Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report – Monday, March 11, 2016

Apr 11, 2016

 

Florida Governor Signs ORSA Bill

Florida Governor Rick Scott approved SB 1422 last Friday, which will implement the NAIC’s Risk Management and Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA) Model Act and the Corporate Governance Annual Disclosure Model Act.

 

The Nature Conservancy Looks to Address South Florida Climate, Catastrophe Risks

The Nature Conservancy has announced plans to work with catastrophe risk modeling firm RMS, as well as with the Global Disaster Preparedness Center and others, in an effort to address climate impacts in South Florida, Insurance Journal reports.

  

Panhandle Officials work to Define What Makes a Public Beach

In Florida’s Walton County, roughly 900 coastal property owners are fighting demands for more access along 26 miles of beach.  The county commission will vote Tuesday whether to retain a law firm specializing in land use issues to determine how much beach should be public under “customary use” doctrine.  The Associated Press reports via TCPalm.com.

  

Open Roads:  Florida Preparing For Self-Driving Vehicles

Gone are the days when self-driving cars were just a thing of science fiction.  The technology is being tested across the country; and autonomous vehicles could be hitting Florida’s roads soon, thanks in part to a transportation bill signed into law last week, Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Uber Hires Ex-Marco Rubio Adviser, Growing Florida Team

Uber’s growing its Florida team as it faces big local votes to try to regulate its ride-for-hire services.  The Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.

  

New Law Extends Benefits to Families of Fallen Law Enforcement, First Responders

Families of law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty will now be guaranteed some financial security, under a new law that Republican Governor Rick Scott signed Friday.  The Miami Herald’s Kristin M. Clark reports.

  

Major Anti-Money Laundering Conference set in South Florida

A major conference on combatting global money laundering is drawing bankers, government regulators, law enforcement officials and hundreds of others to South Florida.  The Associated Press reports via TCPalm.com.

  

Health Care Providers Not Waiting for Telehealth Bill

Governor Rick Scott has four more days left to sign a bill that would create a statewide telehealth advisory council, but health care providers aren’t waiting, Daylena Miller reports for WUSF.

 

Governor Scott Flooded by Calls, Emails in Heated Battle over Alimony Bill

Sweeping changes to Florida’s alimony and child custody laws sparked some of the most emotional testimony heard by state lawmakers this year.  Now the contentious legislation is before Gov. Rick Scott, who has become the target of intense lobbying from both sides, the Palm Beach Post’s John Kennedy reports.

 

Trial Challenging Florida’s Education Framework wraps up in Tallahassee

A four-week trial challenging Florida’s public entire education system and its hallmark components — such as standardized testing, school grades and “school choice” options, like charter schools — concluded Friday.  Kristen M. Clark reports for the Tampa Bay Times.

  

Public has More Time to Comment on Modified Mosquito Keys Test

The public has more time to file comments on a proposal to release genetically modified mosquitoes in a test in the Florida Keys, the Associated Press reports via TCPalm.com.

  

Senator Jeff Brandes says his Next Focus will be on Reforming Florida Prison System

St. Petersburg Senator Jeff Brandes  says it’s time for a change in how the Florida Legislature deals – or hasn’t dealt – with the state’s prisons. He vows to put his energy into taking a fresh look at the problem, Mitch Perry reports for FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Ferry Operators Discuss Connecting Cuba with Florida Ports

Ferry operators interested in carrying cargo and passengers to Cuba have opened discussions with officials at several Florida ports, the Associated Press reports via FloridaPolitics.com.

 

Not Everyone is “All Aboard” With Florida’s High-Speed Rail Project

The company responsible for a passenger rail project that will connect Miami and Orlando is spending a lot of campaign cash on politicians, Israel Balderas reports for CBS12.

 

Behind Florida’s Deceptively Low Unemployment Rate

While it is great news that the state’s annual unemployment rate was down to 5.4 percent in 2015, and down to 5 percent in January 2016, the numbers don’t tell the whole story, Florida Tax Watch President and CEO Dominic Calabro tells FlaglerLive.com.

  

Is Florida Really Open For Business?

SaintPetersBlog.com Publisher Peter Schorsch recounts a would-be business owner’s real-life bureaucratic nightmare with Florida’s Division of Corporations.

 

Mississippi and West Virginia Governors Both Sign Ridesharing Laws

Mississippi and West Virginia have become the 30th and 31st states to pass legislation to create a statewide regulatory framework for ridesharing services offered by transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft, Right Street’s Ray Lehmann blogs via Insurance Journal.

  

2016 Hurricane Predictions Rest on “Cold Water Blob,” El Nino’s End

In case this one got by you, the first hurricane of 2016, which wasn’t due until after June 1, came and went in January.  And some meteorologists predict it is an indication that we can expect a more-active-than-normal hurricane season this year, SunshineStateNews.com Publisher Nancy Smith explains.

 

Bermuda to Differentiate Itself at RIMS

Bermuda will use a major US conference to continue to differentiate the island from other offshore jurisdictions in the wake of the “Panama Papers” controversy that focused global attention on international financial centres, Raymond Hainey reports for the Royal Gazette.

  

Travelers Reports Top Homeowners Insurance Claims

The Travelers Companies Inc. released information identifying the most common and costliest homeowners claims based on a review of its U.S. homeowners insurance claims made from 2009 to 2015, Insurance Journal reports

 

 

 

 

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