Following the destruction of Hurricane Irma and the arrival of thousands of Puerto Rican residents after Hurricane Maria, lawmakers had vowed to increase money available for apartments and lower-cost housing, but the Parkland response changed that and many other spending …

A bill passed by Florida lawmakers empowering some personnel in public schools to carry firearms to guard against attacks like last month’s massacre near Miami could expose these employees to potentially costly civil lawsuits, legal experts said.  Reuters’ Tina Bellon …

This marks a second term as chief justice for Canady, 63, who led the court in 2010 to 2012.  Suzie Schottelkotte reports for the Winter Haven News Chief. http://www.newschief.com/news/20180308/lakelands-canady-named-chief-justice-of-florida-supreme-court

Continuing a trend, the Florida Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would start the 2020 Legislative Session, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via FloridaPolitics.com. http://floridapolitics.com/archives/258451-early-start-approved-2020-session

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is in process of updating Rule 69O-137.002, F.A.C. relating to Annual Audit Financial Reports to incorporate new editions of standards developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) for use in annual …

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is in process of updating reimbursement rates for per diem and other expenses incurred during financial, rate, and market conduct examinations. A Rule Development Workshop has been set for March 21, 2018 at 10 …

The  U.S. House Financial Services  Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing yesterday, March 7, 2018, entitled “Legislative Review of H.R. 5059, the State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act.”  The bill, which was introduced last month by U.S. Representatives Keith …

Florida Leads the Nation in Home Insurance Costs According to a New Study from Insurance.com, Florida Homeowners pay an average of $3,575, which is 191 percent higher than the national average of $1,228.   National Mortgage Professional News reports. More Than $8.4M …

Millions more on life-saving drugs and treatment were likely to be spent on the opioid crisis, but that disappeared after the Parkland massacre.  The Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower reports for “The Buzz” blog. http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/03/08/legislators-set-to-approve-massive-opioid-bill-but-lawmakers-wish-it-did-more/

The bill, which seeks to reverse a loophole created years ago to help then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist run for the U.S. Senate, requires candidates to submit a resignation no later than 10 days before the qualifying deadline to run for …