Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 1200 expands the application of Florida’s one way attorney fee statute to suits brought by “contractors” against surety insurers under payment or performance bonds for losses due to breach of a building or construction contract. It passed its last Senate committee on April 10, 2019 with two…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 418, the Senate essential health benefits bill, passed its last committee on April 10, 2019 with a technical amendment. The bill will now be heard on the Senate floor. The essential health benefits part of the bill provides more health insurance options for Floridians by permitting health insurers…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On April 9, 2019, the Senate Finance and Tax Committee passed SB 264 which deals with how the Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA) handles unclaimed dividends and premium refunds. The bill was not amended. Under the bill, the FWCJUA can retain unclaimed dividends or premium refunds…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Providing more options for health insurance is a goal of the Florida House of Representatives this Session. HB 997 is designed to accomplish that goal and covers numerous topics: association health plans, short-term health insurance, health policies with no preexisting condition exclusions, and health policies with essential health benefits.…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House tort reform bill that has been significantly pared down to cover only accuracy in damages for past unpaid medical expenses passed its last committee on April 9, 2019 with one amendment. The Senate accuracy in damages bill has not yet been heard in committee. Thus, it…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel During its meeting on April 9, 2019, the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee passed SB 538, a bill dealing with surplus lines. It was not amended. The bill has one committee left. The House companion bill, HB 387, which is essentially identical, passed the full House…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 328 by Sen. Brandes (R) increases the jurisdictional threshold for county court, along with other changes to the court system. It passed its second Senate committee on April 9, 2019 with a strike all amendment. It had been stalled in the committee for two months. The bill increasing…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel With assurance from Rep. Byrd (R), the bill sponsor, that he will amend the comp reform bill at the next committee stop to add some attorney fee reform measures, the House Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee passed the bill during its meeting on April 9, 2019. It is…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate omnibus insurance bill (SB 714) was sent back to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee after picking up a bunch of amendments in its second committee, Judiciary. The Banking and Insurance Committee heard the bill for the second time on April 8, 2019. Three more amendments were…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A tort reform bill dealing with the dangerous instrumentality doctrine moved out of its second Senate committee on April 8, 2019 with one amendment to fix an internal inconsistency in the bill. The bill has one committee left. In order to get the bill out of committee, Sen. Stargel…