Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On June 18, 2019, Governor DeSantis signed HB 7 which expands direct primary care. The Florida Legislature passed the same language expanding direct primary care twice during the 2019 Session – once as a stand-alone bill (HB 7) and once as part of a large healthcare omnibus package, HB…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On June 13, 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the autonomous vehicle (AV) bill passed during the 2019 Legislative Session. HB 311 has insurance and financial responsibility requirements for AVs. Fully autonomous vehicles logged on to an on-demand autonomous vehicle network or engaged in a prearranged ride must have…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1113 on June 12, 2019. The bill creates the voluntary health shared savings program for health plans and also contains changes for the state group health insurance program. Shared Savings ProgramThe shared savings part of the bill allows health insurers and HMOs to provide…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On June 7, 2019, the Governor signed HB 617, a glitch bill making a clarifying change to last year’s bill requiring flood disclosure on homeowner’s policies. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2019. The bill clarifies that the flood disclosure currently required by law is only required on…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On June 7, 2019, Governor DeSantis signed HB 673, the bill to equalize payment for long term care insolvencies by the Florida Life & Health Guaranty Association (FLAHIGA). The bill took effect on June 7th, its signing date. The bill is patterned on the NAIC model act for funding…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On June 7, 2019, Governor DeSantis signed HB 1247 which takes effect on October 1, 2019. The bill primarily deals with construction bonds, however, there is a surety insurance provision in it. That provision applies Florida’s one-way attorney fee law to suits brought by contractors against a surety insurer…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Language in a large construction bill relating to construction defect claims was approved by Governor DeSantis on June 7, 2019 when he signed HB 447. Starting July 1, 2019, the language provides that a notice of claim pursuant to chapter 558 does not toll any statute of repose.
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Following a rule workshop and Advisory Council meeting on May 30, 2019, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) is proceeding with changes to administrative rules and forms to implement the increase in loss adjustment expense (LAE) reimbursement set out in HB 301 which just passed the Legislature. Under the…