Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Language expanding workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters diagnosed with cancer has been put on the state employee benefits bill that deals with state employee retirement, health insurance, and pay raises HB 7030. This bill has been worked out between President Negron and Speaker Corcoran and contains priorities of each,…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Two Senate construction related bills, SB 1312 and SB 1372, that include changes to the building code adoption passed Senate Appropriations on May 1, 2017. SB 1372 deals primarily with electrical and alarm system contracting, but also contains the building code provision outlined below. HB 227 is the…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Legislation expanding MyFloridaRx, the state Internet site allowing consumers to compare prices for prescription drugs, was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 1, 2017. SB 888 requires the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to list on its website retail drug prices, by pharmacy, for a…
By: Greenberg Traurig, FIC Lobbyist On Thursday, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s (“Citizens”) Board of Governors met to approve their 2017 Risk Transfer Program (the “Program”). Citizens is required by Florida Statute to procure catastrophe reinsurance in the private marketplace. Each year, the Board of Governors meets to review the reinsurance coverage recommendations offered by its…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A bill designed to provide clarification as to when the statute of limitation and statute of repose start for construction defect claims by defining when the construction contract is considered complete passed the House on March 30, 2017 by a vote of 114-0. The Senate companion bill, SB…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Entities allowed to form a public housing authority self-insurance fund (SIF) are expanded under a bill, SB 850, approved by the Senate Rules Committee on April 28, 2017. The bill now goes to the full Senate which is expected to substitute the House bill, HB 421, for the Senate…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant The House, by a 117-0 vote on April 28,completed legislative approval of a bill (CS/CS/SB 1124) expediting the expansion and updating of Florida’s newborn screening standards as federal standards change. The House on April 27 took up the Senate-passed version (CS/CS/SB 1124) in lieu of its bill. The House passed…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant CS/CS/CS/HB 545 The House April 28 voted 117-0 to pass a Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles package that allows taxis, limousines, jitneys, or other for-hire passenger vehicles to purchase auto insurance from the surplus lines industry. This is supported by taxis and surplus lines carriers. The taxi insurance…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant HB 1397171781 – by RodriguesSB 406 A revised House plan implementing the medical marijuana constitutional amendment drops a 90-day minimum doctor/patient relationship and moves the House much closer to the Senate and a final agreement before the Legislature adjourns May 5. In another concession to the Senate, House members authorized vaporizing and…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The full Senate passed the medication synchronization bill on April 27, 2017 with a vote of 36-0. It will now go to the House for consideration. Thus, the medication synchronization bills are in a posture to pass this year. The House medication synchronization bill, HB 1191, made it through…