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| Last year, we spoke with and assisted more than 585,000 Floridians with questions, concerns and requests for help with their insurance or financial issues. Some might think that all of the calls were related to the 2004 hurricanes. Interestingly, about half of the calls we received dealt with annuities, health insurance and other issues important to Floridians, including an air force base chief who was worried about a financial planner offering an investment in an annuity. We checked out the agent and found he was licensed but that several complaints had been lodged against him related to annuities. Wisely, the base chief decided to shop around before investing. Another example is a Pensacola resident who saw a newspaper advertisement offering affordable health care. Thankfully, she contacted us and learned that United Family Health Care Group was not licensed. I'm proud of the work we've accomplished on behalf of Floridians and look forward to helping another half a million residents or more in the coming year.
Consumer HelpLine 1-800-342-2762 The new courthouse in Indian River County, named for the scenic body of water running between the barrier islands and the mainland along Florida's Treasure Coast. America's first National Wildlife Refuge was established on Pelican Island in the Indian River by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. |
| GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES $2.2 MILLION IN REFUNDS TO TITLE CUSTOMERS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA Tom Gallagher, Florida’s chief financial officer, announced that approximately 10,000 Central Florida residents will soon benefit under a $2.2 million refund program agreed to by Fidelity National Title Insurance Company. The refund program was the result of the Department of Financial Services’ investigation of illegal referrals to title agencies for business. “The recent housing boom in Florida is a big component of our state’s recent economic success,” said Gallagher, who oversees the department. “This office will continue to do everything it can to keep our economy growing, and protect Florida homeowners during the process of purchasing a home.” Title insurance is required by mortgage lenders to protect themselves and the homebuyer from property ownership disputes. Under the refund program, Fidelity National title customers who paid for title insurance provided by one of 60 title agencies in Central Florida will receive 30 percent of the title insurance premium paid at the time of closing within the next 120 days. A list of the 60 title agencies is attached. Gallagher said that Fidelity National Title Insurance Company cooperated with the department to establish the refund program. The company also paid a $1 million fine and agreed to terminate its relationships with title insurance agencies that received illegal payments for referrals of title insurance business. Bogus affiliated business arrangements were set up to funnel the improper payments. CONTINUED |
| CONCERN FOR MOTORCYCLE SAFETY In the three years following Florida's 2000 repeal of its mandatory helmet law for riders over 21, the number of motorcyclists killed in Florida went up 81 percent over the number killed from 1997 to 1999, according to a study released in August by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) would like all motorcyclists to take a safety course in an effort to reduce deaths. During the recent Cabinet meeting, there was agreement that the agency -- which is overseen by the governor and Cabinet -- should push next year to change state law to require riders to take the safety course. Currently, people under 21 have to take it to get a motorcycle license, but no one else is required. Highway Safety Executive Director Fred Dickinson told the Cabinet that in the last two years, not one of the 150,000 people who have taken the course, which includes riders over the age of 21, has died in a crash. The people who have taken the classes are the only ones on the positive side of statistics in motorcycle deaths in Florida. CONTINUED |
| GOVERNOR AND CABINET PROCLAIM ‘FLORIDA ON THE MOVE’ DAY At the September 22 meeting, the governor and Cabinet proclaimed September 28, 2005, as Florida on the Move Day. Presented by CFO Tom Gallagher, the Cabinet resolution set goals for Floridians to follow to become healthier through simple changes in their daily lives. According to a recent survey, Americans spend 7.7 hours per day sitting and four hours per day watching television and playing computer games. We are the most overweight nation in the world. Our eating and physical activity patterns do not give us enough exercise and we tend to eat too many calories. The recommended 30 minutes of physical activity a day are not accomplished by more than 60% of American adults, while 25% are not physically active at all. More than 120 million Americans — 64.5% of the adult population — are overweight; nearly 59 million, or 31%, are obese. The average American adult is gaining 1-3 pounds each year, and some people gain even more. CONTINUED |
