Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Thursday, July 17, 2014
Jul 17, 2014
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
11:00 a.m.–Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (“FWCJUA”) Market Assistance Plan meeting. To view the meeting notice, click here.
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation Rule Development Workshop. Tallahassee, Florida. Proposed amendments to Rule Chapter 69L-30 would streamline the process through which a physician provides documentation on required qualifications for certification as an Expert Medical Advisor pursuant to subsection 440.13(9), F.S. For more information, click here to view the Hearing notice.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Rick Scott Says He’ll Meet Scientists On Climate Change
Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday his administration would be “happy to meet” with 10 scientists from Florida universities who want to talk about climate change, a subject he has been reluctant to address. The Associated Press reports via SaintPetersBlog.com.
Broward leader among state, local officials contributing to White House climate-change actions
Among the members of a 26-member Presidential Task Force on Climate Change is Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs. She was at a White House event on the issue Wednesday, along with governors, local officials and tribal leaders from around the country, the Miami Herald’s Chris Adams reports on the “Naked Politics” blog.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner: Florida Still At Risk From House-Eating Snail Catastrophe
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam is warning Floridians in Miami and at other ports to be on the lookout for Giant African Land Snails, after it was reported Monday that inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport confiscated 67 of the invasive, destructive snails this month.
Governor Scott signs bill equating hit-and-run punishments with DUIs
On Wednesday, Governor Rick Scott held a ceremonial bill-signng to draw attention to the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act, which increases penalties on drivers in fatal hit-and-run crashes, reports Marc Caputo for the Bradenton Herald.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced that an investigation in Naples by the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud has revealed that as many as 146 employees of Fruit Dynamics, LLC, more commonly known as Incredible Fresh or Collier County Produce, may have committed workers’ compensation fraud.
An appeals court has ordered the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to pay legal fees of an alliance of hospitals fighting the agency over emergency-services issue for more than two years, SaintPetersBlog.com’s Phil Ammann reports.
Florida has Second-Highest Level of Uninsured, Ranks Dead Last in Affordable Care Grants
Florida ranks last in the country in per-person funding from the Affordable Care Act, a new study shows, and that doesn’t even include the billions of dollars the state is forfeiting by saying no to Medicaid expansion, FlaglerLive.com reports.
Why Obtaining Your Own Medical Records In Florida Could a Small Fortune
The Florida Board of Medicine has been debating whether to do away with the exceptions and have a $1-a-page maximum charge for everyone to acquire their own health records. A hearing is now scheduled for October in South Florida, FlaglerLive.com reports.
Court reverses itself: Felons can fire under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law
Legal wrangling over Florida’s Stand Your Ground law has reached a new crescendo with yesterday’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling, reports Jane Musgrave in the Palm Beach Post.
Former Florida Senator Skip Campbell enters Coral Springs mayoral race
Former State Senator Walter “Skip” Campbell qualified to run for Coral Springs mayor on Wednesday. He is running against Tom Powers, an incumbent commissioner. Lisa Huriash reports for the Sun-Sentinel.
Mass Litigation “Boiler Room” Foreclosure Class Action Law Firm Raided By Federal Officials
Law enforcement officials raided a North Palm Beach-based foreclosure class action law firm Wednesday, freezing the company’s assets and issuing a temporary restraining order as stunned employees milled outside of the office, Kimberly Miller reports for the Palm Beach Post.
Miami Judge Nixes Ban on Lender Suits Against Fontainebleau Officers
The Fontainebleau Las Vegas LLC bankruptcy trustee may never win court approval for an $83.3 million settlement of lawsuits against former officers, directors and managers, Bloomberg’s Bill Rochelle reports via Insurance Journal.
Florida ranks as the scariest place in the country
According to real estate website Estately.com, the Sunshine State is the scariest state in the nation. Matt Mauney reports for the Orlando Sentinel.
Secrecy of Dodd-Frank’s “Too Big to Fail” Panel Targeted
Democratic and Republican lawmakers are cooperating on legislation that would lift some of the secrecy around the U.S. council that decides which companies pose the biggest risks to the financial system, Cheyenne Hopkins and Robert Schmidt report for Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Uber Ordered to Register as Cab Service in Annapolis, Maryland
The city of Annapolis wants ridesharing company Uber to stop operating in Maryland’s capital until it registers as a cab service, Associated Press reports via Insurance Journal.
Work Begins on Steel Sea Wall for 2 Sandy-Devastated Towns in N.J.
Two wealthy New Jersey shore towns that were among the hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy nearly two years ago began building a 4-mile-long steel wall last week, an expensive effort that the state says is needed to protect the communities but that some residents and environmentalists oppose. Associated Press’ Wayne Parry reports via Insurance Journal.
Colorado lawmakers demand explanation for “epidemic of anomalies” behind SpaceX launches
With billions of government dollars at stake, lawmakers demand transparency in privatized space launches, explains Laura Mazzuca Toops for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.
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