Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, September 3, 2015

Sep 3, 2015

 

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 insurance-related events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

Lake County, Metro Orlando Ranked High for Natural Disasters

Lake County’s propensity for hurricane- and wildfire-related damage landed it on a sort of homebuyer-beware list that was released Thursday by RealtyTrac.  Mary Shanklin reports for the Orlando Sentinel.

 

Congressman Bilirakis pushes FEMA for disaster declaration for Tampa Bay flooding

A month after hundreds of Tampa Bay area residents were forced from their homes because of flooding, the region still doesn’t have a federal disaster declaration and that is not going over well with U.S. Representative Gus Bilirakis.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Jeremy Wallace reports via “The Buzz” blog.

 

Gainesville seniors will soon get low-cost Uber ride service

Gainesville community leaders have launched “Freedom in Motion,” where seniors can find an Uber vehicle to pick them up any time of day or night with the tap of a smart phone app, the Gainesville Sun reports.

 

Florida Supreme Court Ponders Medical Malpractice In Patient Suicide

In a medical-malpractice lawsuit stemming from the death of a woman who hanged herself, the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday weighed whether her doctor could be found negligent in the suicide.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Jim Saunders reports via CBS-Local Miami.

 

Dana Young files bill to expand “Good Samaritan” law

The leader of the Florida House of Representatives’ Republican Caucus has filed a bill to protect those who break into cars to rescue “children, elderly persons, disabled adults, or pets.”  Jim Rosica reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.

 

Florida’s New Drone Law, Restricting “Surveillance,” Could be a Gift to Personal Injury Lawyers

Florida’s new Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act lays out a gold-plated welcome mat for personal injury law firms looking to establish a new cottage industry, SunshineStateNews.com Publisher Nancy Smith writes for FlaglerLive.com.

 

Split Florida Conservation Commission Approves Letting Hunters Kill 10% of Bear Population in 4 Regions

A target was placed on at least 320 black bears Wednesday as the once-threatened species will be hunted across Florida next month for the first time in more than two decades, FlaglerLive.com reports.

 

Alone Among 50 States, Florida’s Ban on Prison Newspaper Is Upheld

Inmates won’t be reading a newspaper banned by Florida corrections officials anytime soon, due to a decision by a Tallahassee federal judge who said the publication’s advertisements pose a threat to security, FlaglerLive.com reports.

 

Legislative field continues to shape up with new entrants

A number of new candidates have entered the Florida legislative campaign fray and brought statehouse watchers a more complete picture of what to expect next spring when both parties will dive headlong into full-on campaign mode.  SaintPetersBlog.com’s Ryan Ray reports.

 

Tennessee Supreme Court Rules for Insurer in Assignment of Benefits Case

The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed a Court of Appeals decision that a chiropractic patient’s assignment of benefits was not an effective assignment of his rights to insurance proceeds from a third party’s insurance company.  Amy O’Connor reports for Insurance Journal.

 

First-ever Lloyd’s City Risk Index shows $4.6 Trillion GDP at Risk in 301 Cities

In the first ever Lloyd’s City Risk Index, analyzes the economic output at risk (GDP at risk) in 301 major cities from 18 manmade and natural threats over a 10-year period, Insurance Journal reports.

 

IAIS’ higher-loss-absorbency proposal is premature, group says

A U.S. financial services trade group has urged industry regulators to reject additional capital requirements for big insurance firms, as proposed by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, Reuters reports.

 

Louisiana Regulators Take Over Health Insurance CO-OP

The 19th Judicial District Court granted an Order of Rehabilitation and Injunctive Relief giving Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon possession and control of the Louisiana Health Cooperative Inc., the Louisiana Department of Insurance announced.  Insurance Journal reports.

 

Are Small Captive Insurance Companies Tax Scams?

The IRS has placed small captive insurance companies on its “Dirty Dozen” list of abusive tax schemes, Russ Alan Prince writes for Forbes.

 

Do Not Enter:  “Shadiest” New Internet Addresses

Internet security firm Blue Coat says its research of the top 10 new top-level domains, or “neighborhoods,” shows that most are associated with suspicious websites, with nearly 100 percent of the websites for .zip and .review considered “shady,” Insurance Journal reports.

 

 

 

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