Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, December 27

Dec 27, 2011

 

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

 

(CANCELED) 10:00 a.m.–Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (“FSLSO”) meeting.  A meeting of either the FSLSO Board of Governors or National Clearinghouse Committee was scheduled.  To view the meeting notice, click here.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related Bills Filed for 2012

 

HB 1127 relating to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by State Representative Ben Albritton

HB 1127 would reduce to two percent from six percent the amount of projected deficit in Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s (“Citizens”) Coastal Account for the prior calendar year, which is recovered through regular assessments.  It would also require that the remaining projected deficits in Citizens’ Personal and Commercial lines accounts be recovered through emergency assessments after accounting for Citizens’ policyholder surcharge.  The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (“OIR”) would be required to notify assessable insurers and the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office of dates assessable insurers shall collect and pay emergency assessments, as well as would remove the reference to recoupment of residual market deficit assessments.  HB 1127 would require Citizens’ Board of Governors to make a determination that an account has a projected deficit before it levies Citizens’ policyholder surcharge. Under the provisions of the bill, limited apportionment companies would begin collecting regular assessments within 90 days and pay in full within 15 months after an assessment is levied.  The legislation would further authorize the OIR to assist Citizens in the collection of assessments.  Finally, the term “market equalization surcharge” would be replaced with the term “policyholder surcharge.”  Effective Date: July 1, 2012

 

 

Daily Insurance-Related News

 

Editorial:  Floridians ‘get’ the Catastrophe Fund troubles

Floridians recognize that the state’s property insurance system is broken and are willing to take reasonable action to fix it.

 

Fix car, home insurance problems, Florida Governor Scott tells Legislature

Issues cost Floridians hundreds of millions

Governor Rick Scott wants lawmakers to fix a pair of auto and property insurance issues that are costing Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars but have eluded resolution for more than a decade.

 

Daytona-based Brown & Brown acquires assets of 3 more agencies  

Brown & Brown Inc. has acquired certain assets of Colonial Claims Corp., Continental Claims Corp. and Colonial Claims of Kentucky Inc.

 

Blog:  Despite years of cutting, Florida’s safety-net services grow

Throughout the recession and economic hangover, Florida social-services advocates have warned that budget woes could unravel the safety net that supports millions of low-income families, seniors trying to stay in their homes, and people with debilitating illnesses or disabilities.

 

Blog:  Is another med-mal reform in the wings?

Florida has long been at the vanguard of state-level public policy innovations, so it’s not surprising that a new group called Patients for Fair Compensation is pushing here for transformative changes to the medical malpractice system.

 

Rail crossing in Florida is getting safer

Crossing the tracks in Florida is somewhat safer, according to the latest Federal Railroad Administration crash data.

 

Exclusive:  Florida plans study of tax leviers

Southwest Florida property owners pay special taxes every year that can total into the hundreds of dollars. At the same time, some of the taxing districts that accumulate this money have reserve funds that have swelled into the millions, even the hundreds of millions.

 

Despite calls for clarity, some state laws remain muddled

In spite of state laws on the issues, confusion still surrounds Internet sweepstakes cafes, Internet sales taxes, the tax rate on hotel rooms sold by online travel companies and what types of pari-mutuel activities are allowed in Florida.

 

Governor Rick Scott and Republican leaders may be moving toward political middle

After an amped-up year of major policy changes, Gov. Rick Scott and Republican leaders may be moving toward the political middle – a stance many say is a sure sign that a major election season is approaching.

 

Many expected to register relationships in Orlando

Gay advocates expect a rush of same-sex couples at City Hall when this central Florida city’s new domestic-partnership registry opens next month.

 

Absentee ballots key to Florida GOP primary

The number of Florida voters who’ve requested absentee ballots is larger than the number of voters in the ’08 GOP primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire

The attention may be focused on the Republican presidential contests around the corner in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the candidates ignore what’s under way in Florida at their peril.

 

The Florida Current’s 2012 Session Outlook:  Real Estate and Growth Management

A year after making big changes in the landscape of Florida’s growth management laws, the Legislature seems content to see how the changes settle out. But there may be action on modifying foreclosures that are still hobbling the state’s real estate market.

 

The Florida Current’s 2012 Session Outlook:  Justice and the Courts

Issues facing the Legislature in this coming session include the wrangle over attorneys’ fees in regard to the state’s no-fault insurance system, and how to finance the state’s court system in the face of dwindling income from its tradition source of revenue.

 

Big Florida political stories to watch in 2012

It’s a journalistic tradition to recap noteworthy stories of the year in the final week.  In a slight variation on the theme, here are 10 emerging political stories to keep a close eye on in 2012.

 

R text messages a loophole in Florida records law?

Florida public records laws are often called among the toughest in the nation. But that was b4 txt msging.

 

 

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to Brooke Ellis at bellis@cftlaw.com.