Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, February 6
Feb 6, 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
Florida’s 2012 Regular Legislative Session
- Click here for today’s Senate block calendar
- Click here for today’s House of Representatives block calendar
Wall Street Journal: Storm Clouds Gather Over Florida Insurers
State-run entities that expanded over the past decade to provide affordable homeowners insurance in hurricane-threatened Florida are in danger of becoming so big they threaten to wreak havoc on the local economy.
Bill to Cut Catastrophe Risk for Citizens Property Insurance Passes House
Some customers of Citizens property insurance might have their homeowners policies taken over by private companies under a bill passed in the House and heading to the Senate.
Rare February disturbance expected to bring rain to Florida
Thanks to a rare February disturbance moving north from the Caribbean and in this general direction, expect to see some – and possibly a lot of – rain today.
Flood insurance policies need revision after Gulfport flood map changes
A major change with Gulfport’s flood zones has taken effect and it could save residents thousands of dollars on flood insurance.
Editorial: Florida’s landmark no-fault law has become a wreck
Florida’s leaders showed tremendous vision by enacting the first-in-the-nation motor vehicle no-fault laws that became effective in 1972.
Brown & Brown Inc. is building an aircraft hangar at Daytona Beach International Airport that will be the largest ever built at the Volusia County-run airport.
Blog: Vice President Joe Biden visits Tallahassee to talk jobs
Vice President Joe Biden will visit Florida State University to talk about college affordability at 11:00 a.m.
Blog: What to expect this week in Florida politics
A federal judge ruled Friday that four state lawmakers and two legislative staff members could not be forced to testify in a legal challenge of a controversial elections law that was passed this past session.
Judge: Lawmakers should not be forced to testify
A federal judge ruled Friday that four Florida lawmakers and two legislative staff members could not be forced to testify in a legal challenge of a controversial elections law passed last session.
Florida House passes redistricting maps along party lines
The Florida House today passed Congressional, state House and state Senate maps that lay out how it wants voting districts to be drawn for the next decade.
- U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen could be redistricted out of Florida Keys
- Redrawn Congressional boundaries create roadblock for Florida Senator Mike Fasano
Florida Democrats working to change budget conversation
Flanked by nurses and educators, a group of Democratic state lawmakers held a press conference in the Capital yesterday to denounce the GOP-led Legislature’s plans to cut health services in the state budget in order to save money for education.
Florida bill seeks to hasten foreclosures
Critics are opposing a bill they claim introduces nonjudicial foreclosures to Florida, favors banks and threatens homeowners’ rights, but the Naples legislator sponsoring it insists the opposite is the case.
Jim Norman faces fines over $500,000 Arkansas home gift
A state ethics panel found Senator Jim Norman should be prosecuted in connection with a half-million-dollar gift to his wife from a prominent Hillsborough County businessman.
High-speed rail would have been profitable, state report says
The high-speed rail project that Governor Rick Scott doomed last February by turning down more than $2 billion in federal money would have made an annual surplus of $31 million to $45 million within a decade of operation, according to a state report.
Department of Labor, Mexican consulate announce workers’ rights education program
The U.S. Department of Labor and the Mexican consulate in Orlando today announced an agreement to offer Mexican workers in Florida the resources to understand their rights.
Florida Senator files amendment to repeal nuclear cost recovery statute
State Senator Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has filed an amendment to a Senate committee’s energy bill in an effort to repeal a statute that allows energy companies to charge their customers for nuclear power plants that may never be built.
Size matters: Craft brewers challenge Florida’s beer container laws
Growlers, an old-fashioned way of enjoying freshly brewed draft beer at home, are all the rage around the country.
With few or no challengers, now’s the time to launch your political career, if you dare
No doubt from time to time, you have watched our local government in action and thought to yourself: “What a bunch of doofuses! Why if I was an elected (fill in the blank) I could do a much better job than those chuckleheads.”
Mississippi May Mandate Homeowner Insurance Discounts for Mitigation
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he is working with legislators on a bill that would require insurers to offer discounts to homeowners who have strengthened homes against wind damage.
Industry Groups Supporting Crash Parts Law
The property and casualty insurance industry is supporting legislation that would alter patent law to allow for use of parts not made by the manufacturer in repairing damaged vehicles.
Super (Insurance) Coverage for the Super Bowl
There’s more at risk than a game at Sunday’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
The Wall Street Journal: The Wrong End of Lawsuits
Firms Say They Increasingly Are Targets of Litigation by Clients, Ex-Partners
Law firms are loading up on Insurance against expensive liability claims as they increasingly find themselves on the wrong end of lawsuits. Getting blamed for poor results is nothing new for law firms, but they say clients have become more willing to sue in recent years.
USA Today: Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers
When the oversized postcard arrived last August from Provena St. Joseph Medical Center promoting a lung cancer screening for current or former smokers over 55, Steven Boyd wondered how the hospital had found him.