“To keep mandatory P.I.P. Insurance or not to keep mandatory P.I.P.?” I know . . . for most people questions about “P.I.P. Insurance” (mandatory health/disability coverage that Florida drivers are obliged to purchase) may seem as ponderous as whether aerobic compost is better than traditional manure fertilizer. But the simple reality is that Floridians pay [...]
If you believe what you read in the papers about our state’s biggest property insurer, you may be anxiously gleaning the “A-Section” wondering “could it get any worse?” After all, we’re barely into 2013 and Citizens has already managed to pull off a spectacular hat trick of newsworthy scandals including: the “Travel Gone Wild” fiasco [...]
I know we’re Americans and talking to Americans about giving up constitutional rights is a little like talking Wile-E-Coyote out of his Acme membership. But a little time working a small claims court jury trial got me thinking about something: why on this great green earth do we need six unfortunate taxpayers to spend time [...]
Okay, looking back through this late-night final draft of my monthly column, I’m wondering now whether maybe I should have titled this piece: “What Not to Expect from Florida’s New P.I.P. Insurance Law” – since here we are in January 2013, the starting date for much of Governor Scotts’ sweeping P.I.P. insurance reform package, and [...]
So no doubt by this time of year Santa Claus is busy churning away on the production line at that icy toy factory, watching the elves punch the overtime clock and praying to heaven itself that Donner gets back from his Vegas junket in time to make the deliveries. But has anyone asked if Santa [...]
So I was reading one of those consumer-help columns in the newspaper the other day and the columnist was trying to guide a reader through an insurance dispute over a water leak. The columnist was witty and helpful and suggested the following vigorous plan of action: call the insurer to discuss the problem, then call [...]
So Isaac breezed through town and maybe some of us feel a little like that cleverly bunkered third little piggy that never had to worry about a huffing, puffing wolf sending him racing to Citizen’s claims office. While Isaac’s wind may not have caused much damage, what many may not realize is that the flooding [...]
Okay, it’s that time again – October in a presidential election year. Maybe I should expect that, at least until November, I’m not going to get through a nightly newscast without at least a dozen or so political commercials cautioning that a vote for one candidate is a vote for tripled taxes and a vote [...]
It all seemed simple enough. Your kitchen pipe burst and flooded your new Brazilian Cherry floors and you want your insurance company to fix the damage and restore your peaceful Aventura condo. After all, that’s why you pay those everincreasing premiums (nearly a 100% average increase for the coming year by my latest check). One [...]
It’ that time of year again: A depression is forming somewhere off the Ivory Coast. So stock up on those Duracell D’s. Steal that 5- gallon Crystal Water bottle from the office cooler. Track that breeze minute by minute – with updates every fifteen minutes right here on your local weather station. Maybe it’s just [...]
This year our legislature passed a comprehensive P.I.P. reform package designed to slash your car insurance rates. One problem: they never actually required insurers to reduce rates. Instead there’s only a suggestion that insurers rollback rates or send an “excuse” note to the Insurance Commissioner explaining why rates aren’t dropping. That’s it. As you can [...]
