Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, May 15

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Hurricane watchers storm into town

Denial would not be completely out of order, but there’s no way around it: Hurricane season begins in less than three weeks.

 

Judge OKs class-action suit against Citizens Insurance

For the second time in two years, a Leon County judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against Citizens Property Insurance for homeowners continuing to press for their unpaid 2004 hurricane claims.

 

Citizens holds community forum today

Florida’s largest property insurer is expecting as many as 300 people at its first community forum, which is being held today in Broward County.

 

Crist rallies North Miami town hall meeting on property taxes

Gov. Charlie Crist called it a town hall meeting, but a Monday evening event came across more like an anti-tax rally to rev up for next month’s special legislative session called to bring down property taxes.

 

Aide who left Rubio drops out of Senate race

Corcoran quit a $175, 000 job to make the run.

TALLAHASSEE – A key adviser to House Speaker Marco Rubio who left his $175,000 job to run for state Senate abruptly dropped out of the race Monday.

 

Report: Floridians could save big on insurance if state fund backed by national pool

WASHINGTON — Florida consumers would save $4.1 billion on property insurance premiums each year – or $539 per household – if the state’s disaster insurance fund was backed up by a similar national pool, a group of actuarial consultants estimated Monday.

 

21st Century Holding To Buy Back Shares

21stCenturyHolding ( TCHC), which underwrites insurance in Florida, said Monday it is buying back up to $5 million of its common shares.

 

Weldon will run for eighth term

Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Indialantic, announced Monday he will run for an eighth term, saying he wants to address issues he believes have been mishandled by the Democratic-controlled Congress.

 

State had paid millions to Florida broadcasters

Three capital city firms squabbling over a half million dollars in business to produce a hurricane awareness campaign have been paid nearly $6 million by the state over the last three years, most of it to the Florida Association of Broadcasters, state records show.

 

Pentagon Moving Gear For Hurricane Season

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is sending about 2,100 trucks, Humvees and other equipment to National Guard units in hurricane-prone states from Virginia to Texas.

 

Industry Not Getting Out Truth About Katrina Claims, Soto Maintains

While the public perception is that the industry failed consumers in the handling of Hurricane Katrina claims, the reality is quite different, according to the leader of the nation’s largest insurance agents’ group.

 

Storm Shelters Unprepared For Disabled

A Pinellas County nonprofit group that cares for hundreds of developmentally disabled residents got some bad news last summer when administrators found out the hurricane-proof windows being installed on their building were causing the place to crumble.

 

Editorial: Replenish National Guard To Safeguard Homes, Cities

National Guard units in Florida and every other state are running low on equipment needed to respond to local disasters. When a unit is deployed to Iraq, it must leave some of its vehicles behind when it returns home.

 

Hundreds kept from homes as wind fans huge wildfire at Florida-Georgia state line

Lake City · Strong winds were complicating firefighters’ efforts to contain a gigantic wildfire along the Georgia-Florida line Monday, and officials said more north Florida residents may need to be evacuated.

 

State of emergency declared for local beaches

JUPITER — Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection has declared several Palm Beach County beaches under a state of emergency, and the county is prepared to show federal officials why local shorelines need $5 million worth of restoration fast.

 

Big Dig Insurer Agrees to Return $58M

BOSTON — The workers’ compensation insurance carrier for the Big Dig construction project has agreed to pay $58.5 million for excess profits it failed to return to the state, the state attorney general said Monday.

 

Obama Calls for Insurance Companies to Stop Defrauding and Deceiving Seniors

Proposes Eliminating Taxpayer-Funded Giveaways to Industry

DES MOINES, Iowa–(BUSINESS WIRE)–U.S. Senator Barack Obama today said that as president, he will end government subsidies to insurance companies who have been using deceitful and illegal methods to enroll seniors in private Medicare plans that can result in higher co-payments and fewer health care choices.

 

Insurance Expert: More Coastal Overdevelopment Will Worsen Florida’s Insurance Woes

Leading Insurance Expert Cites “Furious Pace” of Coastal Development as a Strain on Florida’s Insurance Market

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Construction of new high-rise developments on vulnerable barrier islands will continue to exacerbate Florida’s property insurance crisis, according to Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., President and Chief Economist of the Insurance Information Institute, a national organization devoted to improving public understanding of insurance.

 

Sales letter is ethical, commissioner says

But some question a discount-insurance offer.

SANFORD — A Seminole County commissioner has solicited more than 100 county employees with an offer for discounted insurance. Hundreds more can expect the letter in the mail soon.

County Commissioner Michael McLean, who operates a Nationwide Insurance office, sent out the one-page solicitation after asking for a list of names and home addresses of more than 1,000 county employees.

 

Actor Tom Sizemore Settles Lawsuits

LOS ANGELES — Actor Tom Sizemore has settled lawsuits brought against him by State Farm Insurance and his former girlfriend, one-time Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.

 

Acura, Ford Family Cars Earn Top Insurance Safety Award

The 2007 Acura MDX luxury SUV plus the 2008 Ford Taurus and twin Mercury Sable large family cars earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award.

 

CFTKA Attorney Spotlight: Howard Talenfeld

Advocates: Fla. failing foster kids

Nonprofit says lawmakers don’t protect legal rights

DAYTONA BEACH — Florida ranks among the worst states for legal representation of foster children, according to a recent Washington, D.C.-based report.

  

Former Florida GOP chairman, Insurance Agent dies at 84

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — William M. Taylor, a former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, has died. He was 84.