Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Monday, May 20
May 20, 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
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.–Citizens Property Insurance (“Citizens”) Public Forum; New Port Richey, Florida. Florida Senator Wilton Simpson hosts this forum at which Citizens policyholders can meet one-on-one with Citizens’ representatives to review their insurance policies and concerns. RSVPs are required. To participate, send an e-mail to Rogers.Rachel@flsenate.gov or call (850) 487-5018. (Pasco-Hernando Community College, West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road)
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Only 47 Sign Up for Citizen’s Property Insurance Cheaper HO-8 Option
Property owners covered by Citizens Property Insurance may have a cheaper option that they are not aware of, explains WTVJ-TV CBS4 in Miami.
Storm unending over Florida insurance rates
Once more, property owners enter hurricane season threatened with paying higher insurance rates – particularly if they’re with state-run Citizens Property Insurance – even though Florida has been spared major storm damage for eight years, Tampa Bay Times Jeff Harrington reports.
Lawmakers shrink Citizens Property Insurance, miss chance to fix Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
For far too long, Florida has been only one costly storm away from financial catastrophe, with homeowners, businesses, charities, churches and automobile policyholders paying heavy “hurricane tax” assessments from past hurricanes, writes David Hart for the Ocala Star-Banner.
Sarasota County tracks unlicensed contractors online
To help law enforcement identify repeat offenders, Sarasota County government has created a website to track unlicensed contractors — including those who have been cited in other cities and counties, reports Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s John Hielscher.
Florida Legislature took up red-light camera reform during Session’s final days
While ticketed drivers will have more time to challenge their citations, they could also face much higher fines for doing so – up to $405, reports Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Lloyd Dunkelberger in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Blog: Governor will sign Florida budget today, veto tuition increase
During Monday’s budget signing, Gov. Rick Scott will veto a 3-percent tuition increase for state colleges and universities, the Associated Press is reporting via The Miami Herald’s “Naked Politics” Blog.
Governor signs constitutionally murky tax cut, touts Florida’s decreased unemployment rate
Gov. Rick Scott heralded a drop in the state unemployment rate to 7.2 percent for April as he signed a bill into law containing his top legislative priority, the elimination of the sales tax on machinery and equipment, reports The Florida Current’s Gray Rohrer.
State Representative Daniel Davis in Line for Power Role
State Representative Daniel Davis was named president and CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce on Friday, giving the rising First Coast Republican a vehicle to further his political ambitions, Jeff Henderson reports for SunshineStateNews.com.
U.S. Senate approves Everglades and port money; Florida delegation divided
Port Everglades officials, who have been struggling for 16 years to get approval for an Army Corps of Engineers project to deepen the port’s waterways, hope to clear the remaining hurdles by the end of this year, reports the Sun-Sentinel’s William Gibson. Democrat Bill Nelson, who escorted Washington leaders on tours of the Everglades to promote the bill, voted “yes.” Republican Marco Rubio, who quietly took his own tour of the ‘Glades earlier this month without notice or fanfare, voted “no.”
How much is raised by Florida’s 120 different license plates?
There are 120 organizations, causes and career paths commemorated by specialty Florida license plates. and while alumni of the University of Florida and Florida State claim the top sales spots, the $15-to-$25 fees paid for the tags help support a host of groups around the state, the Sun-Sentinel’s Kathleen Haughney reports.
Ethics Board: Senator Can’t Seek Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Post
Louisiana State Senator Dan “Blade” Morrish is barred from seeking the CEO’s job at Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance, the Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Massachusetts Division of Insurance to Report Losses Boston Bombings Losses
The Massachusetts Department of Insurance says it has a data call out to the insurance industry in order to draft a report on the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon, reports Chad Hemenway for PropertyCasualty360.com.
New Hampshire Governor Nominates Sevigny to Continue as Insurance Commissioner
New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan nominated Roger Sevigny to another five-year term as the state’s insurance commissioner, the Insurance Journal 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.