Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, June 20
Jun 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
There are no Florida insurance-related events scheduled for today.
Lawmakers fire salvo in insurance war
Frustrated but not surprised about a lack of progress on property insurance issues during an election year, a pair of key legislators on Tuesday began preparing for another push once the dust settles in November.
GOP lawmakers push again for Citizens rate hikes
Frustrated but not surprised about a lack of progress on property insurance issues during an election year, a pair of key legislators on Tuesday began preparing for another push once the dust settles in November.
No hurricanes in a few years but insurance rates remain center of storm
There hasn’t been a major hurricane in the Sunshine State since 2005, yet Floridians are getting hit with hefty, ever-increasing insurance bills – and some are being dropped by Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Blog: Meet Barry Gilway: Florida’s Fate is in His Hands
Meet Barry Gilway, 66, Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s new president. Given the challenges ahead, I don’t know whether or not to congratulate him.
Blog: What Florida Conservatives Should Say About Backstopping
It’s pretty clear that Florida’s state-run property insurance system is a total mess in just about every way. As Ray Lehmann, me, and others have written the legislature-given sufficient political will-could solve these problems.
Palm Beach Island to be state model for beach renourishment
Attempts to restore South Florida’s eroding beaches frequently generate their own sand storms. Governments argue about funding and sand sources; environmental groups fear possible harm to coral reefs and sea turtles.
After backing away from a controversial ranking of Florida’s elections’ supervisors, Gov. Rick Scott is now preparing to grade the state’s 67 county emergency management offices.
Letter to the Editor: Homeowners insurance should be customized
Homeowner (HO): This quote is 2-3 times the cost of my existing insurance. Insurance Company (IC): We now have a computer that once we enter the square footage of your house, it gives us a replacement cost estimator.
Public health official leaves Florida Department of Health with a parting shot
Veteran employee Daniel Parker has joined a long list of ousted or resigned officials of the Florida Department of Health.
Should government hospitals be sold?
South Florida’s public hospitals are starting a process demanded by the Legislature to determine how much they’re worth — a process that could lead to their sale
The debate over the future of Florida’s government-owned hospitals will play out Wednesday in Hollywood Memorial as hospital leaders hold a legislatively mandated public meeting to discuss the “possible benefits” of the sale of the $1 billion Memorial Healthcare System.
Latest lawsuit filed over voter purge effort; state again demands access to federal database
Activist groups say the state’s voting purge negatively affects people of color.
Democrats outregistering GOP in Florida, both lagging “No Party Affiliations”
More Democrats than Republicans registered to vote in Florida in May, driven by women and Hispanics, according to state registration data released early by the Democratic Party.
One Eye Down the Road, Jeff Atwater Active in GOP Primaries
While he passed at jumping into the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Florida CFO Jeff Awater continues to remain politically active, endorsing candidates in competitive contests.
Gaming rules to be repealed without hearing
A meeting to repeal about a dozen rules regulating pari-mutuel and slot machines operations scheduled for Monday was cancelled when no one requested a hearing.
U.S. Department of Labor gets OK to sue Florida charter school
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor can sue a local charter school that it says fired a theater worker because he reported electrical safety problems to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Governor says he wants Florida universities to be No. 1 in affordability
The Florida Board of Governors is caught in the middle. Gov. Rick Scott, who appoints 14 members to the board that oversees the State University System, opposes tuition increases.
The Florida Current’s Infographic: Who’s passing bills?
A greater proportion of bills that have gone to the governor have originated in the House, according to statistics compiled by LobbyTools research staff. Since the second term of Gov. Jeb Bush, the Legislature has been less productive and seen a steady decrease in the number of bills passed overall.
The 25 Most Powerful People in Central Florida, Part 1
They affect the taxes you pay and the schools your children attend. Some control massive workforces. Others hold political sway all the way to Washington.
New York Times: Moral Hazard–A Tempest-Tossed Idea
The reports outraged America: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, people who fled the ravaged Gulf Coast were spending disaster relief, paid for by taxpayers, on tattoos, $800 handbags and trips to topless bars.
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Solvency Concerns Finally on Texas Lawmakers’ Radar
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has only about $3.6 billion in claims-paying resources “under a best case scenario,” even though it could face losses of $14.2 billion from a Category 4 hurricane striking Galveston or $14.3 billion from a similar storm hitting Corpus Christi, according to the chairman of Texas’ House Insurance Committee.
Alabama Readies Online Auto Insurance Verification System
Alabama’s Revenue Department is launching an online system that will allow county license plate officials to verify whether a vehicle has liability insurance.
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