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Florida Ranked Second Best State for Business

Florida Ranked Second Best State for Business

Florida once again has been ranked as the second-best state in the country in which to do business according to Chief Executive magazine.  Florida ranks only behind Texas for 2015 in the magazine’s annual survey of corporate chief executive officers. The poll solicited feedback from 511 CEOs on issues such as taxation, regulation, quality of […]

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Special Session Set for June 1

Special Session Set for June 1

After one of the strangest finishes to a regular session that we’ve seen, the Florida legislature will convene in a special session starting June 1 to deal with the budget and potentially other issues.  The special session will begin June 1 and will conclude by June 20, with the possibility that it could end earlier […]

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House Adjourns and Ends Session Early

House Adjourns and Ends Session Early

In an unusual move, the Florida House of Representatives adjourned this afternoon and effectively ended the 2015 legislative session.  The Florida Senate remains in session, but at this point it can only pass legislation that has already passed the House. The House’s adjournment came after comments from Speaker Crisafulli indicating that the two chambers have […]

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Bill Would Simplify Residential Notice Requirement

Bill Would Simplify Residential Notice Requirement

House Bill 165 has passed both chambers of the legislature and will be presented to Governor Scott.  The bill addresses a variety of topics related mainly to property and casualty insurance.  Among these provisions, the bill would simplify the notice requirement applicable to residential property and casualty insurance.  The bill establishes a uniform 120-day period […]

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Session Reaches Final Week But More to Come

Session Reaches Final Week But More to Come

The legislature’s 2015 regular session has reached its final week.  However, due to continuing negotiations over the budget, the legislature is heading toward either an extension of the session or a separate special session.  Either way, the legislature will spend additional time in Tallahassee.  However, the decision whether to extend the session or convene in […]

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Assignment of Benefits Bills Stall in Committees

Assignment of Benefits Bills Stall in Committees

Bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives relating to the assignment of benefits under insurance policies, or AOB as it has been called, have stalled in committees in the respective chambers.  Senate bill 1064 was on the agenda for last week’s Senate Judiciary committee meeting, but the committee had a lot of bills […]

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OIR Highlights Economic Impact of Insurance Industry

OIR Highlights Economic Impact of Insurance Industry

Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty appeared before the Governor and Cabinet last week to discuss potential standards under which the Office of Insurance Regulation can be objectively reviewed.  The Governor and Cabinet have indicated that they want to hear from the agencies they oversee, including the Office of Insurance Regulation, regarding appropriate measurements for their agencies. […]

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Anti-Fraud Rule Changes – Important?

Anti-Fraud Rule Changes – Important?

Subtle changes can have substantial impacts.  Or they can just be clean ups. Traditionally, Rule 69D-2.005, Florida Administrative Code, has placed the duty of conducting audits of insurance company SIUs and Anti-Fraud plans with the Office of Insurance Regulation.  The plans were to be filed with the Division of Insurance Fraud, located in the Department […]

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Fifth District Upholds Assignment of Benefits

Fifth District Upholds Assignment of Benefits

The Fifth District Court of Appeal upheld an assignment of benefits against a claim that the assignee lacked an insurable interest. In Accident Cleaners, Inc. v. Universal Insurance Company of North America, the Fifth District reviewed a trial court’s dismissal of Accident Cleaners’ complaint against the insurer. Accident Cleaners took an assignment of rights under […]

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Atwater Passes on Senate Bid

Atwater Passes on Senate Bid

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater made headlines this weekend when he announced that he will forego a potential opportunity to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016. Current U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is expected to announce his bid for the presidency next week, creating an opening for interested candidates to jump into the race […]

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