Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, September 2

Sep 2, 2009

 

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Editorial:  Insurance chief’s numbers amount to fuzzy math

Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty and Gov. Charlie Crist insist the state’s homeowners insurance market is resurging.

 

Market upswing aids Fla. pension, hurricane funds

Florida’s public employee pension and hurricane catastrophe funds are benefiting from an upswing in the financial markets, state investment managers said Tuesday.

 

McCollum: Florida recovers $58.2 million from Pfizer Inc in billion-dollar medicaid settlement

Largest setttlement obtained by Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit

Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that Florida will receive a total of $58.2 million as part of a global settlement with Pfizer Inc.

 

Cinergy’s $5-a-day health insurance piles up complaints

TV ads touted Cinergy Health’s low-cost medical insurance for as little as $5 a day — the cost of a pack of cigarettes or a hamburger.

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Florida Public Service Commission probed by FDLE over conflicts amid FPL rate request

The state’s top law enforcement agency is investigating the Public Service Commission on grounds that commissioners and staff members may have had improper relationships with the utilities they regulate.

 

Drilling could get a new look as early as next month

Once politically taboo, drilling for oil and gas as close as 3 miles off Florida’s beaches could be considered by lawmakers as early as next month.

 

Blog:  October special session? Don’t bet on it (yet), Speaker’s office says

Earlier today, Gov. Charlie Crist said he has heard that lawmakers are interested in adding energy-and in particular, offshore oil drilling-to the agenda of an anticipated special session on the new Seminoles gaming compact.

 

Updated: Crist urges Legislature to approve casino deal with Seminole Tribe

Gov. Charlie Crist said today he hopes the Legislature will approve his new 20-year casino deal with the Seminole Tribe — warning that otherwise the federal government will let the games go on without any payments to the state.

 

Blog:  LeMieux adjusts to the U.S. Senate job, makes a hire

George LeMieux, Florida’s U.S. senator-in-waiting, has begun his transition into office, including making his first hires, starting a search for a chief of staff and consulting with key members of the Florida delegation and the Senate.

 

Florida lawmakers want names behind political attack ads

A race-baiting flier. Shadowy attack groups. Hidden campaign money.

 

Attorney for Ray Sansom will try to get criminal case dismissed Wednesday in Tallahassee

Today is a critical day for Ray Sansom.

 

State may invest in Florida real estate

Stung by a $250 million Manhattan real estate investment that tanked, Gov. Charlie Crist and two other Cabinet-level elected officials want to see more of Florida’s retirement pension fund invested in Florida real estate.

 

PCI Rejects Attorney General Blumenthal’s Call for Federal Oversight in Auto Body Repairs

“The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI), which represents over 1,000 insurance companies, flatly denies Attorney General Blumenthal’s allegations. 

 

Louisiana Insurance Chief Seeks Lawsuit Protection for Citizens

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says that he’ll support legislation to give the state’s “insurer of last resort” immunity against certain lawsuits, a proposal that could retroactively negate the firm’s payout if it loses its appeal of a $95 million class-action.

 

Mississippi Coast Benefits from U.S. Spending on Post-Katrina Projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 15 post-Hurricane Katrina coastal recovery projects on the Mississippi Gulf Coast budgeted at $132 million, including projects costing $30.5 million in Jackson County.

 

Acting Superintendent Wrynn apppoints Hayes to head New York Liquidation Bureau

Acting New York State Insurance Superintendent James J. Wrynn has announced the appointment of Dennis J. Hayes as Special Deputy Superintendent of the New York Liquidation Bureau (NYLB).

 

Argus, Tremont Settle Madoff Suits Over Life, Annuity Policies

Argus Group Holdings Ltd and Tremont International Insurance Ltd have reached a settlement with buyers and holders of life insurance and annuity policies lost in the Bernard Madoff fraud, according to court documents Tuesday.

 

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