Florida lawmakers have not yet reached agreement on a budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1 prompting a further extension of the current session until June 30. The primary responsibility of the Florida legislature each year is to adopt a state budget. The budget then is presented to the Governor for action. Although […]
With one week to go in Florida’s regulation legislative session, it appears the scheduled 60 days might not be enough. The legislature’s primary responsibility each year is to pass a state budget for presentation to the Governor. However, due to “philosophical differences” between the House of Representatives and the Senate, key legislators say there’s not […]
The Florida House of Representatives has passed a bill seeking to unwind key provisions of the 2022 insurance reforms that have led to recent improvements in the market. The House amended Senate Bill 832 to include a so-called “prevailing party” attorneys’ fee provision despite clear statements from the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Governor and […]
Several early nominees for positions in the next Trump administration have deep Florida connections. Prominent examples include U.S. Senator Marco Rubio being tapped for Secretary of State and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi being the nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Bondi’s nomination followed a brief cycle in which U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz from the […]
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has taken the next step toward adopting administrative rules implementing recent legislation. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) recently authorized the OIR to formally publish drafts of the rules as proposed rules. The FSC consists of Florida’s Governor, Chief Financial Officer and Attorney General. These elected officials comprise a […]
The 2023 Florida Legislature passed SB 7052, commonly referred to as the insurer accountability bill. The bill came as a surprise to some after the legislature adopted meaningful property insurance reforms in a December 2022 special session and enhanced those reforms earlier in the 2023 session. Some observers commented that SB 7052 will reduce the […]
Governor Ron DeSantis’ proclamation declaring a special session on property insurance identifies its scope and provides insight into the upcoming debate. The proclamation specifies the special session will consider (a) property insurance, (b) reinsurance, (c) changes to the Florida Building Code to improve the affordability of property insurance, (d) the Office of Insurance Regulation, (e) […]
Observers of Florida’s personal auto market are well aware of the legislative debates in recent years over the future of Florida’s no-fault Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance laws. Proponents of PIP have pointed to it as a relatively fast, no-fault basis of ensure basic coverage amounts are in place for injuries arising from auto accidents. […]
Governor Ron DeSantis ended weeks of speculation, persuasion and publicity campaigns when he vetoed SB 54, which would have repealed Florida’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) law. SB would have replaced the no-fault PIP system with certain mandatory bodily injury (BI) coverage. The potential repeal of PIP has been an annual topic in the legislature for […]
The Florida House of Representatives has passed its version of Assignment of Benefits (AOB) reform. The bill has been a priority of key policymakers, including CFO Jimmy Patronis and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier. You can learn more here. The bill is aimed at reducing abuses that have plagued the Florida property insurance market when consumers […]