Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, January 21
Jan 21, 2011
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THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Insurance Redux set for hearing next week
An ambitious property insurance rewrite with everything including the kitchen sink(hole) has been filed and will get its first public hearing next week as lawmakers try again to reduce costs for the industry.
Blog: Governor Scott grilled about high property insurance costs
Two of the 19 questions Governor Rick Scott fielded Thursday during his town hall forum on Twitter were about the high cost of home insurance in Florida.
A major hurricane hasn’t hit Florida in five years, but the state’s property insurer remains vulnerable to catastrophe.
Citizens admits non-renewal error
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation on Thursday acknowledged that it had made an error in sending out a non-renewal notice for Sarasota homeowner James Ivory, whose home has Chinese drywall problems, according to Ivory’s attorney.
Mitigation Discounts Under Scrutiny
Citizens’ Memo to Homeowners: Please Proceed to the “Returns” Counter
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is revoking the discounts it gave to people for protecting their homes from hurricane damage, and other insurance companies are doing property re-inspections to get more money, too.
Florida court rejects appeal from Texas insurer
A three-judge panel in Tallahassee has affirmed the state insurance commissioner’s decision to keep a Texas company from doing business in Florida.
Brown & Brown sub-companies buy Seattle, Dania businesses
Two regional subsidiaries of Tampa- and Daytona Beach-based Brown & Brown are acquiring the assets of three insurance companies.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued an Order requiring several companies to Cease and Desist the unauthorized marketing and sale of service warranty insurance products.
Blog: Florida Governor Scott names new Department of Management Services chief
Governor Rick Scott today announced he’s named John P. “Jack” Miles, a retired purchasing executive who now lives in Winter Park, as his new secretary of the Department of Management Services.
Florida’s unemployment unchanged at 12 percent
South Florida jobless rates improve
Florida ended 2010 with a jobless rate of 12 percent in December, as high as it began in January, according to the state workforce agency. At least 1.1 million Florida residents are out of work.
Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan Introduces Bill to Stop Cuban Offshore Drilling Near Florida
Florida Republican joins Bob Graham in warning about hazards to the Sunshine State
Florida Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan introduced a bill Friday that could have a deep impact on Florida, because it seeks to stop Cuba from establishing oil rigs only 50 miles from the coast of the Sunshine State.
No extra government money for Florida’s proposed high speed rail project?
A consensus may be forming – which includes Governor Rick Scott – that a long-proposed Tampa to Orlando bullet train should roll if private businesses wants to pay for the remainder of the ride.
Some new legislators in key roles
Senator Rene Garcia and Representative Gayle Harrell are not your typical new legislators. Both served in the House from 2000 to 2008, took a couple of years off and then got elected again in November.
State GOP Director List Shrinks
Grissom, Palmer top candidates for executive position, sources say
Mike Grissom, a veteran GOP operative, is a leading candidate to be the state Republican Party’s new executive director, informed sources tell Sunshine State News.
Editorial: Getting Florida its fair share
Facing a $3.6 billion deficit, Republican state leadership is contemplating which services to cut. But there is another discussion Governor Rick Scott and legislative leaders should be having: How Florida can collect its fair share of federal money.
Miami-Dade must repay $3.6 million in Housing and Urban Development funds
In the latest sign of weak financial controls in Miami-Dade government, the county must pay back $3.6 million in federal grant funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after a federal audit found that county officials couldn’t show the money was properly used.
Hudgens Directs Insurers to Exercise ‘Leniency’ After Georgia Storms
Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens has issued an order directing insurers to exercise leniency in dealing with individuals and businesses that may have trouble paying premiums due the winter storms that swept through the state earlier this month.
Montana, Missouri license record number of captives
Two captive insurance company domiciles are reporting sharp growth.
Dillard’s forms Own Captive Insurance Company, plans to form Real Estate Investment Trust
Clothing and home furnishing company Dillard’s Inc. said Wednesday it plans to form a real estate investment trust, saying it believes the move will improve its liquidity.
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