fast-paced growth of eastern Polk County.
Legislature ends a session of potentially historic measures
The Legislature on Saturday ended a session of potentially historic measures – dominated by the biggest need to cut spending in a generation, but marked too by the most far-reaching overhaul in decades in how government provides health care to the poor and a fundamental change in how teachers are paid.
Florida legislative session ends: Anatomy of a meltdown
The final hours of Florida’s 2011 legislative session spiraled into chaos that stretched until 3:35 a.m. Saturday.
Measures that passed in Florida’s 2011 legislative session
Legislation that passed during the 2011 session of the Florida Legislature, which ended Saturday, would:
Florida legislation that failed to pass in 2011
Legislation that failed during the 2011 session of the Florida Legislature, which ended Saturday, would have:
Compensation bills for 2 men die amid power struggle in Legislature
As a power struggle between the Florida House and Senate erupted Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning, a 31-year-old Sunrise man and his parents sat quietly in the House gallery watching.
Bills are dying: Union dues, immigration, ethics reform dead at session end
More than 2,000 bills were filed during the 2011 session, but roughly 300 were approved at the end of the 60-day session. Bills dealing with immigration, union dues and ethics reform were among the bills that died on Friday night.
Lawmakers agree to cut unemployment compensation benefits
The Senate decides to agree with the House compromise of allowing for a maximum of 23 weeks of benefits instead of the 26 weeks now in place. Senate sponsor Nancy Detert calls the bill “practically [a] gift to the business community.
Florida lawmakers press for reforms on assisted living facilities
Saying Florida regulators are failing to protect thousands of people in assisted living facilities, a leading lawmaker known for her advocacy of the elderly will launch a sweeping initiative to improve oversight of the homes.
Democrats plan to protest Republican policies in Florida
Democrats are taking their complaints about Republican policies to the streets for another round of “Awake the State” rallies on Tuesday. This time they’re calling the events “Awake Again.”
Labor agency inks $5 million in deals with board members’ companies
During the past six years, Workforce Central Florida has paid millions of dollars to companies and organizations controlled by or tied to agency board members, records show.
Governor addresses largest Lincoln Day dinner ever in Hillsborough
After a late night in Tallahassee, Gov. Rick Scott and Hillsborough Republicans took time Saturday night to praise the just-closed legislative session and provided what may be the opening shots of the 2012 campaign
Critics Label Florida’s Internet Cafes as Magnets for Crime
A drab strip mall in this Orlando suburb includes the usual fixtures: a pharmacy and a payday loans store, as well as an Internet cafe with a sign on the door that reads “Copy-Fax-Print, Surf the Web.”
Association applying to bring thoroughbred racing to Marion
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association board of directors is making the final preparations on its application to the state for a chance to bring thoroughbred racing to Marion County.
Insurers’ Compliance Awareness Lacking On Office of Foreign Asset Control Sanctions
Insurers need to step up their compliance knowledge of sanctions if they want to avoid a fate similar to HHC Insurance Holdings, which paid a fine of over $38,000 for insuring aircraft used in Iran.