Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 1029 relates to the merchandise gifts insurers are allowed to give to insureds, prospective insureds, or others for advertising. Under current law, insurers or agents can offer and make gifts of merchandise up to $25 per gift for advertising purposes without violating the unfair trade practices act. …
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SIU personnel from several insurers worked with the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) within the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to write this year’s fraud bill, HB 1007. The bill makes numerous changes to insurer SIU practices and fraud reporting – including more frequent and additional…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A bill, HB 601, authorizing the use of personal delivery devices (PDDs) on sidewalks unanimously passed its last House committee on March 22, 2017. The bill also contains regulations relating to use of PDDs. The insurance-related regulation contained in the bill requires PDD operators maintain general liability coverage…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On Monday, the First District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of State Farm Florida holding the homeowners’ insurance QUASR data it submits to the OIR is exempt from public disclosure as a trade secret. The court’s opinion is here. The Court held the data was a trade secret…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House insurance omnibus bill, HB 359, moved to its last committee of reference on March 20, 2017. The bill was not amended in committee. Although the named driver exclusion provision is still in the House bill, the bill sponsor suggested this provision may be changed at the…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The insurance omnibus bill, SB 454, moved a step closer to the end of its committee run on March 15, 2017. The bill has two committees left. Two amendments were added to the bill in committee. One amendment related to the minimum surplus required for property insurers writing…
By: Sam Miller, FIC ConsultantCS/HB 601 Personal Delivery Devices — by WilliamsonSB 460 Personal Delivery Devices — by Brandes [Brandes Strike-all Amendment] rejected by the Senate Transportation Committee House and Senate committees have approved a package fostering development of sidewalks delivery drones, which may become common someday, but the Senate Transportation Committee rejected a…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant Limited scope construction defect bills are up before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees this week. The bills define the date of completion of a construction contract to be used when determining the start of the statute of limitations and state of repose in construction defect cases. The Senate…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The insurer insolvency bill, HB 837, an agency bill of the Department of Financial Services (DFS) passed its first House committee on March 14, 2017 with two amendments to conform the House bill to the Senate companion, SB 730. The provisions in the amendments, described below, that relate to…
By: Sam Miller, FIC Consultant Amendment 388014 [PDF] Young Florida would become one of the few states in the country to establish a pain and suffering cause of action in the negligent death of a dog or cat, according to an opponent of a bill which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. The bill (CS/SB…