Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, December 24

Dec 24, 2009

 

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Governor Crist Requests SBA Declaration for Broward County Flood Survivors

On December 23, Governor Charlie Crist requested a disaster declaration from the Small Business Administration to aid Broward County residents impacted by the recent severe weather and flooding rains that occurred on December 17 and 18, 2009.

 

South Florida deluge raises questions about drainage systems

At the Sheridan East Condo in Dania Beach, residents were trapped for days inside their apartments, waiting for the waters to recede.

 

Alabama Jury Finds Florida’s CSX Not Liable for Fatal Train Crash

In Chilton County, Ala., jurors have ruled in favor of Florida-based CSX Transportation, saying that the company was not liable for a deadly train crash in 2007.

 

Blog: OSHA cites Disney World for multiple safety violations following monorail investigation

Federal workplace-safety investigators charged Walt Disney World on Wednesday with multiple violations and proposed $44,000 in fines following a July accident on the resort’s monorail that killed a 21-year-old employee.

 

Florida Driver’s Licenses Have New ID Requirements

Renewing or updating information on driver’s licenses in Florida will get tougher after Dec. 31.

 

Owner and employee of Fort Myers bail bonds agency arrested

The local owner of A Way Out Bail Bonds and an employee were arrested after it was discovered that the employee had a previous felony conviction, according to the Florida CFOs Division of Insurance Fraud.

 

FPL should receive less than a quarter of the $1.4 billion rate increase it wants, state report recommends

In a setback for the state’s largest utility, the Florida Public Service Commission’s staff recommended Wednesday that FPL be granted just one quarter of the $1.4 billion rate increase it is seeking.

 

A third of Florida banks ‘problematic’ or ‘troubled’

Florida’s banks continue to exhibit weakness amid the turmoil. A ranking firm gave a third of them lackluster scores.

About 36 percent of all Florida banks are ”problematic” or ”troubled” — three times the national average — according to a report released by BauerFinancial, a Coral Gables research firm.

 

Gov. Crist says quick widening of I-75 trumps other projects, is ‘huge’

Stepping out of an SUV and into a throng of flashing cameras and outstretched hands, Gov. Charlie Crist decreed: “This is a great day for Southwest Florida.”

 

Florida legislation would bar benefits for undocumented immigrants

Undocumented immigrants would be ineligible for some of the most basic government services, including public education, under a measure sponsored by a pair of Republican lawmakers.

 

Column:  Cracks appear in GOP unity

There’s an old bit of sage philosophical wisdom Chinese, I think that goes something like, ‘Choose your enemies carefully because that’s who you will become.’

 

Report Recommends Phasing Out Louisiana Citizens

Among the many recommendations made by Louisiana’s Commission on Streamlining Government in its Dec. 14 report to the state legislature is one that would phase out the state’s property insurer of last resort.

 

Louisiana company accused of selling bogus bonds

Louisiana insurance regulators are suing a company accused of selling worthless construction bonds for bids on hundreds of millions of dollars in government projects, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said Wednesday.

 

Georgia secretary of state resigns to run against John Oxendine

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel is resigning her post to dedicate her full attention to her gubernatorial bid, she announced today.

 

Louisiana, Wisconsin Auto Insurance Requirements Expected to Increase in 2010

The states of Wisconsin and Louisiana will be raising minimum liability limit requirements which may cause a raise in current premiums.

 

FEMA extends Texas housing program, but evictions continue

The 72-hour notice to vacate the federally owned trailer in front of his hurricane-damaged house in San Leon left Caleb Dickson dumbfounded.

 

Red-light camera revenue rises sharply

Since late ’07, monthly income grew from about $200,000 to about $400,000, according to estimates. Last year, the city more than doubled the fines it charges for violations.

As Los Angeles City Hall has struggled against a sea of red ink, one financial bright spot through the long recession has been the Police Department’s red-light camera program, which has seen a sharp rise in revenue, according to court data obtained by The Times.

 

Banks Bundled Bad Debt, Bet Against It and Won

In late October 2007, as the financial markets were starting to come unglued, a Goldman Sachs trader, Jonathan M. Egol, received very good news.

 

Foreclosure Challenges Raise Questions About Judicial Role

A group of state and federal judges presiding over foreclosures are wiping away borrowers’ mortgage debt, invalidating foreclosure sales and even barring some foreclosures outright.

 

Top 7 High-Growth Industries and Their Unique Insurance Needs

The seven fastest growing industries over the next few years include several in the health care field and each of the seven has a unique insurance need that agents and brokers should address.

 

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