~New survey finds one in three Boomers may move to another state~

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Where will Baby Boomers go to retire? A revealing new survey of this massive generation of imminent retirees is looking for a place where taxes and housing costs are low, the climate is good and quality health care is readily available.

Other considerations that are important to Boomers are the availability of diverse recreational activities and supportive senior services, arts and cultural opportunities, proximity to the beach and the availability of life-long learning educational experiences.

That’s the picture painted by the first major survey in 10 years of retirement relocation preferences of the 78 million-strong Baby Boom generation, released today by the Consumer Federation of the Southeast. And it comes just as the first Boomers, born in 1946, reach the age of eligibility for full Social Security retirement benefits.

According to the survey, conducted for the Consumer Federation of the Southeast by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, a full third of Baby Boomers are open to moving across state lines to find the assets they are looking for, including a mid-size town that welcomes a diverse population.

“Already, thousands of Boomers are retiring every day nationwide,” said Walter Dartland, president of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast. “According to this survey, substantial numbers are interested in relocating in retirement. The decisions they make about where they will retire will have a huge impact not only on their families’ finances but on the communities to which they move.”

As the Boomer generation is so vast, a community need only attract three-tenths of one percent of relocating Boomers to add $1 billion per year in new income to its economy, creating jobs, new business and significant economic opportunities.

“This important survey, one of the most extensive of its kind in a decade, underscores the tremendous contribution that Americans aged 50 and older can offer to communities wherever they choose to live,” said Jeff Johnson, AARP Florida’s interim state director. “AARP Florida believes this research will help inform the efforts of many communities to better equip themselves to address issues important to a 50-plus population.”

The Consumer Federation’s survey of Boomers shows:

-       Some 96 percent say top-quality health care services are “very” or “somewhat” important to them in considering a relocation destination.

-       Affordable housing ranks second, with nearly 92 percent ranking that as a “very” or “somewhat” important criterion.

-       A warm, welcoming year-round climate is “very” or “somewhat” important to 85.5 percent – but a strong plurality of this group want their warm summers to be paired with a few cooler months.

-       Low local taxes are “very” or “somewhat” important to 81.1 percent.

-       Eight out of 10 relocating Boomers are looking for affordable recreational opportunities in a relocation destination, and about the same number seek strong local services for elder care.

Also important to relocating Boomers are the size of the community (seven in 10 prefer a mid-size city or small town); arts and cultural opportunities (very or somewhat important to three in four); beaches or ocean nearby (very or somewhat important to about six in 10), and about half are seeking access to life-long learning educational opportunities. About half say a community that welcomes diversity is very or somewhat important.

-       A large university is a plus for four in 10 Boomers willing to consider relocation.

-       And, more than half (58 percent) plan to buy a house in their retirement relocation destination.

“This survey offers important insights into what is significant to relocating Boomers,” Dartland said. “It underscores that for millions of Boomers who are considering relocating, good value, a welcoming community and thoughtful choices about their future are uppermost in their minds.”

Almost 54 percent of respondents indicated that the weak economy was not delaying their retirement plans. But, about 36 percent of respondents said that the economy had delayed retirement.

Pollsters asked respondents to name — unprompted and with no suggested options — a state they might consider relocating to for retirement. About 18 percent mentioned Florida as a top relocation destination.

The survey, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research between Nov. 14 and 22, 2011, surveyed 1,100 Americans ages 47 to 65 who said they would relocate in retirement, were considering relocation or weren’t sure. All respondents surveyed lived in the eastern half of the U.S., outside of Florida. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

To view the poll results visit:

consumerfederationse.com

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The Consumer Federation of the Southeast (CFSE) is a not-for-profit consumer advocacy group founded in 2003 and dedicated to consumer advocacy in the Southeastern United States.  Our goal is to establish a vigorous, new, pro-consumer agenda built upon public awareness, consumer education, and coalition-building.

Tallahassee, Fla. – “The Assisted Living Workgroup has developed important, practical recommendations that will protect residents in Florida’s assisted living facilities (ALFs). Their work has been incredibly valuable in identifying ways that we can better protect the safety and well-being of individuals living in ALFs.

“We have a duty to protect the people who rely on the services provided by ALFs, and I thank the workgroup for undertaking this important task to put the safety of residents first.  Because of the workgroup’s recommendations, the Agency for Health Care Administration has been able to move forward and implement changes to increase standards among facilities to allow for more effective oversight and increased accountability.  While tremendous progress has been made already, we will ask the workgroup to continue to examine issues related to ALFs over the next year.”

TALLAHASSEE – Ron Sachs Communications is pleased to announce the addition of two veteran communications professionals to the firm, deepening the industry’s most seasoned and experienced management team. Together they have almost four decades of experience at the highest levels of state government and public relations.

Longtime state government communications director Jon Peck and communications and legislative strategist Dia Kuykendall join Ron Sachs Communications as senior account managers, working with the firm’s diverse roster of clients.

“As Ron Sachs Communications envisions sustained growth well into 2012, we’re building an even deeper and stronger team for our clients,” said Ron Sachs, president and CEO of Ron Sachs Communications.  “Jon and Dia will add significant value for our clients, projects and the leadership of our agency.”

Jon Peck spent more than eight years in daily print journalism, regularly dealing with leaders at the local, state and national levels, before embarking on an award-winning 26-year career in state government highlighted by his service as press secretary to Governor Bob Martinez. He has served at the top levels in executive agencies under eight different governors and two attorneys general.

Peck has served as chief spokesman for state agencies, including the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Elder Affairs, the Division of Emergency Management and, most recently, the Florida Commission on Human Relations. As an aide to two attorneys general, he helped shape messaging for the Attorney General’s Office and played an invaluable role translating legal issues into English for the general public, law enforcement agencies and government officials around the state. During his journalism career, Peck reported on government, politics and the legal system for the Tampa Times, Florida Freedom Newspapers, United Press International and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He is a graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Dia Kuykendall has spent the last three years with Visit Florida, the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida as the spokesperson and then as the public affairs manager.  Dia is also an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications at Florida A & M University.

With a background in political communication and messaging, Dia has played a lead role in developing and executing strategic communications plans, including a wide range of traditional public and media relations activities, as well as highly targeted outreach efforts in the state government sector.  As an award-winning public relations strategist, Dia has successfully orchestrated legislative and public awareness campaigns, all of which have deepened the profiles of her employers.

Dia previously worked as a reporter for Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate WDJT-TV, production assistant for C-SPAN’s Washington Journal in Washington, DC and is a member of the Arts & Entertainment Task Force for the National Association of Black Journalists.  Dia also serves as a public member on the Advertising and the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committees for the Florida Bar. Dia is a graduate of Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee and earned her master’s in journalism from Florida A & M University.

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Ron Sachs Communications 

Ron Sachs Communications is Florida’s leading public affairs communications firm, building public and opinion leader support for issues and projects of local, state, regional and national importance. With offices in Tallahassee and Orlando, Ron Sachs Communications is a national leader in crisis management, public relations, marketing, advertising, grassroots, video production and social media strategies, creating effective campaigns for corporate, non-profit and government clients. The firm’s senior team comes from the ranks of the news media and government, giving the firm outstanding media relationships to draw upon and excellent news judgment in devising effective media strategies. Considered Florida’s “go to” firm for public affairs communications and issues management, the company also has significant expertise in corporate marketing and is among the nation’s leading producer of public service and public safety initiatives.

The firm was named the national “PR Agency of the Year” in 2011 for firms of its size by the respected industry journal, Bulldog Reporter, for outstanding achievement by communications agencies and professionals.

Lee, Fla. — Leaders from the Madison County School District, teachers, staff and students from Lee Elementary School joined employees from the Nestlé Waters’ Madison Plant to present its principal, Robin Hill, with a donation of $17,000 to support school improvements including an upgrade to the school’s playground.

“Nestlé Waters is proud to support our local schools, which help the children of many of our plant employees to learn and succeed in the classroom,” said Rob Fisher, plant manager of the Nestlé Waters, N.A. Madison Bottling Plant. “We thank the teachers and staff of Lee Elementary School for providing our children with a foundation for success.”

Nestlé Waters is honored to have formed strong partnerships with the communities that are home to their bottling plants. It has worked hard to ensure that its presence is as beneficial to the community as it is to their own organization. Additionally, Nestlé Waters is committed to the areas they serve for the long-term and look forward to continuing to support healthy living.

“Our students are very important to us and part of their development is healthy and safe daily exercise,” said Robin Hill, principal of Lee Elementary School. “With this donation from Nestlé Waters, we will be able to provide our students with activity on playground equipment customized just for them.”

About Nestlé Waters North America

Central to the leadership of Nestlé Waters North America is its 35-year history and focus on producing bottled water products. The company’s dedication to product quality, manufacturing expertise, efficient production, employee development and environmental stewardship, especially in the areas of water use, energy and packaging, has helped Nestlé Waters become the top bottled water company in the nation. Nestlé Waters sources water from approximately 50 spring sites for its six spring water brands. The 10 full-time Natural Resource Managers, trained hydrologists, geologists and engineers monitor the spring sources and manage them for long-term sustainability.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Leaders from nonprofits and business groups statewide today expressed their approval of Senate Bill 1784 (Sen. Alan Hays, R – Umatilla).

Jose Gonzalez, Vice President of Government Affairs, Associated Industries of Florida
“We applaud Sen. Hays for unfalteringly working to reform the overextended state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp.  He truly understands how important it is that we make changes to Citizens in order to better protect the business community, as well as all Floridians, from the ‘hurricane taxes’ that will be added to our business, homeowners and automobile policies in the wake of the next major storm or series of storms.  With five months until the start of the 2012 hurricane season, the Florida Legislature would be wise to support SB 1784.”

Manley Fuller, President, Florida Wildlife Federation
“The Florida Wildlife Federation supports Sen. Hays and SB 1784.  We were pleased to learn of this important legislation and hope the entire Legislature embraces this bill as well.  In addition to better protecting all Floridians from potential ‘hurricane tax’ assessments, this bill is important to better protecting Florida’s coast and wildlife and we support the aspect of the bill which will eliminate coverage for construction seaward of Florida’s coastal construction control line.  By eliminating subsidies for such policies, Florida’s undeveloped natural coast will continue to serve as a natural buffer from damaging winds and storm surge – helping to protect us from the next storm that makes landfall. ”

Dr. J. Robert McClure, III, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
“We commend Sen. Hays for his efforts to better protect Florida homeowners, businesses, churches, charities and automobile policyholders while helping to reinvigorate the private insurance market.  The time to implement changes to Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is now.  Premiums should reflect the real cost of living on Florida’s coast, but that requires the elimination of government interference in the property insurance market.  It’s imperative that the Legislature follow the lead of Sen. Hays, as well as other elected officials including Gov. Scott, and reform the state’s largest insurer.”

David Hart, Executive Vice President, Florida Chamber of Commerce
“We support SB 1784 and applaud Sen. Hays for once again working towards the goal of restoring Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to its original and intended mission of insurer of last resort.  Florida has been gambling against the weather for far too long and our luck will eventually run out.  We believe it is in the best interest of all Floridians to realize the importance of this bill as a long-term solution to our state’s property insurance crisis.”

Christian Cámara, Florida Insurance Project Director, The Heartland Institute
“Despite several hurricane-free years, Florida’s property insurance system remains extremely unstable. Sen. Hays’ bill addresses a key factor of that instability–Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. His bill shores up Citizens to reduce the likelihood or severity of a post-hurricane taxpayer bailout that may dramatically increase Florida’s cost of living and crush the state’s economy. These reforms are vital to Florida’s economic future.”

TALLAHASSEE – Leon Lodge No. 5 of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows today installed their elected officers for 2012. Installed were
Reggie Harmon as Noble Grand, Michael Rodes as Vice Grand, Harold
Grant as Treasurer, Hans Meyer as Financial Secretary, and Peggy Jo
Moffitt as Recording Secretary.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows has over 10,000 lodges in 26
countries. They consist of men and women who unite together for social
and practical support of each other and their communities, contributing
over $700,000,000 world-wide each year.
Founded in 1848, many long-time Tallahassee residents remember when
the local Odd Fellows lodge, Leon Lodge No. 5, was located in the
building now home to the Governors Club. Today it is one of the largest
lodges in Florida, and has recently supported the Florida Sheriffs Youth
Ranches, the Leon County Senior Center, and the Woodville Elementary
School Library.
For more information please contact Reggie Harmon at 850.321.3681, or
Hans Meyer at 850.567.9854

TALLAHASSEE – Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) today announced Tom Feeney as its new president and CEO. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the organization, he will work closely with elected officials and policymakers to further cultivate a pro-business climate in Florida. He will assume his duties on January 1, 2012.

“Representative Feeney is highly respected, both as an elected official and as a Florida businessman.  He is a proven leader and will be a tremendous asset to the association. Having dedicated much of the last 20 years to public service, Tom knows what it takes to be effective in the halls of the Florida capitol and on Capitol Hill,” said Erika Alba, Chair of the AIF Board of Directors. “AIF is proud of the many successes we have achieved for our growing membership and the business community at large. We look forward to Tom building on these successes and taking AIF to the next level.”

A seasoned lawmaker who has served at both the state and federal levels, Feeney represented the 24th Congressional District of Florida from 2002 to 2008. During his time in Congress, Feeney was the Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Space and Aviation Subcommittees, and Deputy Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Intellectual Property Subcommittee. His service on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee earned him experience in banking, insurance, monetary and fiscal policy, corporate governance, and a wide variety of financial issues. Additionally, he served on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, leading on Intellectual Property and Anti-Trust issues.

Feeney was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served two terms before being chosen as Governor Bush’s running mate in his first race for governor in 1994. He returned to the State Legislature in 1995 and, in 2000, was elected Speaker of the Florida House. He continued his service in the Florida House until his election to Congress in 2002. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Penn State University and obtained his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

“I thank the Board of Directors and members of the Search Committee for providing me the great honor and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead an organization as distinguished as AIF,” said Feeney. “With the 2012 Legislative Session just around the corner, I will be immediately rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on AIF’s top priorities.”

After establishing a Search Committee lead by former State Representative Trey Traviesa, the AIF Board of Directors retained the services of Korn/Ferry International, a global provider of talent management solutions, and launched a formal search for a new president and CEO in October. After reviewing information on prospective candidates compiled by Korn/Ferry, the Search Committee interviewed selected candidates prior to making its recommendations to the AIF Board of Directors. The full Board voted today in favor of Feeney.

“This was an incredible process and we were fortunate to have a number of highly qualified candidates to consider. In the end, however, it was Representative Feeney’s vast knowledge and deep understanding of the issues important to AIF members that most impressed the Board,” said Traviesa.

Known as “The Voice of Florida Business,” AIF has advocated for the principles of prosperity and free enterprise since 1920. Representing more than 10,000 businesses across the state, AIF is one of Florida’s most powerful and successful government affairs and business lobbying groups.

New-media website features prominent Florida columnists, daily round-up of state commentary, facilitated roundtable of diverse opinion leaders and a syndication service to state newspapers

TAMPA – (Dec. 12, 2011) A dynamic new-media website that will elevate the statewide conversation on politics and public life debuts today — and the entrepreneurial initiative of two veteran journalists promises to make Florida Voices a go-to opinion page. The new media project also boasts a hall-of-fame lineup of top journalists who will write columns about all matters facing Florida.

Florida Voices, the brainchild of respected news pros Rosemary Goudreau and Rosemary Curtiss, is a one-stop guide to what influential people are saying today, from Pensacola to the Florida Keys. The site curates opinion content — editorials, columns, letters and op-eds — from daily and weekly newspapers, providing readers the best and broadest access to the key issues and problems that Floridians are talking about today. It also facilitates an online roundtable that engages informed people on the key questions facing Florida. And it creates a new social-media platform for 19 million Floridians to learn about the key issues on the public agenda – and to participate in the important dialogue about them.

“Florida Voices is a new-fashioned version of the newspaper opinion page,” said co-founder Rosemary Goudreau, former editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune. “We want to engage newsmakers on the issues, elevate the voices of informed people, and create a respected forum for discussing the challenges we face in Florida.”

Goudreau’s business partner is Rosemary Curtiss, former publisher of Suncoast News and the Tribune’s Pasco Edition. The editing staff includes Rich Bard, former Sunday Viewpoints editor of The Miami Herald; Judy Grimsley, former chief librarian of The Orlando Sentinel; and Frank Bentayou, a former editor of Tampa Magazine and Cleveland Magazine.

The site’s stable of columnists comes from across the state and across the political spectrum. They are:

Lloyd Brown, former editorial page editor of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville.
Angel Castillo, Jr., a former reporter and editor for the New York Times and Miami Herald, and a former editor of El Nuevo Herald in Miami.
Mary Jo Melone, former metro columnist for the St. Petersburg Times.
Martin Merzer, formerly senior writer for The Miami Herald.
Tom O’Hara, former managing editor of The Palm Beach Post and Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Andrew Skerritt, former St. Petersburg Times columnist and assistant journalism professor at Florida A&M University.
Florence Beth Snyder, a Tallahassee business lawyer and former legal counsel to the Palm Beach Post.
Rick Outzen, publisher/editor of Pensacola’s Independent News.
Susan Clary, a former reporter for the St. Petersburg Times and Orlando Sentinel, and former aide to Cong. Alan Grayson.
Cary McMullen, former religion columnist for the Lakeland Ledger.
Paula Dockery, a term-limited Republican state senator from Lakeland who will chronicle her last year in the Florida Legislature.
Florida Voices is positioned to effectively serve readers by complementing their current digest of media with diverse content at the intersection of opinion journalism, public affairs and government.

“Online, we are an opinion magazine focused on Florida,” Goudreau says. “In print, we are a syndication service to Florida’s daily and weekly newspapers.”

Goudreau says an untold story in the earthquake that’s rocked newspapers is the toll it’s taken on newspaper editorial boards, which have a long tradition of calling out bad behavior, advocating solutions to significant problems or issues, championing reforms and standing up for their communities. Many newspaper editorial staffs today are merely a third of their size from just a few years ago. “Remaining editors still want to publish compelling pages,” she says. “We plan to help.”

Besides syndicating columns and point-of-view pieces, Florida Voices also plans to syndicate op-eds, or opinion essays, on behalf of public relations agencies, businesses, associations and citizen groups.

“Our customers are newspapers seeking informed commentary about Florida; public relations firms whose clients want to engage the debate; advertisers who want to reach a niche audience around public affairs; political and government leaders trying to communicate on an issue; people who do business around state government; and everyday citizens who want to better understand the issues and be heard, ” said Curtiss.

~Organization’s legislative priorities aim to protect Florida’s business community~

TALLAHASSEE – With the start of the legislative session less than a month away, Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) today released their 2012 Legislative Priorities publication, which outlines the issues for which the statewide business organizations plans to advocate. As “The Voice of Florida Business Since 1920,” AIF determines its legislative agenda based on the issues of the greatest interest or concern to its members. This session, AIF’s priorities include everything from workers’ compensation to job creation to insurance reform to tax fairness.

“Before the Legislature this year are numerous issues that could have a significant effect on the business community – both positively and negatively,” said Jose Gonzalez, AIF Vice President of Governmental Affairs. “It’s our responsibility as an organization to protect our members, as well as the entire Florida business community, and use our influence in Tallahassee to ensure Florida is creating a climate that spurs job and business development. By publishing and distributing AIF’s 2012 Session Priorities, all 160 members of the Florida Legislature, agency heads of the executive branch and the Florida Cabinet are well aware of where our organization stands on the issues.”
Below are AIF’s top legislative priorities as outlined in the 2012 Session Priorities publication. An electronic version of the publication, which includes a full list of AIF’s legislative priorities, is available online.

Workers’ Compensation Drug Repackaging
For decades, AIF has been the state’s premier advocate for workers’ compensation policy that yields an equitable system at affordable rates. As such, AIF will continue to advocate for legislation that will close the statutory loophole that some physicians use to charge exorbitantly high rates when they dispense repackaged drugs to injured workers. They unfairly collect reimbursements at exponentially higher rates than those traditional pharmacy providers are permitted to collect, causing unpredictable cost fluctuations that drive up workers’ compensation pharmacy costs. Legislation has been filed this year – HB 511 by Rep. Matt Hudson (R-Naples) and SB 668 by Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) – clarifying that all drugs are subject to the same statutory fee amounts regardless of where the drug is dispensed. Approval of this legislation will immediately save all Florida employers upwards of $62 million in workers’ compensation rates – savings that could instantly be used to create jobs for Florida’s citizens.

Tax Fairness (Online Travel Companies and E-Fairness)
A number of tax-related issues will dominate the upcoming legislative session, many of which deal with existing inequities in Florida’s tax code. AIF opposes any legislation that seeks to permanently provide online travel companies with an unfair tax advantage. Online travel companies should not have an unfair advantage over companies located and doing business in Florida. The way in which taxes are currently remitted is hurting Florida’s tourism economy and hoteliers who have been collecting and remitting occupancy taxes to the state, counties and municipalities for years. Any legislation that permanently codifies the online travel companies’ business model would be bad for Florida employers and would open the door to demands from other wholesale-to-retail businesses seeking a similar tax windfall if this market-distorting tax advantage were enacted by the Legislature.
E-Fairness
Regarding E-Fairness, AIF supports efforts to enforce the fair collection of state sales tax. Commonsense updates can and should be made to Florida’s tax system to level the playing field for all retailers selling goods in Florida. Today, “brick and mortar” retailers are at a disadvantage to out-of-state, online-only retailers when it comes to the collection of state sales tax. Under current law, online-only retailers forgo collecting sales tax at the point of purchase, despite the fact that it is still due, and the burden is passed on to unknowing consumers. This is not a new tax. Making Florida’s tax system more competitive can be accomplished by collecting already-due taxes from online sales and then eliminating some other existing tax or fee.

Destination Resorts
Destination resorts offer Florida an opportunity to grow its economic base and create as many as 100,000 new jobs. These luxury resorts will attract new visitors to Florida who are interested in experiencing a variety of amenities including high-end retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and gaming facilities, hotel and residential towers, convention space, pools and outdoor recreation facilities. AIF supports and will aggressively advocate for legislation that will bring premier development companies to Florida to build world-class destinations resort resulting in direct and indirect economic benefits to Florida and Florida businesses.

Insurance (Automobile Insurance and Hurricane Taxes)
AIF supports legislation to reduce Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claims costs. Under Florida’s no-fault law, which has been in effect since January 1, 1972, owners of motor vehicles are required to purchase $10,000 of PIP insurance which compensates persons injured in accidents, regardless of fault. Notwithstanding several legislative reforms to the law, auto insurance premiums continue to be unnecessarily high because of increased litigation, few cost controls for medical services, and few effective measures to reduce rampant fraud and abuse. AIF supports various bills including HB 523 by Rep. Workman (R-Melbourne), HB 119 by Rep. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) and SB 254 by Sen. Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton), which address PIP-related issues.

For years, AIF has worked to reform the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund in an effort to reduce the risk these government entities pose to Florida’s business community. This year, AIF supports legislation that will return Citizens to an insurer of last resort and reduce the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund so that it can meet its financial obligations. By reducing the exposure of Citizens and the Cat Fund, we will substantially reduce the likelihood of claims-paying deficits and, thus, hurricane taxes on insurance premiums for Florida’s employers.

Bad Faith Reform
There is currently an imbalance in the laws governing the payment of insurance liability claims which is exploited by claimants’ attorneys to create “bad faith” lawsuits where they otherwise would not exist. This practice, commonly referred to as the “bad faith set-up,” if successful, allows a claimant to collect from an insurance company a jury award in excess of the insured’s policy limits. The “set-up” includes a claimant’s attorney sending a letter to an insurance company offering to settle the claim for policy limits which imposes an unreasonable time period for the evaluation of the claim as to and accept the offer. Insurance companies which fail to settle the liability claims within the time periods, which can be as short as five days, are subject to “bad faith” lawsuits further expanding the litigation universe. An unbalanced civil justice system in Florida only dampens employers’ ability to recover from the economic downturn and create new jobs. Increased civil litigation also directly costs businesses through increased premiums for liability and automobile insurance and indirectly through management and employees’ time diverted to lawsuits. In an effort to better protect Florida businesses, AIF supports legislation establishing a 60-day time frame during which an insurer may investigate and, if warranted, offer policy limits to settle a liability claim. Under HB 427 by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), the offer of policy limits within 60 days demonstrates a “good faith” effort by the insurer to settle a liability claim on behalf of its insured.

For more information on AIF, visit www.aif.com.

New Strategic Public Affairs Firm to be based in Florida’s Capital City

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ­– Outgoing Associated Industries of Florida CEO Barney Bishop announced today that he is opening a government relations firm based in Tallahassee, Barney Bishop Consulting, LLC.  The firm will provide government relations counsel and representation on local, state and national issues, with a particular focus on business issues, including space, transportation, energy and oil exploration, and economic development.

Bishop, a Florida native who has led AIF since January 2005, moved to Tallahassee in 1983, and has an unparalleled network of relationships and a deep understanding and appreciation of the state’s diversity.  In addition to political consulting, he expects to be an active force in political campaigns.

“I enjoy being a passionate and effective advocate for my members and clients,” Bishop said. “I am proud of the work I’ve done to rebuild AIF’s membership and grow its stature as a respected voice for industry in Florida.”

At AIF, Bishop represented large-scale corporations and industries throughout Florida. Before joining AIF, Bishop successfully created two companies, TRAK Detective Agency and The Windsor Group. He will draw on that experience to provide business consulting services, in addition to political consulting.

As a conservative Democrat with a reputation as a straight shooter and, when needed, even an occasional bomb thrower, Bishop is known for providing frank and honest commentary as a pundit, media source and public speaker.  Bishop will launch a new blog, The Bishop Blog, in January and also will be active on Twitter, commenting on politics and timely policy issues.

To learn more about Barney Bishop Consulting, LLC, visit www.barneybishop.com. You also can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/barney_bishop.  His email address will be barney@barneybishop.com.