Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineMay 2, 2017

With House and Senate leaders caught up with budget negotiations ahead of Friday’s deadline for adjournment, advocates for legislative fixes for assignment of benefits and workers’ compensation reform confronted this possibility: Their must-pass legislation might not pass. There’s a workers’ compensation bill on the Senate calendar, but it differs in significant respects from the version […]

Staff ReportsApril 26, 2017

Assignment of benefits reforms ardently sought by the insurance industry and business passed the Florida House Wednesday on a vote of 91-26. A spokeswoman for the Consumer Protection Coalition, a business-oriented lobby aligned with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, immediately praised the action. “The House’s action is a big step toward ending costly AOB abuse […]

Michael MolineApril 25, 2017

The House cleared its version of assignment of benefits reform for a final vote Tuesday, defeating an amendment that would have frozen property insurance rates and required a premiums rollback next summer. PCS/HB 1421 would tighten requirements for contractors to report claims to insurance companies and establish a graduated scale for determining whether contractors holding […]

Michael MolineApril 6, 2017

Advocates of assignment of benefits reform delivered 1,500 petition signatures to House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s office Thursday, renewing their campaign against what they consider dodgy lawsuits by unscrupulous contractors and attorneys. And no — they didn’t mean to imply anything untoward about the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The advocates, operating under the Florida […]

Michael MolineApril 3, 2017

A Senate committee voted Monday to give the insurance industry more control over contractors operating under assignment of benefits agreements, but also to prevent them from factoring their litigation costs into the premiums they charge. The vote was 6-2, with Republicans George Gainer of Panama City and Debbie Mayfield of Melbourne voting ‘No.” HB 1218 would […]

Michael MolineApril 3, 2017

Legislation addressing assignment of benefits abuse comes up in the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee Monday — and it’s not the version insurance and business interests like. The panel will hear SB 1218 by Sen. Gary Farmer, a trial lawyer from Broward County. A rival bill, SB 1038, by Dorothy Hukill and Kathleen Passidomo, has yet to […]

Michael MolineFebruary 17, 2017

Legislation sought by regulators, insurance, and business interests to reform assignment of benefits agreements finally dropped Friday — and the first thing it would do is bar attorney fee awards to contractors who use those contracts to sue insurers. “Nothwithstanding any other law, as to suits based on claims arising under property insurance policies, attorney […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 15, 2017

The prospect that a national rating firm might downgrade Florida insurance companies because of rising costs linked to assignment of benefits agreements has lit a fire under advocates of reforming those contracts. “This issue is having a real effect on the pocketbooks of working Floridians and it’s time we take steps to clean up the […]

Michael MolineFebruary 13, 2017

As the Legislature debates restricting attorney fees in insurance litigation involving assignment-of-benefits agreements, a tort-reform group has identified a way to circumvent that fix. Attorneys could convince policyholders to file suit in their own name. A report, “Restoring Balance in Insurance Litigation,” released Monday by the Florida Justice Reform Institute, discusses that possibility in the […]

Guest AuthorJuly 26, 2016

Hats off to Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate Sha’Ron James. Her forum on the explosion of water claims, held June 14 in Boca Raton, shows determination to help consumers despite politics that have blocked even one floor debate in the Florida Legislature. Water losses could be the worst consumer rip-off ever. Reports from the Office of Insurance […]

Tag: AOB agreements

Must-pass workers’ compensation, AOB reform languishing in Legislature

Florida House approves assignment of benefits reform legislation

House assignment of benefits reforms move closer to final vote

AOB reformers, bearing petitions, insist no offense intended against House chair

Senate AOB reform bill bars insurers from charging litigation costs to customers

Assignment of benefits fight finally coming to a Senate committee vote

Legislation introduced in Senate would tighten protections against AOBs

Drive for assignment of benefits reform picks up steam

Report points to problems with AOBs, and a way around one proposed fix

Scott Johnson: Assignment of Benefits — Florida’s worst consumer rip-off