TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is due to sign major assignment of benefits (AOB) reform but there are still "bad actors" doing much the same thing in auto glass, said the head of a Florida insurance trade organization during a recent interview.
The state of Florida faces a number of challenges in reforming its workers' compensation system. But right now, one of the biggest hurdles is simply the stark differences between two proposed pieces of legislation pending in the Florida legislature's two chambers, and particularly the bills' handling of measures to tamp down the amounts able to be claimed by lawyers.
While abuse of the state's “assignment of benefits” or AOB legal provisions is increasing at an alarming rate, 2019 might be the year when Florida legislators make headway toward reform, Orlando-based realtor's advocacy group spokesman said during a recent interview.
TALLAHASSEE -- For the eighth straight year, assignment of benefits lawsuits accounted for more than half of all litigation against insurers in the state of Florida, as reported on a study by the Florida Justice Reform Institute.
The head of a Florida insurance trade organization is cautiously optimistic that 2019 might be the year state lawmakers reform of “assignment of benefits," abuse of which critics have blamed for a dramatic increase in property insurance rates in the Sunshine State in recent years.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce believes new legislation now pending in Tallahassee would improve Florida residents' lives by reforming the legal process known as assignment of benefits, adding new measures to protect residents from those who abused the AOB process before.
TALLAHASSEE - A revamped bill that aims to address rising assignment-of-benefits concerns in Florida passed the state Senate’s Judiciary Committee Tuesday, but still failed to win support from the insurance industry and business interests.
TALLAHASSEE – A Florida Senate panel gave a thumbs-up Tuesday to a bill that would prevent property insurers from including attorney fees and other legal costs in their rate base, despite opposition from insurance firms and other business interests.
TALLAHASSEE - A bill that would prevent insurance companies from adjusting rates to account for litigation costs and restrict their ability to deny claims or rescind policies due to fraudulent misrepresentations will be taken up by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee this afternoon.
TALLAHASSEE - Regular session for the Florida Legislature ended in early May without approval of legislation that would have squashed a new rash of insurance scams involving car windshield replacements, and help reverse a rapid increase in insurance rates stemming from these and related fraudulent activity.
TALLAHASSEE – A bill in the state senate right now could have implications on the wallets of insured Floridians. An assignment of benefits reform bill passed the Florida House April 19 and now awaits vote in the Senate.
Florida may be a Republican trifecta—meaning the GOP controls the governor’s office and both houses of the legislature—but political observers don’t expect hard-right ballot measures to spew out of the newly appointed Constitution Revision Commission.
TALLAHASSEE - The Florida legislature has no plans to schedule a special legislative session to address a sharp increase in workers’ compensation rates recently approved for businesses statewide, legislative sources say.
TALLAHASSEE – Florida's Chamber of Commerce doesn't know how the state's Office of Insurance Regulation will decide on a 20 percent workers' compensation insurance rate hike request but has a good idea how such an increase will affect small businesses, a chamber official said during a recent interview.
Florida business leaders warned late last week that a recommended 19.6 percent jump in workers’ compensation rates will jeopardize a run of job growth in the state stretching back over four years.
