Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, September 20
Sep 20, 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
8:30 a.m.–Florida Board of Employee Leasing Companies Board Meeting; Jacksonville. To view the meeting notice, click here.
4:00 p.m.–Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Public Rate Hearing: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (“Citizens”); Miami. Citizens has requested statewide average increases of 11.1 percent for its Coastal Account and 12 percent for its Personal Lines Account. For additional information, click here. To view the hearing notice, click here. To view the agenda, click here.
Florida regulators holding hearing on Citizens rates
Florida regulators want to know what you think about rate increases proposed the state’s largest property insurer.
- Regulators bracing for full house at Citizens Property Insurance rate hearing Thursday
- State Representative Frank Artiles to Speak Against Citizens Depopulation Loans
Insurance costs rising for short-term rentals
Changes have potential to increase insurance costs by three to five times
Changes by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could drastically increase insurance costs for short-term rentals along Southwest Florida’s coasts.
State Representative Artiles decries ‘multi-million dollar abuses’ in statewide Citizens insurance
The state-subsided property insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is not only unaccountable, it is also actively seeking to “defraud” the state of Florida, one House member told Florida Watchdog in an interview.
Florida Governor Scott walks fine line on Citizens position
The governor wants the state-run property insurance company to reduce its exposure to claims greater than it could pay should a catastrophic hurricane hit Florida.
Water managers releasing water from Lake Okeechobee to ease dike concerns
With Lake Okeechobee almost 3 feet higher than a month ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from the lake Tuesday morning to ensure that its 75-year-old dike could safely weather another storm.
A.M. Best Affirms the Ratings of Castle Key Group Members
A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of B- (Fair) and issuer credit ratings of “bb-” of the members of Castle Key Group (headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL). The outlook for all ratings is negative.
Subtle shifts reflect big changes in insurance coverage
Subtle shifts since the Great Recession in the number of Southwest Florida residents with health insurance coverage signal big changes happening below the surface, as the region added tourism jobs that seldom come with generous benefits packages.
Medicaid health records available online in Florida
Florida Medicaid recipients can now access their personal health records online. State health officials said Wednesday that beneficiaries can use the My Florida Health eBook to track information about their doctor’s visits, procedures, medications and immunizations.
Video voyeurs face tougher penalties with new Florida law
Bryan Thomas Drey, a video-voyeurism suspect, told Leesburg police last month that he used two cameras the size of cigarette lighters to film a 26-year-old woman in a Target store fitting room as she changed into a bikini.
Florida defends early voting limits in federal court
A federal judge on Wednesday questioned the decision by the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature to limit the number of early voting days heading into this year’s crucial presidential election.
State transportation corridor initiative moves forward
The FDOT is planning for population, visitors and freight tonnage to increase 35 percent by 2040.
Governor Scott must decide whether to bring in new blood or keep utility board static
Gov. Rick Scott has until Sunday to decide whether to reappoint the longest serving member of the powerful state utility board, eight-year veteran Lisa Edgar, or go in a new direction.
House flipping in the Tampa Bay area and Florida on the rise
Half a decade after frenzied house flipping inflated home prices and hastened the crash, buying and quickly reselling homes continues to pull in big profits in Tampa Bay.
Census: Florida incomes keep slipping
Incomes continued to slip in Southwest Florida last year and the gap between the wealthiest households and the poorest ones widened.
32 Floridians make the cut for Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans
Thirty-two Florida billionaires made this year’s Forbes 400 list of the richest of the rich, up from 29 spots on last year’s list.
State pulls licenses from massage therapists
In an effort aimed at curbing human trafficking, the state on Wednesday suspended the licenses of 81 massage therapists who appear to have obtained them by fraud.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Lawsuit challenges state on nursing home residents’ income
In what could become a class-action lawsuit, attorneys for a disabled Tallahassee woman allege that many nursing-home residents are required to turn over too much income when they enter Florida’s Medicaid program.
Governor Scott names seven school superintendents to red-tape panel
Seven county school superintendents have been named to the committee that is being asked to recommend ways Florida can cut red-tape and reduce paperwork for teachers and administrators.
State political funds created to make contributions more transparent sit unused
Trumpeting the need for more transparency, Republican lawmakers pushed through an election law change in 2011 that gave the top brass of both political parties their own campaign accounts.
Health Groups Sue Over Louisiana’s Post-Isaac Insurance Rule
Two health care groups have filed a lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, over an insurance coverage change he made after Hurricane Isaac.
Hurricane Isaac Washed Away Alabama’s Sand Island
Sand Island along the Alabama coast has disappeared beneath the waves.
How Low Interest Rates Challenge Insurers
Insurer CFOs vary a lot in their satisfaction with their principal preservation and total return outcomes.
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