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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This was it, he told his brother Jojo. He would finally be able to pay his mother back for the fender bender, buy some new shoes and, if things went well, maybe even start a life with his fiancee who was living in Atlanta. After getting his high school diploma, completing federal job training and sending out dozens of applications, Day Davis, 21, got a job. It was through a temp agency and didn’t pay very much, but he would be working at the Bacardi bottling plant, making the best-selling rum in the world. Click here to read more

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited The Roof Authority Inc. of Fort Pierce for one willful and one serious safety violation following an August 2013 inspection at a job site on North Palm-Aire Drive in Pompano Beach. OSHA conducted its inspection as part of the agency's regional emphasis program for falls in construction. Proposed penalties total $59,290. Click here to read more:

Timeliness is an issue worthy of attention. In October, the Florida First District Court of Appeal (DCA) decided Matheny, v. Indian River Fire Rescue. An employer prevailed at trial and the injured worker filed an appeal. The Court concluded that the appeal was not timely. Click here to read more:

In September, there was a rare exception in the national news. The story caught my eye and it's national coverage surprised me. It involved a fall down the stairs in 1986 up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Yes, that is almost 30 years ago; this accident has become old enough to vote, to drink and to have kids. Click here to read more:

If it doesn't work, is it fraud? If the result of some accident turns out to not be an injury, is it fraud to visit the doctor to find that out? Click here to read more:

An employer/carrier is faced with a decision when a workers’ compensation claim is reported in Florida. It can 1) pay benefits 2) deny the claim or 3) pay benefits while investigating and reserve its right to deny the claim within 120 days without prejudice and without admitting liability pursuant to Florida Statute 440.20(4). This article will focus on what triggers the 120 period, how certain actions or inactions impact the employer/carriers’ rights, and what to do if you make a mistake. Click here to read more:

The coming judgment day, may mean a change in the way Florida's economy looks. It may be an outcome loved by some, or loved by none. It is very difficult to predict. The Florida Supreme Court has demonstrated that it is willing to find a way, perhaps not different from the manner in which water that falls on the plains inevitably, inexorably, finds a way to reach to the sea. Florida has watched several cases challenge the sufficiency of workers' compensation. Click here to read more:

Pointing to a major Florida Supreme Court ruling on attorney fees, state regulators issued an order that said workers' compensation insurance rates should increase 14.5 percent starting later this year. ​ The long-awaited order by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation trimmed a proposal that called for increasing rates 19.6 percent. Nevertheless, business groups immediately warned that a 14.5 percent increase would hurt employers. Click here to read more:

The issue of medical marijuana in the workers’ comp arena is approaching a crucial “tipping point,” and producers who haven’t taken action on behalf of their clients could be in for some nasty surprises. That’s the message from PRIUM Senior Vice President Mark Pew, a 30-year workers’ comp vet and opinion leader on the medical marijuana front. It was also the message of a roundtable discussion at the 2014 CLM Annual Conference in Florida. Click here to read more:

As discussed in NCCI’s previous Marijuana Conversation—“Questions Workers Compensation Insurers Are Asking”—medical marijuana is currently legal in 29 states, as well as Washington, DC. It’s also legal for recreational use in eight states and Washington, DC. However, marijuana is still illegal at the federal level and is classified as a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act—the same category as heroin and cocaine. Like insurers, employers face a host of questions regarding the growing legalization of marijuana, what impact it may have on the workplace, and how it may relate to an employer’s workers compensation coverage. Click here to Read more:

Florida construction companies allegedly have a pattern of hiring undocumented immigrants, then calling authorities on injured employees rather than paying for workers’ compensation. This all got covered in a yearlong investigation by The Naples Daily News. Click to Read More: