I hope each and every one of you are in the midst of a wonderful holiday season! I am writing this blog from a food court in Toronto, Canada. While I am on a vacation to see family, the weather is making me rethink my life choices. It is currently 19 degrees. This Floridian is … Continue Reading
Florida Governor Rick Scott issued the following Emergency Order to assist consumers during the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Please make sure you review it closely. As always, I am here to answer any questions you may have.… Continue Reading
Friends, Here is the first bill regarding Assignment of Benefits for the 2018 Florida Legislative Session – Senate Bill 62. Keep in mind, this is only a filed bill in the Senate. There have been no votes or meetings on this bill.… Continue Reading
Assignment of Benefits (“AOBs”) has been an issue in the property insurance realm for several years. In fact, the Florida Legislature made a hard push to address the issue during the 2017 Session but was unable to do so. The two main AOB bills that gained traction last Session dealt with the issue in slightly … Continue Reading
First, sorry it has been so long since my last post! It was a blast seeing a lot of you during the FAPIA conference in Duck Key. The fishing, comradery, and education were all amazing. (Unless you were in my fishing boat…and if you were I apologize). During the FAPIA conference I was honored to … Continue Reading
The 2017 Florida Legislative Session does not start until March 7th but committee weeks have begun in both Chambers. As a member of the Florida House of Representatives, I have been assigned to the following committees: Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee Commerce Committee Energy & Utilities Subcommittee Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee Insurance & … Continue Reading
I want to thank everyone who helped us achieve a hard fought victory in my August 30th primary for the Florida House of Representatives. My law firm colleagues have been with me every step of this journey. They never wavered in their support and were there to offer whatever assistance I needed on my cases. … Continue Reading
In the legal profession we sometimes use the term “res ipsa loquitur”—Latin for "the thing speaks for itself." With that in mind, take a look at the article, All’s fair? Scott Link changes sides after $5M Citizens superlawyer pay,1 discussing the fact that the top lawyer for Citizens is leaving to represent policyholders.… Continue Reading
This blog has followed the procedure and politics behind the departure of Kevin McCarty as Florida’s Insurance Commissioner. Commissioner McCarty has been a wonderful servant to the people of Florida. More specifically, he has been an excellent insurance commissioner under very difficult circumstances.… Continue Reading
In Florida, you can rely on three things with certainty—death, taxes, and high property insurance premiums. The reason for the latter is the subject of an intense debate that plays itself out in the halls of Tallahassee and on the editorial pages of our leading newspapers. I will not rehash the debate; our blog archives … Continue Reading
The State of Florida is in the process of replacing the current Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. As this blog has outlined in prior posts, McCarty has been a fair and effective commissioner under very difficult circumstances. His departure will be a loss for Florida’s insurance consumers.… Continue Reading
You cannot make this stuff up. Anyone who reads this blog knows how frustrated I get with the insurance industry’s constant complaints that “[Fill in the Blank] is responsible for rising premiums.” The [Fill in the Blank] is always something different depending on what year it is—sinkholes, water claims, fraud, trial lawyers, hurricanes, reinsurance, political … Continue Reading
I made a big announcement yesterday. If you are readers of this blog, I am sure it did not come as a surprise. I am throwing my hat into the ring for the Florida House of Representatives! Although we came up a bit short in 2014, I am confident that we will come out on … Continue Reading
Since the 2016 Florida Legislative Session began in January, this blog has been following two topics very closely: Appraisal/Umpires and Assignment of Benefits. Although the door has not completely closed on possible Assignment of Benefits, it appears that there will be no action taken on the Appraisal/Umpire bills.… Continue Reading
I was surprised when I first saw the Sun-Sentinel article, Citizens files request for 72-hour deadline to report loss. The more I read and thought about the article the angrier I became. As I have written in the past, Florida policyholders continue to pay the highest property insurance rates in the country despite the fact … Continue Reading
Less than an hour ago, the Florida House just passed House Bill 79 by a vote of 92-22. The Senate Bill has not been voted on yet and there are still some possible changes that may occur. The full House bill as passed today can be found here.… Continue Reading
As detailed in prior blog posts, Florida is searching for a new Insurance Commissioner. Kevin McCarty, Florida’s longtime Insurance Commissioner, recently announced his retirement. Recent news reports detail how the search is progressing.… Continue Reading
Since the Florida Legislature is currently in session, we are being inundated with insurance industry talking points in the media. The most consistent talking point, and the one that frustrates me the most, is that we need to eradicate “fraud” because it is costing consumers money.… Continue Reading
In October of last year I wrote a blog on the Florida Legislature’s efforts to alter the laws regarding Assignment of Benefits.Since that time, there have been some changes to the bills (House Bill 1097 and Senate Bill 596) as originally drafted. In particular, Senate Bill 596 underwent some significant changes just this week. The … Continue Reading
We are at the start of Florida’s Legislative Session for 2016. As usual, policyholders have much to be wary of when the Legislature meets. Besides losing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, (click here for a great editorial on his tenure), the industry is pursuing its usual wish list. Despite years of Florida’s Legislature passing pro-industry legislation—with … Continue Reading
About a year ago, I posted a blog, Kevin McCarty and the Florida Cabinet. At that time, there was chatter that Commissioner McCarty would be fired by the Financial Services Commission (made up of the Governor, Attorney General, and CFO). Thankfully, he was not let go.… Continue Reading
I was recently interviewed regarding a subject that has frustrated policyholders for almost ten years: Why are insurance rates so high in Florida despite the absence of hurricanes?… Continue Reading
FAPIA held its annual conference last week at Reunion Resort and Spa in Davenport, Florida. As usual, it was a first class event. The seminars and speakers were incredibly educational and entertaining. Specifically, it was especially interesting to hear from Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate (Sha’Ron James). As set out in my prior blog, Great News … Continue Reading
