Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Currently, preinsurance motor vehicle inspections are only required in seven counties in Florida. A recent study of the preinsurance inspection program by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) found the program cost insurers over $12M and reduced premiums for policyholders only by $35,640, a bad return on investment for…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant With Sen. Dennis Baxley conceding he was a habitual violator but not any more, the Senate Transportation Committee March 22 voted for primary enforcement of Florida’s ban on texting while driving. This is the second Senate committee to endorse the bill, with two more scheduled to review it, including the…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Insurers’ participation in an auto insurance online verification system would be mandatory under a bill approved by a House subcommittee on March 21, 2017. The bill, HB 913, passed its first committee with a delete everything amendment that was primarily technical in nature and requested by the Department of…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate TNC bill, SB 340, was approved by its first committee on March 14, 2017 after a delete all amendment (#144456) and one amendment to the delete all amendment (#102860) were adopted. Another amendment to the delete all was defeated. Both the House and Senate bills are a…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel All member sponsored bills have been filed for the 2017 Session. Following is a summary of bills filed as of March 12, 2017 that FIC is following related to auto insurance. The summary was prepared by FIC General Counsel Katrina Callaway based on her review of the bills. …
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant CS/SB 144 Texting while driving would become a primary traffic offense under legislation approved this week by the Senate Communications, Energy & Public Utilities Committee. Florida’s police chiefs and the Florida Insurance Council were among many groups supporting the bill. As filed, the bill, sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah,…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House TNC bill (HB 221), a priority of the FIC Auto Committee, passed its second and last committee on February 21, 2017 by a vote of 21-1. The bill is now eligible to be heard on the House floor whenever the Rules Committee schedules it. The lone “no”…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Bills for the 2017 Session are being filed every day. Following is a summary of bills related to auto insurance filed as of February 20, 2017 that FIC is following. The summary was prepared by FIC General Counsel Katrina Callaway based on her review of the bills. Any…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On February 16, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court issued an opinion (SC15-1257) limiting the permissible pre-suit discovery for insurers in PIP to the production of documents related to the history, condition, treatment, dates, and costs of medical treatment. The Court opined an insurer is not entitled to other discovery…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House TNC bill (HB 221), a priority of the FIC Auto Committee, passed its first committee on February 8, 2017 by a vote of 14-1. The committee ranking minority member providing the lone vote in opposition to the bill. The bill was not amended in committee and has…