Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Friday, May 9, 2014
May 9, 2014
To go directly to the section of your choice, click on a hyperlink below. Other hyperlinks to meeting information, bills and news are noted in bold type.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
There are no insurance-related events scheduled today.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Miami Finds Itself Ankle-Deep in Climate Change Debate
Alton Road, a commercial thoroughfare in the heart of stylish South Beach, is getting early ripples of sea level rise caused by global warming – even as Florida’s politicians, including two possible contenders for the presidency in 2016, are starkly at odds over what to do about it and whether the problem is even real. The New York Times’ Coral Davenport reports.
Flood rules story on building project misleads, Ft. Lauderdale City Manager Explains
“The April 30 article, ‘Lauderdale OKs projects that fail flood rules’ incorrectly asserts that ‘If the properties don’t come into compliance, it might lead to higher flood insurance rates for everyone in the city . . . ‘” Ft. Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman explains in a letter to the Sun-Sentinel.
Florida’s largest private property insurer boosts First Quarter income
Universal Insurance Holdings, the owner of Florida’s largest property insurer outside of state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp., saw a larger first quarter profit – but not quite as high as most analysts expected, South Florida Business Journal’s Brian Bandell reports.
Florida Attorney General Finds Way to Fund Drug Database to Fight Pill Mills
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is keeping the state’s prescription drug database up and running after state legislators decided against funding it, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
The Republican-led state Legislature received an extension from the federal government to come up with a way to accommodate uninsured Floridians, but other changes to state health care policy failed in the last minutes of Session, explains Arek Sarkissian for The Florida Current.
“Sharia law.” education and tax cut bills reach Scott’s desk
Legislation to allow qualified undocumented immigrants to become lawyers, allow local school districts to select textbooks and cut taxes by $105 million were among the 58 bills officially sent to Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.
Florida Market Sparks Marijuana Gold Rush
State lawmakers want to keep Florida pot home-grown. But the low-THC medical marijuana recently authorized by the Legislature has sparked an out-of-state “green” rush before the bill has even been signed into law. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam explains the issue in SunshineStateNews.com.
Florida’s national unemployment ranking isn’t so clear-cut
Economists explain to the Tampa Bay Times that governors can take steps to influence employment, but there are other national economic trends at play that can’t be blamed (or credited) to any one particular politician.
The Florida Current’s Session Summary: Environment and Natural Resources
Some observers said the 2014 legislative session would be the “Year of Water,” but they had it wrong from the start, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.
Mississippi Governor Bryant Eyes Special Session on Tornado Damage
Governor Phil Bryant may call the Mississippi Legislature into special session to help pay state government’s share of tornado recovery costs, Associated Press’ Jeff Amy reports via Insurance Journal.
U.S. Orders Railroads to Alert States When Oil Is Shipped to Reduce Risk
The U.S. Transportation Department issued an emergency order designed to reduce the risks of transporting crude from North Dakota’s booming Bakken region by rail, a week after an oil train derailed, Bloomberg’s Jim Snyder and Thomas Black report via National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
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