Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, November 15

Nov 15, 2013

 

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 events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News


Dispute with Citizens delayed repairs to Dunedin home swallowed by sinkhole

Michael Dupre first noticed the small cracks in the outside walls of his home at 1112 Robmar Road two years ago.  He filed a claim with state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which sent engineers to inspect the house, Tampa Bay Times’ Laural Morel reports.

 

Citizens advances $50 million sinkhole repair program

Members of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s Claims Committee voted unanimously Thursday to send a proposal for a $50 million program to conduct minor sinkhole-related home repairs to its full board next month, The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer reports.

 

Electronic proof of insurance for motorists before Scott, Cabinet

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will ask Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam to sign off on a proposal that would allow people to display electronic copies of their motor-vehicle insurance through cell phones, tablets or other electronic devices as proof of coverage, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via the Sun-Sentinel.

 

Florida transportation leaders say automated cars not too far off

Florida transportation experts gathered Thursday said advances in computer software, sensors and global positioning systems have made driverless vehicles possible for widespread use within a decade or so, Tampa Bay Times’ Susan Thurston reports.

 

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson:  Florida will cooperate with White House on saving cancelled policies

President Obama announced yesterday that he will have insurers reinstate anyone’s canceled health insurance policies, and Florida officials have assured the White House that they will fully cooperate, Peter Schorsch of SaintPetersBlog.com reports.

 

Florida Lawmakers Face Decision About Doctor Pay

Florida physicians made the argument for years: The state’s Medicaid payment rates have been so low that many doctors stayed away from the program, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Saunders reports via SunshineStateNews.com.

 

Blog:  Senator Thrasher continues to deny lieutenant governor rumors

State Senator John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, has been rumored in recent weeks to be a frontrunner to become Gov. Rick Scott’s lieutenant governor, Jacksonville Times-Union’s Matt Dixon blogs.

 

Georgia’s group “Dirty Dozen” water list includes three issues affecting Florida

The Georgia Water Coalition has released its annual report on what it says are the 12 worst offenses to Georgia’s waters, including three issues affecting waters flowing into Florida:  The Chattahoochee River, the Flint River and the Floridan Aquifer, The Florida Current’s Bruce Ritchie reports.

 

New Oklahoma Law Allows Seizure Of License Plates From Uninsured Drivers

Law enforcement officers in Oklahoma will soon have the option to seize license plates from uninsured drivers and assign temporary insurance under a new law passed this year by the Legislature, Insurance Journal reports.

 

News Release:  BNY Mellon report says cat bond market could more than double to $50 billion by 2018

The number of catastrophe or cat bonds outstanding could more than double from the current level of $19bn1 to $50bn by the end of 2018, according to a report from BNY Mellon, the global leader in investment management and investment services.

 

In New Twist, Freddie Taps Reinsurance Market

Freddie Mac continues to tweak and twist its financial products and strategies to meet changing market demand and new political realities, Erika Morphy writes for GlobeSt.com. 

 

Captive reinsurance:  Life in the shadows

By assuming a share of the liabilities of many different insurance firms, reinsurance firms make it possible for mammoth claims following a storm or earthquake to be paid without bringing down the insurers that issued most of the policies in the affected area. A new form of reinsurance proliferating in America, however, does more or less the opposite, The Economist reports.

 

 

Click here to follow Colodny Fass& Webb on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)

 

 

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.