Florida’s Historic Capitol and Florida State Capitol, Tallahassee / Michael Rivera, Wikimedia Commons

State regulators issued an order Tuesday that calls for overall workers-compensation insurance rates to drop by 5.1 percent next year.

The Office of Insurance Regulation rejected a smaller 1.9 percent decrease proposed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which annually proposes rates for workers-compensation insurers.

Regulators gave the council, known as NCCI, until Monday to make a new filing with the required changes. The lower rates are expected to take effect Jan. 1.

"Florida's workers' compensation market is both competitive and affordable,'' Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said in a prepared statement. "This approval would represent a 60 percent cumulative reduction in Florida workers' compensation rates since 2003, and having competitive rates is a critical element in bringing new jobs to our state."

Lawmakers passed a massive overhaul of the workers-compensation system in 2003 to reduce rates, but that law faces at least three challenges in the Florida Supreme Court.

GAY MARRIAGE LAWYERS SEEK $455,000 FROM STATE

An appeals court last month dismissed Florida's legal fight about same-sex marriage and said a lower-court judge should consider questions about whether the state is required to pay attorneys' fees for the plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle last year ruled that Florida's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, prompting Attorney General Pam Bondi's office to take the issue to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Same-sex marriages began in Florida in January, though consolidated appeals in two cases remained pending. The U.S. Supreme Court in June effectively resolved the appeals when it ruled that same-sex couples across the country have a fundamental right to marry.

Legal wrangling continued in the Florida cases, however, with attorneys for the plaintiffs alleging that Bondi's office was trying to avoid the state having to pay legal fees associated with the appeals. A panel of the appeals court last month formally dismissed the appeals and sent the issue of attorneys' fees to Hinkle for consideration.

On Tuesday, Jacksonville civil-rights lawyers William Sheppard; his wife, Elizabeth White; and Sam Jacobson asked Hinkle to approve fees of $450 to $500 an hour for their work, as well as lower hourly fees for other lawyers and a law clerk who worked on the case, totaling $455,171.30. The lawyers spent more than 800 hours on the case, according to a document filed Tuesday.

HOSPITAL GROUP SAYS MORE 'LIP' MONEY POSSIBLE

Federal officials have said the Low Income Pool program will receive $608 million during the 2016-17 fiscal year, down from $1 billion this year. The so-called LIP program helps hospitals provide care to poor and uninsured patients.

Tony Carvalho, president of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, told the House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday that he thinks the federal government used a flawed model in reaching the $608 million total.

"I think that (the $608 million) is the prime issue right now that is in debate, and I don't believe it is over with,'' said Carvalho, whose group represents public, teaching and children's hospitals.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration negotiated for months with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services about changes in the LIP program. Carvalho said the federal agency could consider additional money, but the Agency for Health Care Administration would have to make a request.

With the annual legislative session starting in January, House Health Care Appropriations Chairman Matt Hudson, R-Naples, said lawmakers will have to use the $608 million total as they work on drawing up a budget.

"We have to go with what we know, and what we know is we have $608 (million),'' he said. That drew a response from Carvalho. "As long as there's time on the clock, we're going to keep fighting,'' he said.

EMERGENCY PRECAUTIONS COULD SHRINK BOAT FEES

The Stuart Republican is slated to introduce the legislation at a Wednesday press conference where he will be joined by Blu Stephanos, the father of Austin Stephanos. The younger Stephanos and another 14-year-old boy from the northern Palm Beach County village of Tequesta three months ago vanished at sea after leaving Jupiter Inlet in a 19-foot boat.

"Tragedies on our waterways have impacted communities across our state, including my local community on the Treasure Coast," Negron said in the release. "While government cannot prevent these horrific incidents, we can and should do more to encourage boaters to have solid safety precautions in place as they enjoy time on Florida's coast and waterways."

Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, last month introduced a proposal (SB 644) that would increase the minimum age to operate personal watercraft in most Florida waters from 14 to 16. Ring's measure does not address the age of boat operators.

News Service of Florida reports.