Category: Florida News

State lawmakers’ long to-do list for the final week includes a sweeping gun and school safety bill, an education bill and a payday loans bill.  The Associated Press reports via the Gainesville Sun. Final budget items start getting “bumped” Tampa …

At 20 of 80 railroad crossings in Palm Beach County no upgrades will be made to keep motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians from maneuvering around lowered warning gates despite plans to silence train horns along the rail line now hosting the high-speed …

Florida is the only state that lacks the legal authority to charge people banned from possessing a gun but who “lie and try” to buy one anyway.  ABC Action News reports. https://www.abcactionnews.com/longform/fl-felons-escape-punishment-when-they-lie-try-to-buy-a-gun

Passporting rules allow EU finance companies to sell their services across the 28-member bloc with a local license, rather than getting a license to operate in each member country where it does business.  Reuters’ William James reports via Insurance Journal. …

Heritage Insurance Seeking Hefty Rate Hikes, Blames Claims Fraud Industry Officials blame Insurance Fraud tied to the “Assignment of Benefits” Crisis.  They add that further Rate Hikes stemming from Hurricane Irma last year will start hitting Consumers this summer.  The …

Federal investments in research and development (R and D) have historically supported the security of the nation, the protection of public health and the environment, the growth of new industries, and the employment of millions of Americans.

The legislation, one of House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s priorities, would have ended the state’s no-fault auto insurance law and moved Florida to an at-fault system similar to those in 38 other states.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Elizabeth Koh reports for …

A measure aimed at toughening Florida’s texting-while-driving law was positioned Wednesday for a final House vote, but has run into trouble from lawmakers worried it may be used to target black motorists.  John Kennedy reports via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20180228/tougher-texting-while-driving-bill-hits-florida-senate-opposition

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, also the state’s Fire Marshal, Thursday applauded a Senate panel’s unanimous approval of a workers’ compensation insurance bill that could provide expanded benefits to first responders with job-related post-traumatic stress disorder, FloridaPolitics.com reports. http://floridapolitics.com/archives/257780-jimmy-patronis-cant-stop-wont-stop-first-responders

The roofing company owner devised a scheme to conceal the amount of wages earned by undocumented employees to avoid paying more than $1.7 million in federal income, Medicare and Social Security taxes, and more than $1 million in Florida worker …