TALLAHASSEE — The Legislature may spend $10,000 on a study showing how Uber and other hired-car services are helping reduce drunk-driving accidents and arrests in Florida. The study appeared in “proviso language” Monday night as lawmakers continue their work on a 2015-16 state budget. More importantly, the language would prohibit local regulation of ride-booking services…
Researchers trying to figure out what makes some hurricanes strengthen into catastrophic monsters have a new lab that allows them to generate tropical storm conditions with the flip of a switch. The lab is at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. It’s known as the Surge-Structure-Atmosphere Interaction, or SUSTAIN. The…
When asked to pinpoint where Jeb Bush’s presidential effort began running into trouble, many confidants utter a single word: Dallas. Mike Murphy, Bush’s political alter ego, decided early on to hold regular senior staff meetings at an unusual location: a Hyatt hotel inside a terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The idea was that it…
Jacksonville, Fla. — During those two electric Novembers, the chance to elect a black president, and then keep him in office, seized Regenia Motley’s neighborhood. Nightclubs were registering voters. Churches held fish fries after loading buses that ferried parishioners to the polls. A truck hoisted a big sign that said “Obama.” And residents waited in…
Jeb Bush is just days away from formally launching his presidential campaign and already a shake-up is underway. In a surprise move Monday, Bush tapped Republican strategist Danny Diaz to serve as his campaign manager, shoving aside another aide, David Kochel, to head his still-unofficial presidential operation. Diaz’s promotion is a frank acknowledgment that Bush’s…
The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season opens on Monday, and a combination of a forecast for fewer-than-average storms and the highest level ever of financial resources on hand in Florida to pay claims may help homeowners and businesses there weather fears of a storm. Florida, the riskiest place in the United States for hurricane strikes, has…
Allstate will start insuring drivers who pick up passengers through ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. The insurer said Wednesday that the Ride for Hire policy will cost $15 to $20 a year on average and will provide coverage for drivers who get into accidents while they are on the way to pick up new…
Allstate Corp. is expected to start rolling out insurance for drivers working for app-based car services such as Uber and Lyft, beginning on a limited basis in just a few states this year. While Uber and Lyft, specifically, provide insurance coverage for their drivers while those people are actually transporting passengers or on their way…
There are signs that liberals are making a comeback — and not just because a socialist is running for president, gay marriage is spreading like wildfire and pot legalization is gaining acceptance. A new analysis of Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll data finds a marked increase in the share of registered voters identifying themselves as…
Edward Rust Jr. is stepping down as CEO of State Farm Insurance after 30 years leading the nation’s largest home and auto insurer. Another company veteran and alum of Illinois Wesleyan University, Chief Operating Officer Michael Tipsord, will succeed Rust in September, State Farm announced today. Rust, 65, will continue to chair State Farm’s board.…