Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, April 22
Apr 22, 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
9:00 a.m.–Florida Cabinet meeting. Tallahassee, Florida
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (“OIR”) agenda
- For publication
- Proposed amendments to Rules 69O-144.005 and 69O-144.007 relating to “Credit for Reinsurance from Eligible Reinsurers” would conform corresponding Florida regulations to National Association of Insurance Commissioners model laws for accreditation purposes and consistency among regulatory jurisdictions as to the manner in which reinsurers are granted the status of “certified reinsurer” (currently termed “eligible reinsurer”) and the manner in which Florida domestic insurance companies can apply credit for reinsurance from these entities.
- Proposed repeal of Chapters 69O-123 and 69O-128 relating to Civil Remedy and Continuing Education. Florida statutes (Section 624.155 and 626.2816) grant enforcement authority to the Florida Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) for civil remedies against insurers and continuing education requirements, respectively. Therefore, the OIR does not have authority to enforce the Rules. The DFS has developed its own regulations to implement the law.
- For publication
- State Board of Administration/Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
- For publication
- Request approval of the 2013/2014 FHCF Premium Formula and 2014/2015 Proposed Rates
- Request approval to file a Notice of Proposed Rule for Rule 19-8.028, F.A.C., Reimbursement Premium Formula
- For publication
10:00 a.m.–Florida Division of (Insurance) Agent and Agency Services Rule Development Workshop. Proposed new Rule 69B-220.052, F.A.C. relating to the supervision of public adjuster apprentices and prohibited acts by public adjuster apprentices would implement Section 626.8651, F.S. to specify when a public adjuster apprentice requires supervision by a licensed supervisory public adjuster, as well as specify the activities that a public adjuster apprentice shall not conduct.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Senate holds Miami Beach hearing on climate change
The U.S. Senate is taking a field trip to Miami Beach for a hearing on the coastal effects of climate change, the Associated Press reports via the Miami Herald.
Spring Break in Florida: A Lesson in the Costs of Climate Change
According to a Florida Atlantic University study, with just a few inches of additional sea level rise, the drainage system could see its capacity drop by 70 percent as ocean water makes its way into South Florida drainage pipes, Angela Anderson writes for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Orders Praetorian to Modify Force-Placed Business Practices
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued a Consent Order to Praetorian Insurance Company, the state’s second largest force-placed insurance provider, requiring the insurer to modify its business practices related to this type of coverage, National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com reports.
Helmet Advocates Point to Florida
In recent weeks, Florida has become the national poster child for what not to do in states that are debating whether to drop mandatory helmet laws. Safety advocates point to the state’s sharp increase in motorcycle deaths after repeal of its helmet law in 2000, the Tampa Bay Times reports via Health News Florida.
House panel merges two pension overhauls
A late-breaking plan to salvage House Speaker Will Weatherford’s plan for overhauling the Florida Retirement System involves merging the troubled FRS bill with a non-controversial set of changes in regulation of local government pension plans for police and firefighters, The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
High court spikes Scott’s drug-testing plan
Governor Rick Scott’s plan to test state employees for illegal drug use failed Monday in the U.S. Supreme Court. But the governor said he’s not giving up. The Florida Current’s Bill Cotterell reports.
Florida budget negotiations have begun
The Florida House and Senate have agreed on overall budget figures and negotiations began tonight with remarks from Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford. Smaller budget conference subcommittees are now negotiating on various aspects of the budget, the Miami Herald’s Tia Mitchell reports via the “Naked Politics” blog.
Southwest Florida voters to close the book on Trey Radel today with GOP primary
Voters in Southwest Florida today will effectively select a new representative in Congress, with the GOP primary in a seat left open amid the spectacular fall of Trey Radel, Alex Leary reports for Tampa Bay Times.
Scott Administration Wants More Restrictions on Marijuana Proposal
Governor Rick Scott and his surgeon general are balking at a proposal headed to the House floor that would open the door for a strain of marijuana that doesn’t get users high but is believed to dramatically reduce seizures in children with a rare form of epilepsy, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Dara Kam reports via SunshineStateNews.com.
Florida Senate Turns Slowly but Increasingly Conservative
The Senate has given conservatives’ heartburn in recent years, killing school choice bills and pension reform efforts, often proving ungovernable despite Republican majorities. Party lines simply aren’t as strong in the Senate where Democrats sometimes chair committees and party leadership fights can be extended, SunshineStateNews.com’s Jeff Henderson explains.
New Jersey Court Advisory Panel Seeks to Speed Up Civil Cases, Unclog Dockets
Lawyers, judges and litigants have often complained they’ve had to wait years for resolution of civil lawsuits, and now New Jersey’s state Supreme Court advisory committee has offered guidelines to try to speed the process, New Jersey Star Ledger’s Maryann Soto reports via Insurance Journal.
Vermont’s Updated Captive Law to Allow Dormant Status for Inactive Captives
Vermont’s Gov. Peter Shumlin signed new legislation updating Vermont’s captive law, amending the reciprocal insurer section and creating a new “dormant” status for captives, 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.