Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, December 6

Dec 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

 

There are no Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Insurance-Related News

 

Lawmakers to make another run at shrinking Florida’s property insurer of last resort, reducing PIP auto rates

Florida’s top insurance official was given a January deadline on Wednesday to come up with a series of proposals to reduce the size of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

 

Citizens Property Insurance loan deal draws criticism at Florida House panel hearing

A controversial program to shrink the size of Citizens Property Insurance by spending $350 million to encourage private companies to take over business came under fire from all sides on Tuesday as the state-run insurer made its first appearance before a House committee.

 

Editorial:  States should pool risks to reduce disaster costs

For years members of Congress from Florida and other coastal states have proposed creating a regional or national catastrophe fund to pool the risk for states and reduce the burden on taxpayers from natural disasters.

 

Florida Senator Simmons wants regulators, industry to draft property insurance solutions

Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty received the equivalent of a lump of coal as an early Christmas gift Wednesday from Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Chairman David Simmons.

     

    Florida budget is in the black, but future is uncertain

    The Senate Appropriations Committee began the process of building a state budget Wednesday. 

     

    Blog:  Watchdog groups say stalled transparency program would save millions

    On the same day Senate leaders announced they would conduct an intensive review of the state budget, two government watchdog groups said a budget transparency program – put on hold by the Senate – could “save Florida millions of dollars” and revolutionize budget accountability.

     

    Blog:  What Transparency 2.0 would tell you if you could see it

    The new report prepared by Integrity Florida and the First Amendment Foundation on the budget transparency software program offers a window into what the web site would tell legislators and the public if they were given access to it.

     

    Florida Senator Tom Lee:  Judicial Reform Not High Priority for Florida Legislature in 2013

    On the heels of several defeats of Republican efforts to reform the judiciary and unseat three Florida Supreme Court justices — both before and at the November ballot box — the upcoming legislative session is shaping up to be a far quieter one as far as the courts are concerned.

     

    Florida House representative files bill to repeal advance fee for building nuclear plants

    The latest effort to repeal the advance fee collected from utility customers to build new nuclear power plants began its move through the Legislature on Wednesday.

     

    Florida Representative Lake Ray prepares bill to boost port-freight links

    Hoping to add jobs and generate economic activity through increased trade, Representative Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville, is preparing legislation to facilitate the transportation of goods from Florida’s ports to its rails and roads.

     

    Florida releases first report on test-driven teacher evaluations

    Three in every four teachers were effective in Florida classrooms last year, but 2 percent need improvement, according to a state report released Wednesday.

     

    The Washington Post:  National Weather Service looks at proposals for changing when hurricane warnings are issued

    The National Weather Service is considering changing how it issues hurricane watches and warnings.

     

    New York Orders Speed-Up of Sandy Claims

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday imposed emergency regulations on insurers to speed the processing of claims from hundreds of thousands of state residents whose properties were damaged or destroyed when Superstorm Sandy struck a month ago.

     

    New Jersey Assembly examines post-Sandy insurance claims

    Legislators in the New Jersey Assembly will hear about insurance issues cropping up in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

     

    German Insurance Chief Stabbed Before Staff Meeting

    The chief executive of German public insurer and takeover target Provinzial Nordwest was stabbed on Wednesday ahead of a meeting with employees to discuss the future of the company.

     

     

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