Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, May 20
May 20, 2010
To view a complete story, click on a headline below:
Governor Crist Extends Oil Spill State of Emergency Order to Six Additional Florida Counties
Florida Governor Charlie Crist extended the May 3 State of Emergency Order today to Lee, Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Blog: Insurance reform bill awaits Governor’s signature
June 1 is more than the beginning of hurricane season – it’s also the final date for Gov. Charlie Crist to make a decision on Senate Bill 2044, the insurance reform bill passed during the 2010 legislative session.
Tens of thousands in Tampa Bay area affected by new hurricane evacuation maps
If you live in the Tampa Bay area, check your hurricane evacuation map. You might be among the tens of thousands of families who suddenly find themselves in a more vulnerable zone.
Chinese manufacturer says Florida distributor knew of drywall problems
A Florida drywall distributor knew four years ago that it had supplied problematic wallboard to homebuilders, according to a major Chinese drywall manufacturer, but it never told consumers about the problems.
Tampa insurer Benefit Solutions Group merges with AGIS
Tampa insurance agency Benefit Solutions Group is becoming part of AGIS, a group benefits agency based in Birmingham, Mich.
Hillsborough bans new pain clinics, will regulate existing ones
After the dirt bike accident, Kelly Rodda discovered a network of doctors who would supply him ever-growing bottles of pain pills. He’d wait in line for hours, $200 in hand – cash only.
Whopper Florida verdict could change way paramedics react to calls
Jury’s $10 million award in ambulance birth could cost taxpayers, affect transport decisions
After a jury decided that a Volusia County ambulance service should pay $10 million for the premature birth of boy in one of its vehicles, paramedics across the nation wondered: Could they too be held liable for their most basic duty of transporting a patient?
Florida Medicaid pilot hearings begin
A massive overhaul of Florida’s Medicaid system is on the shelf — at least for now. But get ready for three more years of debates over the pilot managed-care program that former Gov. Jeb Bush left behind, with hearings starting Friday.
Gov. Charlie Crist puts off special session on oil drilling
Crist says no to anti-oil drilling session for next week
Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday that he has ruled out calling the Legislature into an anti-oil drilling special session as early as next week because he still lacks agreement from lawmakers, but he is prepared to veto millions of dollars in budget projects as well as what he calls a ”mean-spirited” abortion bill.
Blog: Crist backs Fair Districts reform and bashes legislature’s ‘rigid adherence’
Here’s proof that Gov. Charlie Crist is enjoying his newfound freedom as a candidate untethered to a party platform.
State meeting held in St. Pete Today to Coordinate Oil Response
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) held an emergency workshop today to discuss plans and reaction from the spill, ongoing since the oil rig exploded April 20.
The forfeited funds are tied to labor-contracting company Very Reliable Services, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The government took nearly $850,000 that is either in VR Services’ accounts or owed to the company.
Cyclers ask Crist to veto bill
They say a bill headed to him will create safety issues
As if Florida bicyclists did not have enough to worry about — starting with by far the highest number of fatalities of any state — some fear a bill recently passed by the Legislature will make the state’s roads even more dangerous.
Veto campaign under way for Rulemaking bill passed unanimously by Florida Legislature
After passing unanimously through Florida’s Legislature, a bill that critics say will let lawmakers micromanage many state agency rules has alarmed a growing list of opponents, who want Gov. Charlie Crist to veto it.
Florida business leaders launch international trade economic recovery campaign
A group of Florida business leaders on Wednesday launched a campaign to double state exports in the next five years, singling out international trade as a key catalyst for the state’s economic recovery.
Florida Citrus Commission Chairman Resigns to run for State Legislature
Florida Citrus Commission Chairman Ben Albritton resigned his post at the commission’s meeting Wednesday because he will file as a Republican candidate for the District 66 seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
Iraq War Veteran Joshua Davis Runs for Florida House as Independent
A veteran of two tours in Iraq, Joshua Davis, has opened a campaign for Florida House District 65.
CFO Sink makes campaign promises proposing “performance contracts”
State agency heads would have to sign “performance contracts” and meet governmental efficiency standards under a campaign promise Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink made today.
Ranking the vulnerable U.S. House seats in Florida
The Republican Party needs 40 seats to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the road runs through Florida. Here’s our inaugural ranking, in descending order, of the six House seats in Florida most vulnerable to a party switch this fall.
With spotlight on Pennsylvania, a host of maybes in Florida’s Senate race
Pennsylvania’s conflicting lessons for Crist, Rubio, Meek
Florida’s political scene was buzzing Wednesday about what longtime U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter’s defeat in the Pennsylvania primary election could signify for Florida’s increasingly complex Senate race.
South Carolina senator helps bankroll Rubio’s Senate run
Campaign-finance experts say they’ve never seen anything like Sen. Jim DeMint’s efforts on behalf of Rubio.
Column: How Wall Street sold two Florida banks down the river
Wall Street investments have suddenly cropped up as a principal cause for the recent demise of at least two Florida financial institutions: Eastern Financial Florida Credit Union in Miramar and Riverside National Bank of Florida in Fort Pierce.
Bid to Create North Carolina Insurance Rate Commission Fails
Senators have removed a North Carolina budget proposal provision that sought to shift decisions on insurance rates to the hands of a seven-member board.
Vermont Insurance Commissioner Resigns, Deputy Named as Replacement
Deputy Commissioner Mike Bertrand will be appointed insurance commissioner in Vermont, after Paulette Thabault resigned from that position earlier this week.
Ohio Regulators Revoke License of New York’s Centennial Insurance
Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced that the department has revoked the license of Centennial Insurance Company of New York, N.Y., for alleged violations of Ohio insurance law.
California Passes Bill to Allow Video Monitors in Vehicles
The California Assembly has passed a bill that would allow video recorders to be installed on vehicles’ dashboards.
Coalition for Competitive Insurance Rates Commends EU for Opposing US Reinsurance Proposals
The Coalition for Competitive Insurance Rates has issued a bulletin commending the European Union for speaking out against a controversial tax proposal on affiliated reinsurance included in President Obama’s FY2011 budget proposal.
Insurers React to Senate’s Failed Cloture Vote on Regulatory Reform
“Home, auto and business insurance companies are not systemically risky and are effectively regulated at the state level,” stated PCI President and CEO David Sampson after the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the “Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010.”
The campaign against Prop 17 has obtained insider information showing that Mercury Insurance has a history of discriminating against women married to younger men, even if they had good driving records.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to bellis@cftlaw.com.