Legislative News
Meredith Woodrum Snowden
Special Consultant
Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson , Bell & Dunbar, P.A.
The House and Senate met on November 16, 2004 for Organizational Session. Representative Allan Bense ( R-Panama City) was elected House Speaker, and Senator Tom Lee (R-Brandon) was elected Senate President. Representative Leslie Waters (R-Seminole) were chosen by Speaker Bense as Speaker Pro Tempore. House Majority Leader is Representative Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando), and the House Democrats chose Representative Chris Smith (D-Ft. Lauderdale) as Democratic Leader. In the Senate, Senator Charlie Clary (R-Destin) was elected President Pro Tempore, and Senator Alex Villalobos (R-Miami) was named Senate Majority Leader. The Senate Democrats selected Senator Les Miller (D-Tampa) as Minority Leader. Read the entire article . . .
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City of Panama City "Puts Safety First"
Gerald Stanford
Stanford Insurance Agency
I was invited to speak at a Central Safety Committee meeting with the City of Panama City and was very impressed with their safety program. I thought it would be a good idea to share their program with our other entities. Read the entire article . . .
Challenges and Solutions for your IT Departments
James W. Capobianco
IT Administrator
Public Risk Underwriters
Wayne Rash’s “Preparing for IT Recovery from a Hurricane”, published in the fall edition of PGIT 411, brought to our attention the value of assuring local governments are prepared to protect their entities’ IT assets. But how do you, the Risk Manager, help assist your Information Technology Administrators to protect these highly valuable assets? Your IT Administrators address the issues of disaster recovery, storage resource management, large scale storage solutions, data compliance, storage security, data storage and the list goes on. The key to knowing your IT staff is as prepared as the CIO spotlighted in Mr. Rash’s article is providing them with the necessary tools and resources available. Read the entire article . . .
Holiday Cheer to Town Manager Cory Carrier, Town of Polk City . .
Attention Members: We want to hear from you . . .
As the new Chair of the PGIT Board of Trustees, I look forward to continuing the strong leadership of retired Commissioner Benny Strickland. His vision and support for a viable, financially secure alternative to public sector insurance coverage are the foundation for the tremendous success of the Trust. Mr. Strickland served as Chair since the Trust’s inception in 1999, and shepherded its expansion from providing only Workers’ Compensation to offering a full range of Property and Casualty coverage. My thanks to Commissioner Strickland for his work and dedication. Read entire article . . .
Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Workers’ Compensation Commends PGCS Adjuster . . .
PELS Welcomes John C. E. Sung . . .
PGIT Panel Attorney Makes Grade with Peers . . .
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What Is a Reasonable Attorney’s Fee?
George A. Helm III, Esquire
Public Entity Legal Solutions
Employers, carriers, third party administrators, underwriters, agents, brokers, defense attorneys, etc., are all aware of the attorney’s fee problem that existed prior to October 1, 2003. For all claims with dates of accident prior to October 1, 2003, an attorney could obtain an hourly fee for obtaining just about any type of workers’ compensation benefit that the court found should have been provided, but wasn’t. In short, the ability of claimant’s counsel to obtain large hourly fees arguably drove up costs in all aspects of a workers’ compensation claim. Read the entire article . . .
Building Values: Real or Imaginary?
Mike Marinan
Director of Safety and Risk Management
Public Risk Underwriters
In the last edition of PGIT 411, I briefly explained that the safety and risk management department now has the capability to provide building appraisals for PGIT members. Sometimes referred to as replacement cost analysis or insurance to value evaluations, it is my professional opinion that every risk manager or individual given the responsibility for overseeing the insurance program, be aware of how critical it is for the building values on your property schedule to be accurate and up to date. Read the entire article . . .
15-Passenger Van Safety Awareness
Cindi Price
Director of Member Services
Public Risk Underwriters
There is a growing concern regarding the crash involvement and safety of 15-passenger vans and the resulting injuries and fatalities. However, these vans continue to be popular modes of transportation for park and recreation departments, 4-H clubs, sports leagues, law enforcement agencies, and educational groups. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reissued a cautionary warning, specifically to alert part time users of 15-passenger vans. Earlier warnings were issued in 2001 and 2002.
Read the entire article . . .
The Safety and Risk Management Department, assists one of PGIT’s members in an accident investigation . . .
Legality of Indemnification
Agreements between Public Entities and Private Parties
Michael Scholl
Vice President of Underwriting
Public Risk Underwriters
Preferred Governmental Insurance Trust (PGIT) is often asked to add private entities as ‘additional covered parties’ to its members’ coverage agreements. It is our position that public entities in the State of Florida do not have the ability to do this, and only the Florida Legislature, by clear and unambiguous act, may waive sovereign immunity. Read the entire article . . . |
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