Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2016

Insurance-related concerns reacted with cautious optimism to Friday’s naming of David Altmaier as Florida’s new Insurance Commissioner. “The Personal Insurance Federation of Florida is committed to working with the new commissioner to increase the health and stability of the property and casualty insurance market in Florida,’’ Executive Director Michael Carlson said in a statement. The […]

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2016

A 34-year-old former high school math teacher was named Friday to be the next Florida Insurance Commissioner. David Altmaier, currently a deputy commissioner at the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), starts on Monday. Altmaier, who will be paid $165,000 a year, began at OIR as an insurance examiner in 2008. The selection caps off weeks of […]

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are supposed to meet Friday to pick the state’s new Insurance Commissioner. But except for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, none of them will actually be there. The rest, including Scott, will be phoning it in. Friday’s get-together (or lack thereof) is a last-minute emergency meeting, called by the […]

Phil AmmannApril 24, 2016

Florida legislators may have publicly backed a presidential candidate, but new research finds that several lawmakers failed to vote in the state’s primary election. Noah Pransky of WTSP reports that a number of lawmakers — just like in 2012 – simply did not take part in Florida’s March 15 presidential preference primary, including four from […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 21, 2016

In Tampa Thursday, Governor Rick Scott ceremonially signed SB 636, a bill introduced by Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto that requires testing of rape kits within 120 days of submission to a state crime lab, and requires that agencies submit kits for testing inside of 30 days after the beginning of the investigation In a statement, Scott said that the bill will […]

Jim RosicaApril 20, 2016

A top plaintiffs’ insurance lawyer is lauding Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty‘s offer to extend his departure, which was originally set for May 2. McCarty “staying on until a replacement is named is a massive blessing,” said Chip Merlin of the Merlin Law Group in Tampa. Merlin has built a business out of suing insurance companies that “deny, delay or underpay property […]

Jim RosicaApril 20, 2016

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Kevin McCarty is telling his bosses: You need more time? You got it. The state’s outgoing Insurance Commissioner on Wednesday wrote separate but identical letters to Gov. Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. He said he would delay his departure to “45 days after my successor […]

Peter SchorschApril 19, 2016

About a month ago, when FloridaPolitics.com offered “The Good, the Bad and the Interesting” of the applicants for the next Insurance Commissioner, we highlighted the legal requirements for the job. They’re high … on purpose. HB 3, passed in Special Session E in 2002, implemented a 1998 constitutional amendment that merged the jobs of Comptroller […]

Mitch PerryApril 18, 2016

Arguments were held in the Supreme Court Monday in United States v. Texas, the intensely fought legal battle regarding President Obama’s executive actions on immigration that he made in November of 2014. Obama’s proposal would create a new program to allow the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to obtain temporary work authorization to remain […]

Associated PressApril 18, 2016

Florida’s fight to keep intact a ban on gay marriage is going to wind up costing taxpayers. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle has ordered the state to pay the fees of attorneys who filed federal lawsuits challenging the state’s voter-approved ban. Hinkle said in an order dated Friday the attorneys were eligible for payment because […]

Tag: Pam bondi
Image via AP.

Insurance interests “look forward” to new commissioner

David Altmaier named Insurance Commissioner

Jeff Atwater may be alone in Cabinet meeting

Florida lawmakers support presidential candidates, but forgot to vote in primary

Rick Scott ceremonially signs rape kit testing bill

Chip Merlin calls Kevin McCarty’s departure delay a ‘massive blessing’

In letter, Kevin McCarty says he’s willing to extend departure date

The million-dollar Insurance Commissioner question

Kathy Castor praises Obama immigration actions as case goes to Supreme Court

Florida’s fight to keep gay marriage ban could be costly