Regulation/Legislation

Legislation introduced in the Senate late last week by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss, may complicate chances of the National Flood Insurance Program’s long-term reauthorization before the current extension runs out Sept. 30.

Nearly three-quarters of Floridians say property insurance is getting more expensive, and more than 60 percent say coverage is harder to get, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

Therese Goldsmith, an attorney who concentrated on white-collar litigation, is Maryland’s new insurance commissioner.

Although Florida’s property insurance bill SB 408 became law May 17 upon the signature of Gov. Rick Scott, not all the provisions became effective that day.

The 2011 Florida legislative session left us a bit more battered and bruised than we had anticipated. PIP reform ended up in a ditch, and a property insurance bill addressing cost drivers was watered down. However, all was not a total loss.

Floridas 2011 legislative session was the most active in the past 30 yearsespecially in the property insurance arena. Bills dealing with sinkhole reform, replacement cost reform, and Citizens Property Insurance Corp. were at the top of the to-do list for lawmakers.