Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 762, which expands they kinds of allowable gifts insurers or agents can give, was unanimously approved by its first Senate committee on January 23, 2018. The committee adopted a strike all amendment (#242446) which essentially matched the Senate bill with its House companion bill, HB 483. The…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel This year’s insurance omnibus bill passed its first committee in the House on January 23, 2018. A proposed committee substitute (#11000) for HB 465 was adopted by the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee. Thus, the originally filed version of HB 465 is now replaced with the committee substitute. An…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 483 was approved by its last House committee on January 18, 2018 with one technical amendment. The bill which will now be heard on the House floor when set by the Rules Committee. The bill expands the types of promotional and advertising gifts allowed to be given…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Speaker Corcoran’s priority legislation creating a uniform law to protect the confidentiality of trade secret information provided to state agencies and to set a process for all agencies to use when a public records request is received for that information passed its first House committee on January 17, 2018.…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House construction defect statute of repose bill, HB 875, was significantly amended on January 17, 2016 when it was heard and approved by its first committee of reference. The bill has two committees left. This is the second year bills have been filed on the statute of limitations…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 759 by Rep. Trumbell (R-Panama City) changes part of the claim process for construction defect claims. The bill passed its first House committee on January 10, 2018. It was not amended in committee. HB 759 requires the notice of a claim in a construction defect case to be…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House Insurance and Banking Subcomittee unanimously approved HB HB 483 on January 10, 2018 with one amendment. The bill has one committee stop left. The Senate companion bill, SB 762, has not yet been heard in committee. The bill expands the types of promotional and advertising gifts allowed…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A House bill repealing Florida’s nonjoinder statute (HB 6075) was filed right before the bill filing deadline on Tuesday, January 9th. The bill’s sponsor is Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, a Republican from Ft. Myers. Rep. Fitzenhagen is an attorney for the personal injury firm of Morgan and Morgan and as…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On January 3, 2018, Sen. Steube-R, Sarastoa, filed another anti-insurance and pro-trial bar bill. The bill, SB 1452 repeals Florida’s nonjoinder statute. The nonjoinder statute allows an insurer to be joined as a party defendant in a lawsuit only at the time a judgment is entered or settlement…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On December 14, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court issued an opinion in a closely watched construction defect case, Altman Contractors v. Crum & Forster Specialty Insurance Company. The case went to the Supreme Court on a certified question from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. FIC joined AIA and…