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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008
SPACE COAST:
Cheaper Insurance Does Exist
Rockledge insurance agent Carl Moulton is selling more homeowner's insurance lately but making less money from it. More people are shopping, if involuntarily. And premiums for many are dropping -- along with agents' commissions.
Credit a host of new companies with lower prices than the giants who have canceled thousands of policies. Credit the mild rate cuts mandated by the Legislature. But mostly, Moulton says, credit the deep discounts insurers must offer owners who inspect and "harden" their homes.
"If someone is just looking for price, they'll find it," says Moulton, head of independent Brevard Home Insurers.
He proves it with data from policies now on his desk. [Source: Florida Today]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
ORLANDO:
Storm Forecasts Get More Precise
Floridians will see narrower hurricane cones, less emphasis on seasonal forecasts and a color-coded presentation of worrisome areas. [Source: Miami Herald]
STATEWIDE:
Making Room for 'Dr. Nurse'
As the shortage of primary-care physicians mounts, the nursing profession is offering a possible solution: the "doctor nurse."
More than 200 nursing schools have established or plan to launch doctorate of nursing practice programs to equip graduates with skills the schools say are equivalent to primary-care physicians. The two-year programs, including a one-year residency, create a "hybrid practitioner" with more skills, knowledge and training than a nurse practitioner with a master's degree. By 2015, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing aims to make the doctoral degree the standard for all new advanced practice nurses, including nurse practitioners. But some physician groups warn that blurring the line between doctors and nurses will confuse patients and jeopardize care.
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
More on this topic from Florida Trend:
FT. LAUDERDALE:
Expansion of Port Everglades Assailed By Environmentalists
With the widening of the Panama Canal scheduled to be completed in 2014, Port Everglades and other East Coast harbors have drawn up expansion plans to accommodate the huge freighters expected to arrive from China and other Asian countries.
But the Port Everglades project, which would destroy mangroves and part of a coral reef, faces serious obstacles. An initial draft of an environmental impact statement by the Army Corps of Engineers has been savaged by state and federal environmental agencies, which say it dramatically understates the likely harm to corals, seagrass and endangered species.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and National Marine Fisheries Service have both threatened to withdraw as cooperating agencies in the environmental review unless they receive a more complete mapping of the reef and detailed plans to mitigate the damage.
[Source: Sun-Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Shuttle Successor Flawed, Dangerous, Report Finds [Orlando Sentinel]
The report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, ticks off a list of difficult issues, especially with the Ares I rocket, which it said is prone to violent shaking on liftoff and might not have enough power to reach orbit with a capsule full of astronauts.
›FIU Class Chooses Beer Over Term Paper [Miami Herald]
The beer-brewing class at FIU has grown increasingly popular since it was first offered three years ago. Its professor, analytical chemist and wine expert Barry Gump, says the class helps round out his students' knowledge of the food and beverage industry.
›State Could Jack Up Fees to Cover Budget Shortfall [Miami Herald]
State lawmakers are considering raising college tuition, driver's license fees and property taxes to cover part of the state's $5 billion budget gap.
›Abortion Bill Would Require Ultrasound [Lakeland Ledger]
pregnant woman must receive an ultrasound and be given the option to look at the image before having an abortion in Florida, under a bill that advanced Wednesday in the Legislature.
›South Dade Fish Farmers Struggle to Stay Afloat [Miami Herald]
Development and global competition have had a deep economic impact in South Dade, once a national hub for fish farming.
›DNC Chief Will Seat Fla. Delegates, But Details Up to Rivals [Palm Beach Post]
But campaign officials for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama warned there was no pending deal. And strategists said neither candidate would benefit from an immediate agreement.
›DCF Picks Eckerd Youth for Foster Care [St. Petersburg Times]
In the end, deep local roots helped Eckerd Youth Alternatives win a multimillion dollar contract to take over the care of foster children in Pinellas and Pasco counties.
›Study Finds Florida Business-Friendly [Miami Herald]
Florida ranked No. 2 in the fifth annual rankings compiled by the Chicago-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate.
The study considered 29 factors such as taxes, utility rates and economic incentives to persuade big companies to move in.
›February Resort-Tax Shows Orlando Brand Is Strong [Orlando Sentinel]
Orange County's resort-tax collections increased 8.8 percent in February compared with the same month last year, an indication that the area's tourism industry was still strong despite troubles with the economy overall. Related: Tourism gets off to hot start in Daytona Beach
›Riverwalk Deal Falls Through in Port St. Lucie [TC Palm]
City officials are weighing their options for 10 acres of prime riverfront property in Riverwalk South now that a developer has walked away from a deal for the land.
Developer Innkeepers USA let a Friday deadline pass without closing on a $4.2 million agreement for the land on the St. Lucie River.
›Florida House Votes to Nix Campaign Finance [Tallahassee Democrat]
By an 82-34 vote, members approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate the 1998 voter-approved system allowing candidates to draw state matching money in races for governor and Cabinet.
›Opinion: Commuter Rail Benefits Far Beyond Here [Orlando Sentinel]
Transit systems such as this one are a more cost-effective alternative to solving these problems than simply building more streets, highways and freeway lanes.
›SeaWorld Unveils Costliest Thrill Ride [Orlando Sentinel]
"It's going to have animal components, marine-life components. It will have a very unique, state-of-the-art ride, a roller coaster if you will, that will provide a sensation of gliding," a spokesperson said. "The combination of the animals and the ride is what makes it special."
›Venture Abroad, SBA Tells Firms [Miami Herald]
The SBA and the U.S. Commerce Department hope to encourage more small firms to go globally for new markets. The International Trade Symposium will take place on Monday in Hialeah.
›Plan Would End Sewage-to-Ocean Pumping [Miami Herald]
South Florida's everyday practice of pumping about 300 million gallons of sewage into the ocean would be phased out under a plan unanimously approved Wednesday by a state Senate committee.
›Fast Food Resurgent: A View From the Burger King Throne [Wall Street Journal]
This year the Miami-based company plans to introduce a new concept called the Whopper Bar, a smaller, hipper restaurant.
›Variety Is the Spice of Life in Today's Real Estate Market [Fort Myers News-Press]
"We are seeing a demand for a collegial lifestyle, which kind of incorporates a more traditional neighborhood design," says WCI's Chris Joiner. "I wouldn't say they come through the door asking for that, but we are seeing more interest, especially down here, where there's not a real history of that kind of design."
›State Let Insurers Underpay Hurricane Claims, Lawsuit Says [Orlando Sentinel]
The suit alleges that property-insurance providers have deliberately failed to notify policyholders that they can ask for a mediated resolution of their hurricane claims, and that the Office of Insurance Regulation and the Department of Financial Services have allowed the insurers to get away with it.
›Bank Seeks to Revive Name of HomeBanc [Orlando Sentinel]
Mortgage lender HomeBanc went bankrupt last year along with a slew of other lenders amid the subprime-mortgage meltdown.
But now a Lake Mary-based community bank and its parent company have acquired rights to the HomeBanc name and are trying to carve out a different niche in the marketplace.
›FSU Graduate Programs Among Nation's Best [FSU News]
Florida State University's environmental law, speech-language pathology and five academic programs within the College of Education are among the best in the nation, according to new rankings in U.S. News and World Report's "2009 Edition of America's Best Graduate Schools."
›Medicaid Change Debate Resumes [Tampa Tribune]
A legacy of former Gov. Jeb Bush's privatization efforts, the project aims to cut costs and streamline care by assigning Medicaid beneficiaries to HMOs and other managed-care organizations.
›As Poe Companies Were Sinking, Leaders Fed Campaigns [St. Petersburg Times]
Poe board members and family members gave more than $65,000 to state political candidates during the 2006 election cycle, even as their companies' bottom line plummeted. Related from Wed.: Florida sues Poe family
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