Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Tuesday, December 31

Dec 31, 2013

Florida Law Firm Happy New Year 2013

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 events scheduled for today.

 

 

Daily Florida Insurance-Related News

 

Florida Flood Policy to be Offered in Six Additional States

A Florida insurance agency that stepped forward last month to offer a private market stand-alone flood coverage policy in Florida has started marketing the policy in six other states, Michael Adams reports for Insurance Journal.

 

Flood-insurance hikes ravage Tampa Bay neighborhood home sales

Sales in flood-zone neighborhoods like Shore Acres, the Pinellas beaches and inland St. Petersburg have plunged to the slowest pace in years, according to Realtor data analyzed by the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Tampa Bay area sees decline in fatal crashes

The Tampa region is on track to record the lowest number of fatal traffic crashes in 35 years.  Still, pedestrian and cyclist traffic deaths remain nearly as high in 2014 as in past years, ensuring the region continues to rank near the top nationally as a place hostile to walkers and bikers, Tampa Tribune’s Kevin Wiatrowski reports.

 

More South Florida cities banning solicitors from dangerous intersections

Pull up to a stop light at a busy intersection and you might be confronted by a panhandler seeking your loose change, or a youth group raising funds, or a do-it-yourself entrepreneur hustling bottles of water or flowers, Larry Barszewski reports for the Sun-Sentinel.

 

Despite population growth, Florida doesn’t eclipse New York

New York will hang onto its claim of being the third most-populous state in the nation – for now, at least, the Miami Herald’s Kathleen McGrory blogs in “Naked Politics.”

 

Florida cities among the most proportionally expensive for renters, study shows

Five Florida cities are in the top 10 nationwide for median gross rent as a percentage of household income – meaning residents of the cities pay proportionally more of their income toward rental housing than elsewhere in the U.S., Karen Cyphers reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.

 

The Top 15 Florida news stories of 2013

SaintPetersBlog.com lists the Top 15 Florida news stories of 2013.

 

Senators Gaetz, Benacquisto are “Persons of the Year”

Two statewide Republicans are being celebrated as “persons of the year,” having the most impact in both their regions and across the Sunshine State, Phil Ammann reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.

 

Legislature could revisit internet cafe, senior arcade ban

Internet cafes and senior arcades could get a second chance in 2014, after they were shut down by a Florida law earlier this year, Peter Schorsch reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.

 

Wall Street Journal:  SEC Pushes U.S. Insurers for Details on Captives

The U.S. securities regulator has asked life insurers to disclose the potential cost of forcibly winding down in-house insurance units known as captives, whose business model has come under regulatory radar, the Wall Street Journal reported via National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.

 

Judge Dismisses Katrina Lawsuits Against Army Corps of Engineers

A federal district court judge has dismissed numerous lawsuits filed by New Orleans-area residents against the Army Corps of Engineers related to 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, Arthur Postal reports for National Underwriter’s PropertyCasualty360.com.

 

The Top 25 U.S. Insurance Stories of 2013

In 2013, InsuranceJournal.com readers flocked to news about insurance carriers (Travelers, Berkshire, Liberty Mutual, Tower and others) making moves, changes in Obamacare, the fate of federal flood insurance reforms and storm forecasters coming up short. 

 

 

 

 

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