1 day ago Share by: Jim Saunders News Service of Florida
The 2021 legislative session ended Friday, April 30, with a traditional hanky-dropping ceremony in the fourth-floor rotunda of the Florida Capitol.
Lawmakers took up a wide range of issues during the 60-day session, along with passing a budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1.
Here are 10 big issues from the session:
BUDGET: Buoyed by billions of dollars in federal stimulus money and rebounding state tax revenues, lawmakers passed a record $101.5 billion budget for the upcoming year. The budget includes such things as bonuses for first responders, providing services to more people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and addressing effects of rising sea levels. Also, lawmakers scrapped proposed cuts in Medicaid funding for hospitals and nursing homes.
Rate increases granted ranged from 12 percent to 31 percent.
“The Florida insurance market is one of the most complex in the world, and the property market is currently facing significant challenges as the frequency of claims increases and those claims become more expensive,” Bakofsky said.
He said the challenges are mostly because of increased litigation, exacerbated by higher catastrophe claim losses as a result of multiple hurricanes over the past several years, and rising reinsurance costs as a result of a hardening reinsurance market.
“These developments have presented challenges not only to the property industry, but also to Florida consumers,” he said.
People Moves: Westwood Picks Kriby as VP; New Roles for Burrows, Finley at The Villages; Lowe to Lead GRS Institute May 6, 2021
Westwood Insurance Agency Appoints Kriby as VP of Client Development, Partnerships
Westwood Insurance Agency is has appointed Tom Kriby as vice president, Client Development and Partnerships, responsible for national account management and business development.
In this role, Kriby will be responsible for expanding Westwood’s current client relationships and serving as the builder partner executive contact. He will also work to diversify the business into new growth channels and help with expanding brand efforts.
Kriby’s presence in the Southeast will provide further expansion in the region as he oversees Westwood’s national reach.
2 Arrested in Florida Fake Public Adjuster, $65K Claims Scheme Against Citizens May 6, 2021
Two Miami residents have been arrested for allegedly acting as public adjusters without a license and filling false insurance claims with Citizens Property Insurance Corp., according to a statement from the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS).
The CFO’s Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) partnered with the state-run insurer to execute the operation, which utilized a house located in Broward County and undercover fraud detectives posing as homeowners.
Carmen Rosa Contreras and Alexandra Isabel Cano were arrested for allegedly filing fraudulent insurance claims that were submitted to Citizens Insurance company for $65,420.