Volume 1 Number 25
June 21, 2004











TEXT VERSION

 

 

I had the pleasure to speak to a group of students in Tallahassee for Girls State, which is sponsored each year by the American Legion Auxiliary. Girls State has been a state and national institution for more than fifty years, giving high school juniors a chance to examine the workings of our citizen government.

It’s an honor for a student to be chosen to represent her school and community at Girls State. Young women participate in civic training and learn how to be involved in public service.  There may be future county commissioners, school board members, mayors, legislators - even a future governor in this group. Certainly, their energy and enthusiasm will be needed to solve the problems that will be facing Florida in the coming years.    

We’ve got to provide a good quality education to a growing number of children in our schools. We have to promote economic development and investment in our state’s small business community so our student graduates can get good jobs and have a chance for upward mobility. We must also safeguard our fragile environment as our natural resources are so crucial to our state. 

I have been in an elected and leadership role in Florida for almost three decades. When I was these students’ age, if I had been told I’d be a legislator, I would have said never. And when I was a legislator, if I had been told I would be Insurance Commissioner, Education Commissioner and now Chief Financial Officer, I would have said, “You’ve got to be kidding!”  

 

 

The key is to have patience and dedication and to build a foundation to cultivate leadership. Be an example to your peers.  Be a hard worker. Be principled. It has never been more important to take pride in our citizenship, discover how government works and get involved in our communities.   

These messages apply to all citizens, not just those at Girls State. Take pride in your community and be an active participant in civic government – “by the people” means you, too.

                                                      
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Front row: Katina Johnson, Jacksonville; Tanner Holloman, Division Director;  Teri Crews Tallahassee Supervisor; Bob Lambert,  Pensacola Supervisor. Back row: Patrick Cooper, Ft. Walton; Larry Eaton, Pensacola; Gwynette Turner, Tallahassee.

 

 

 STATE WRAPS UP WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COMPLIANCE SWEEP

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced the completion of a sweep of construction sites across Florida to verify that employers are complying with state workers’ compensation insurance laws. As part of the statewide effort, investigators with the Department of Financial Service’s Division of Workers’ Compensation made random site visits, ordering dozens of employers to stop work because employees were not properly covered by workers’ compensation insurance.

“Employers who avoid paying workers’ compensation premiums contribute to the rise in workers’ compensation rates and gain an unfair advantage over competitors,” said Gallagher. “A healthy workers’ compensation system is crucial to Florida’s economy, and we will continue to aggressively investigate instances of fraud and abuse.”  CONTINUED

FLORIDA INSURERS ASKED TO WAIVE GUIDELINES FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced today that he is urging state regulators to require insurance companies operating in Florida to give special consideration to service personnel who experience lapses in their insurance coverage.

“It is only recently that we began hearing complaints from members of the Armed Forces returning from active duty,” Gallagher said. “But what we heard was very disheartening: service men and women returning to find their auto premiums significantly increased or their applications for new coverage denied.”

Service personnel often discontinue their insurance coverage when they are activated for overseas duty. Under most insurance companies’ underwriting guidelines, a lapse in coverage - whether for homeowners, auto or health - can result in higher premiums, cancelled coverage or denied coverage.

Gallagher has asked the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) to immediately issue a bulletin to Florida-licensed insurance companies asking them to give special consideration to Florida’s 80,000 active-duty military personnel. Specifically, Gallagher wants insurers to waive their continuity of coverage guidelines when the policyholder is a member of the military who was in good standing when they left for active duty.

Gallagher said he anticipates insurers will be willing to comply now that they better understand the circumstances of military personnel.

Florida currently has 21 active military installations and three joint commands in 13 counties.

 

Find out if you have any lost treasure
by visiting our website at
www.FLtreasurehunt.org .
Call us toll-free at 1- 88 - VALUABLE  (1-888-258-2253).

Make plans to participate in the upcoming auction on Saturday, July 31, 2004, at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza near the Miami International Airport.  Friday, July 30, 2004, will be Preview Day from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m.

 DO WE HAVE YOUR TREASURE? 

Millions of dollars in cash deposits, plus all kinds of valuables and collectibles from abandoned safe deposit boxes, are turned in to the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Bureau of Unclaimed Property each year.   

By law, holders of unclaimed property, such as banks, credit unions, utilities, insurance companies and employers, are required to forward their unclaimed holdings to the state for safekeeping.  The state, in turn, is required to keep the property indefinitely and attempt to locate its owners or their heirs so the property can be returned to them.  It’s a classic example of government taking action to protect the interests of its citizens. 

The vast majority of Florida’s unclaimed property is composed of cash accounts. When turned over to the department, the funds are deposited into Florida’s State School Trust Fund that benefits the state’s public schools.   CONTINUED