Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, August 13
Aug 13, 2010
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Florida CFO criticizes Citizens Property Insurance for 33 no-bid contracts
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink on Friday urged Citizens Property Insurance to change how it strikes deals on contracts. Sink, who is running for governor, urged state-backed Citizens to “implement contract reforms to ensure accountable and competitive contracting, and allow all qualified businesses the opportunity to compete for work available from Citizens,” according to a statement from her office.
Cotton States Insurance seeks to pull out of Florida market
Atlanta-based Cotton States Insurance has filed with regulators to pull out of the Florida market after nearly 50 years, saying the cost of doing business has become too steep.
Poll: Floridians Favor Long-Term Insurance Solutions Even If They Pay More
According to new polling data, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist did not act in the best interest of his constituents when he vetoed an omnibus property insurance bill that would have addressed cost-drivers in the market.
Kevin McCarty: Insurance regulators unfairly attacked over company’s problems
The Office of Insurance Regulation has endured many attacks regarding its solvency review for homeowners insurance companies and for measures taken by the office prior to a placing a company into receivership – most recently from Eli Lehrer of the Heartland Institute.
One month after sinkhole, Tampa condo residents not close to return
A month after a massive sinkhole swallowed a car at a Tampa condo complex, the people living there still can’t go back home.
Citrus/Hernando flood map changes may impact insurance rates
Changes with the Center Ridge Watershed maps that shows flood risks could impact home insurance rates.
News Release: 21st Century Holding Company Reports Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results
21st Century Holding Company reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010.
Florida Medicaid HMOs dispute $34M in state fines
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration says the state’s Medicaid HMOs owe $34 million in fines in a long-running dispute about enrolling newborns in health plans. The HMOs say the fines are unfair.
Water managers okay Florida-U.S. Sugar land deal
All the familiar critics turned out Thursday to blast Gov. Charlie Crist’s no-longer-so-big sugar land purchase as a bad deal that could wind up hurting Everglades restoration more than it would help it.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: No time set for special session, but ideas ready
There’s no timetable for when lawmakers may return to Tallahassee and take up remaining issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – if they do return at all – but several proposals are being drafted by lawmakers that could lead to property tax rebates, additional money for tourism development boards and heightened powers for the statewide prosecutor.
State applies for $250 million in Amtrak project funds
The state Department of Transportation has submitted an application to the Federal Railroad Administration seeking approval of the Amtrak/Florida East Coast Corridor project.
Developers collect federal tax breaks, pour money into defeating Amendment 4
Amendment 4, the proposed state constitution amendment that would have voters giving final approval to changes to city and county comprehensive land use plans, is opposed primarily by developers, the lobbyists who represent them and the city and county governments who would lose final say over these plans if the amendment passes
Times: Greene brushes off raucous tales
Back in the summer of 2005, Jeff Greene was living the dream – a single, super-successful guy with a mega yacht.
Blog: Alex Sink ahead of GOP rivals; Bill McCollum seizes lead from Rick Scott
Bill McCollum has re-claimed the lead against Rick Scott, getting the nod from 34 percent of likely Republican voters to Scott’s 30 percent, according to a new poll released by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc.
Florida House Candidate Wants Illegals in Camps Awaiting Deportation
A candidate for the Florida House of Representatives says ‘camps’ should be built to house illegal immigrants in Florida until they can be deported.
An unpredictable election for U.S. Congressional District 17
For nearly two decades, nobody has had to figure out how to win Florida’s 17th Congressional District.
Florida Panhandle preps for presidential visit
The first family is headed to the Florida Panhandle this weekend to tout the oil-free white beaches and sparkling turquoise waters for the tourist industry, but conservatives in this Republican stronghold haven’t exactly rolled out the welcome mat.
Obama address to NAIC meeting called off
Due to a White House scheduling change, President Barack Obama will not speak next week about implementing the nation’s health care reform law during an appearance at the summer meeting of the National Assn. of Insurance Commissioners in Seattle, the NAIC said Friday.
Progress in group drywall litigation
Judge calls in mediator and warns plaintiffs and defendants against reaching individual settlements
The combined Chinese drywall litigation is back on the fast track in the courtroom of U.S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon.
Based in part on information that two children living in renovated Michigan homes had tested positive for elevated blood lead levels, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has filed a complaint and proposed a $784,380 penalty against Hanson’s Window and Construction Inc. of Madison Heights, Mich., for violations of the 1998 federal rule for failure to warn residents of potential lead-based paint exposures.
Oklahoma Halts Plan to Use Cameras to Snag Uninsured
Oklahoma is suspending a plan to use highway traffic cameras to identify uninsured motorists that it had hoped would add some $50 million to the state’s coffers in its first year.
The Arizona Supreme Court is weighing in on the state’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage selection form – a decision that could dramatically increase insurance agency’s errors and omissions premiums, according to the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Arizona.
California Gov. Schwarzenegger Opposes Recommended 30% Workers’ Comp Rate
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he is concerned that the recommended 30 percent increase in the workers’ compensation claims cost benchmark will adversely affect state businesses.
Connecticut Workplace Shooting Could Be Record Workers’ Compensation Payout
Claims stemming from a workplace shooting last week at a beer distributorship in Connecticut may become the largest workers’ compensation payout in the state for an incident of its kind, the Hartford Courant reported.
Risk Managers Face New Decisions On Captive Insurance Solutions
Facing shrinking resources, an uncertain economy, and changing political and regulatory landscapes, risk managers may be forced to reassess their particular captive insurance solutions, a new white paper suggests.
Editorial: Flood Insurance Program Is Sinking
The first warning sign was a house in Humble. Between 1977 and 1995, the National Flood Insurance Program paid out $806,591 for repeated storm damage to a suburban Houston home that was valued at $114,480.
News Release: Manning to Join Guy Carpenter’s Global Specialties Unit
Erik Manning will join the global specialties unit at reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter & Co., effective Sept. 27.
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