Things To Do In SW Florida

Despite predictions that Florida’s legislative leaders had little interest this year in enacting major insurance reforms, Senate and House bills are headed to the finish line that could affect thousands if not millions of Florida homeowners.

Proposals with a strong chance of survival with just a week remaining in the 2024 legislative session include one that would allow state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to expand its depopulation program to surplus lines carriers for anyone not living in a “primary home.”

Opponents last week voiced concerns that allowing surplus lines into Citizens takeout program would leave thousands of homeowners at risk of getting nothing if their homes are damaged during a hurricane and their insurer become insolvent.

Surplus lines carriers are insurers whose rates and policy forms are not regulated by the state, and that cover risks that traditional insurers cannot or will not cover. In Florida, homeowners often turn to surplus lines carriers if they cannot find coverage in the traditional market and their homes’ replacement values, in all counties except Monroe and Miami-Dade, exceed Citizens’ $700,000 threshold. read more

Elise Takahama | (TNS) The Seattle Times

When a cyberattack hit Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center late last year and exposed the personal data of nearly a million patients, many were caught off guard, stunned a breach could infiltrate such a large and highly resourced health care organization.

But those working in computer security weren’t surprised. In recent years, they’ve watched other hospitals and health care facilities across the country get hit by similar attacks, some that have crashed systemwide operations and caused delays in patient procedures or tests, or rerouted ambulances to other emergency rooms.

Cyberattacks of all sorts have plagued large corporations, small businesses and individuals for decades now, but in the past several years, health care has become a top target, according to federal and local cybersecurity experts. These organizations hold a massive amount of patient data — including medical records, financial information, Social Security numbers, names and addresses. They’re also among the few businesses that stay open 24/7, meaning they might be more likely to prioritize avoiding disruptions and, therefore, more likely to pay a hacker’s ransom. read more

Gene Marks | (TNS) The Philadelphia Inquirer

Although research varies, it is estimated that anywhere between 40% and 50% of marriages end in divorce. A divorce can be emotional, painful — and expensive. And if you’re running a small business, it could have a significant impact on your cash flow.

If you own a small business, here are few things to consider:

Get your books in order

It’s important to make sure your books are as clean as possible. Many business owners I know mix too many of their personal and business expenses, usually due to sloppy bookkeeping. During discovery, an opposing attorney can request just about anything related to your business, and this could put you at a disadvantage during negotiation. Pennsylvania laws, in particular, can “tend to be on the liberal side” regarding what documents can be requested, according to Linda Kerns, a family law attorney based in Philadelphia.

“A spouse can request all the details of your business even if they don’t own the assets,” Kerns said. “When you go through a divorce, you’re putting a microscope on your business and on your accounting habits and if small discrepancies are found, they can blow up into bigger headaches.” read more

By Eliza Haverstock | NerdWallet

More than 150,000 borrowers who signed up for the newest student loan repayment plan — Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) — just found out President Joe Biden will forgive their remaining debt. If you weren’t one of the lucky borrowers, it’s not too late to join their ranks.

“This is the first announcement, hopefully, in a slew of announcements,” says Amy Czulada, outreach and advocacy manager of the Student Borrower Protection Center, a nonprofit student loan borrower advocacy organization, of the forgiveness email affected borrowers received.

The Education Department has not shared a timeline for future SAVE forgiveness announcements but said it will discharge eligible loans on a “rolling basis” going forward.

You must enroll in SAVE and meet two key criteria to qualify for debt forgiveness now:

• Borrowed $12,000 or less in federal student loans.
• Spent at least 10 years in repayment, including the pandemic pause and other time counted under the IDR account adjustment.

If you meet these requirements, Czulada says, “Please enroll — this could really change your life in a matter of minutes.” Private student loans are not eligible for the SAVE program or federal student loan forgiveness. read more

TALLAHASSEE — A plan is in the works to revise the social media ban for children under 16 pushed by House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, if he can come up with language that addresses the concerns of Gov. Ron DeSantis and avoid a political showdown.

“The speaker and governor are working together on language … to fix the concerns that the governor has with HB1,” Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said Thursday. “My understanding is that they are in a really good spot.”

As described by Passidomo, the way forward would be for DeSantis to veto the bill and then add the agreed-upon language to a bill with similar subject matter, HB 3, which was already unanimously approved by the full House and sent to the Senate.

“I feel confident that something is going to happen like that,” Passidomo said.

The deadline for DeSantis to veto or sign the original bill is Friday.

HB 3 will be put on the Senate floor for a vote Monday, Passidomo said.

Just last week, the same day both chambers approved HB1, DeSantis said he was still concerned it wasn’t ready and needed work to pass constitutional muster and protect parental rights. read more