Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, November 2
Nov 2, 2012
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 Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Some say Hurricane Sandy should refocus nation, Florida on climate change
Gov. Rick Scott has said he hasn’t seen evidence to convince him that climate change is real. However, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has launched a five-year effort to help communities adapt to sea level rise, but some say more action is needed by the state.
Hurricane Sandy has created another catastrophe for the nation – a deadly weather event, followed by an extensive and expensive reconstruction challenge.
Letter to the Editor: Sandy may not mean higher insurance rates in Florida
Regarding Tuesday’s editorial “Washing away attitudes” that predicted higher property insurance rates for Florida after Hurricane Sandy: Significant insured losses from Sandy might translate into limited rate increases in Florida, which must have private reinsurance along with the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to pay all of its claims after a big hurricane event, but hopefully and likely not.
Some Citizens Customers To Lose Coverage Tuesday
Two weeks ago, thousands of South Florida homeowners insured by state-run Citizens’ Property Insurance were notified via mail that their coverage would be dropped, even though they hadn’t approved it.
Wind workshop to help homeowners
After seeing the effects of Superstorm Sandy, the time to prepare your home for wind damage is now.
Hurricane horror story takes 8 years to end
So you think you’ve had contractor nightmares. I know I have. But I guarantee ours wither like flowers by the fire compared to what Linda Lipofsky has been through.
Florida Court Weighs When Not Meeting Policy Terms Means Coverage Forfeiture
Florida’s high court is debating whether a driver forfeited her uninsured motorist coverage by refusing to meet the insurer’s specific requirement to undergo a scheduled medical exam.
A Close Look into Florida Insurance Fraud Claims
We first met the Patel family back in August when a lawsuit almost cost them thousands of dollars.
Scott won’t extend early voting through Sunday
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday rejected calls to extend early-voting hours through Sunday despite reports of record turnouts and long lines of voters at poll sites statewide.
Facing Thursday deadline, attorneys are telling clients to opt out of oil spill settlement
In advance of a Thursday deadline, Lawyers said they were assisting hundreds of seafood workers and coastal property owners to opt out of a federal court settlement involving the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: ACLU Keeps Drug-Testing Challenges Coming
Hours after arguing another drug testing case before a federal appellate court in Atlanta, the ACLU of Florida announced Thursday it has filed a separate federal lawsuit in Pensacola for a DeFuniak Springs employee fired for refusing to take a random drug test required by the city.
Blog: Florida Legislative Candidates already lining up for 2014
With the 2012 election still days away, 16 candidates have filed paperwork to run for state House.
St. Petersburg decides sign wavers can dance on
The City Council approved new regulations for commercial signs on Thursday, but without an earlier caveat that would have banned human billboards from twisting and dancing.
Florida schools task force looking at tax increases
A task force created by the Legislature will recommend lawmakers identify a stable source of money for school construction or allow districts to raise property taxes.
No Hurricane Deductibles for Sandy Claims in New Jersey, Maryland
Hurricane deductibles will not be applicable for Sandy-related claims in New Jersey, the state where the superstorm made landfall late Monday.
- Connecticut Seeks Premium Payment Grace Period for Storm Victims
- Sandy: The Debate About “Hurricane Deductibles” Begins
Insurance commissioner: Texas Windstorm Insurance Association would have tough time paying claims
The state’s last-resort insurer for wind storms isn’t solvent by most insurance company standards and would find it hard to pay claims if faced with a major storm, Texas Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman told lawmakers Thursday.
Hurricane Sandy, tsunami scare expose state catastrophe debts
Of all accounting frauds state leaders commit to push devastating costs onto future generations, the worst is deluding citizens about the security of so-called catastrophe insurance funds. Hurricane Sandy and a tsunami scare in Hawaii at the same time should be warning enough for governors to start paying the premiums.
Virginia court: Insurance doesn’t cover drywall damages
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover damage caused by Chinese drywall.
New York, California Surplus Lines Reports
Excess Lines Association of New York Executive Director Dan Maher, and Surplus Lines Association of California Executive Director Ben McKay, discuss premium growth in their states.
Click here to follow Colodny Fass& Webb on Twitter (@CFTLAWcom)
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an email to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.