LMA NEWSLETTER November 15, 2021

Perspective

I am working on some projects this session both personally as a volunteer and professionally as part of my consulting firm.  The days are long as we lead up to the January 11, 2022 session opening of the Florida Legislature.

All of the back and forth strategy to work on a playbook to promote good …

Special Session Begins

Condo bills emerging

The full Florida Legislature is back in Tallahassee this morning for a week-long special session, while the first drafts of congressional and legislative redistricting are out.  Condominium bills are beginning to emerge, too, designed to help prevent another high-rise tower collapse like the one in Surfside, Florida that killed 98 residents in …

Insurers Refuse Surfside Condo Claims

Lawsuits and counter-suits filed

The insurance companies that provided coverage for the engineering firm that first identified structural problems with the Champlain Towers South condominium building three years before its collapse are refusing to cover the property damage and bodily injury claims and have filed a lawsuit against the engineering firm.

National Fire Insurance Company …

Workers’ Comp Cat Fund Scuttled

Annual rate decrease approved

As the special legislative session gets underway today in Tallahassee on federal vaccine and mask mandates on COVID-19, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has withdrawn its request to start a catastrophe fund in Florida that among other things, would handle future pandemics. NCCI had proposed the fund to Florida …

Court: Wait for the documents

But 27 months too long

It usually raises suspicion when a homeowner doesn’t respond to requests for an affidavit or other certified evidentiary information in the course of handling an insurance claim.  And in the case of insurance companies, they want the documentation to a) get their customer what they need to expedite the claim’s …

Congress Tries Again with NFIP

New bills would limit WYO fees

With its temporary reauthorization due to expire next month, new bipartisan legislation filed in both the U.S. House and Senate would extend FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for another five years, under a series of reforms addressing affordability and program management.  The legislation in part takes aim at …

Florida’s Growing Communities

Notable urban hotspots

As 2020 Census data is analyzed, we’re learning more about the changes taking place in our great state of Florida and what they may mean for the future, especially in terms of our marketing activities toward greater business opportunities.  Florida Trend has been reviewing the Census numbers.

So here’s the big picture …

The Star of the Plate

In honor of K-9 law enforcement units everywhere, a 5-year-old German shepherd and Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy named Drago will potentially be featured on his very own license plate.  The license plate is for the non-profit K9s United, which help fund equipment and purchases for K9 units across the country. 

K9s United is hoping …