Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, October 18
Oct 18, 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
10:00 a.m.–Florida Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) Division of Consumer Services Rule Development Workshop. Proposed amendments to Rules 69J-166.002 and 69J-166.031 relating to mediation of residential and commercial residential property insurance claims would incorporate changes made by Chapter 2012-151, Laws of Florida, and the opinion of the Third District Court of Appeal in Fernando Subirats v. Fidelity National Property, 106 So. 3d 997 (Fla. 3rd DCA 2013). To view the workshop notice, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Action 9 investigates new homeowners insurance inspection hurdle
Action 9 investigates a new threat against homeowners. Some insurance companies now demand inspections for older homes and if you don’t replace a roof or even your air conditioning system, you could be canceled, reports WFTV 9.
VIDEO: University of Florida mini-drones seen as storm warning solution
With the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy fast approaching, scientists say they are moving closer to developing more effective early warning systems for future storms. Engineers at the University of Florida are building small autonomous companion vehicles that fly into and under hurricanes to provide real time data about their intensity and track, Ben Gruber reports for MSN.
Blog: After rejecting Medicaid expansion, Florida may request more federal dollars
Months after Florida lawmakers rejected $51 billion from the federal government to expand Medicaid, state officials are prepared to request billions in new federal aid for a different program to improve care for the poor, uninsured and under-insured, Tia Mitchell reports for Tampa Bay Times via the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog.
Feds back to work but Florida jobs numbers delayed
The end of the federal government shutdown Wednesday night meant furloughed federal employees got back to work Thursday, but the relief of the budget impasse on Capitol Hill won’t prevent a delay in the release of data showing the number of workers in Florida, reports Gray Rohrer for The Florida Current.
Blog: Two killers at large; state freed them based on forged documents
A manhunt is underway in Florida after the Department of Corrections released two convicted murderers based on what the state says were fraudulent documents. The inmates are Charles Walker and Joseph Jenkins, both convicted of murders in the Orlando area, and both men were serving lengthy sentences at Franklin Correctional Institution in Carrabelle, south of Tallahassee, Tampa Bay Times’ Steve Bousquet reports via the Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” blog.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is requesting $20 million in new revenue for conservation land-buying, an amount questioned by some environmentalists as the state moves into a budget surplus year, Bruce Ritchie reports for The Florida Current.
NAIC’s 2014 Budget Reflects Changing Regulatory Environment
The new budget is in. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 2014 proposed budget includes total revenues of $93.2 million, including $3.8 million in investment income, and total expenses of $91.8 million, increases of 3.68 percent and 3.87 percent respectively compared to the 2013 budget, reports Elizabeth Festa for PropertyCasualty360.com.
Louisiana High Court Strikes Down Immigrant Driver Law
The Louisiana Supreme Court has struck down a state law that made it a crime for people who aren’t U.S. citizens to drive here without carrying proof of their immigration status, reports Michael Kunzelman for Claims Journal.
Premium Finance Firm to Pay $160K for Prematurely Canceling Massachusetts Auto Policies
Insurance Journal reports that New York-based premium financing provider has agreed to pay $160,000 to resolve allegations that it illegally cancelled certain financed auto insurance policies affecting close to 100 Massachusetts customers, according to an announcement today by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.
Massachusetts Department of Insurance New Bulletin Says Producers May Charge Fees
Massachusetts regulators this month issued a bulletin announcing that producers for all lines of insurance may charge their clients fees in connection with the sale of insurance products. A statewide independent agent association said the bulletin represents a big change for agents and brokers, reports Insurance Journal.
46 Chiropractors Accused in Minnesota No-Fault Kickback Scheme
A federal lawsuit filed Oct. 14 accuses a diagnostic imaging company and 46 chiropractors of engaging in an elaborate kickback scheme aimed at defrauding Minnesota’s no-fault insurance system, reports Insurance Journal.
Link between African dust and fewer tropical storms
A burst of African dust in June, pouring over tropical regions of the Atlantic, appears to be a major reason this hurricane season has been remarkably subdued so far, Ken Kaye reports for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Europe’s reinsurers to test the heat from pension fund rivals
Europe’s reinsurers will soon test the strength of competition from alternative investors like pension funds, whose activity may keep a lid on reinsurance price rises and add to challenges for a sector already facing crimped investment income, Jonathan Gould reports for Reuters.
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.