A proposed 14.5% workers’ compensation insurance rate increase will remain in effect unless the First District Court of Appeal rules otherwise, according to a recent decision from that body. In November of 2016, a district judge struck down the National Council on Compensation Insurance’s proposed increase because the NCCI did not comply with public hearings requirements and held closed-door meetings …

While business groups look to retake ground they first obtained in 2003, labor groups are gearing up to take advantage of the chance they see to redo the entire system in Florida. In December of 2016, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee began preparations for what will probably be a session-long debate on the subject. Recently, state regulators approved a …

Because of a legal loophole, safety procedures were dangerously inadequate at a Cantonment nitrous oxide plant, and the lax environment led to a chemical explosion that killed one person, according to the Chemical Safety Board. Although there are a number of federal rules and guidelines for hazardous chemical productions, these protocols do not technically apply to nitrous oxide. So, during …

As state senators review a comprehensive workers’ compensation reform law, the traditional pro-business Republican and pro-labor Democrats are lining up on either side. Alarmed after a 14.5% insurance premium increase, Republicans in the House passed a bill that’s designed to “reduce attorney involvement in the system,” according to Rep. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills). The House measure caps attorneys’ fees at $150 …

During World War II, several Hollywood directors left Tinseltown to create movies about the war that would inform and entertain the folks at home. The conflict changed all of them, and their wounds summarize the difficulties many returning military contractors face. When John Ford shipped off to Midway in early 1942, he believed that it would be a quiet, out-of-the-way …

More private contractors will soon be on the front line as tensions continue to simmer between North Korea and the United States. The Department of Defense (DoD) just awarded Gilbane a $133 million contract to expand Camp Humphreys, which is essentially between Seoul and Anjeong-ri. The strategically located Camp Humphreys is already home to the busiest Army airfield on the …

The Trump administration has reduced the usage of military contractors, a decline that may be a one-off aberration or may be the beginning of a trend. The U.S. government currently employs about 42,000 translators, security personnel, administrators, and other private contractors overseas, a figure that has dropped about 10% since the last days of the Obama administration. Since 2015, the …

The Supreme Court of the United States refused to dismiss a pair of disputes between KBR and former military contractors injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. In court documents, the Houston-based firm said that it had the same immunity to lawsuits from injured servicepeople that the United States government enjoyed. Furthermore, the judicial branch has no inherent authority to issue decisions …

The uncertainty over the change in presidential administrations that has affected some other sectors has not had any measurable impact on civilian contractor overseas jobs, according to Charmaine Bell at Engility Corporation. However, that is subject to change depending on “what’s happening around the world, the federal budget, and of course the current political landscape,” she added. For the most …

Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A. are pleased to have been a corporate supporter for the Fifth Annual Silver Hawk Golf Tournament sponsored by a local elementary school in Miami, Florida.  A full field of golfers and their families enjoyed the tournament and beautiful day on Saturday, May 20, 2017.  Barnett, Lerner, Karsen & Frankel, P.A. are delighted to have …

A large Chinese military installation will be less than five miles from one of the most important U.S. military bases in the Horn of Africa. Chinese officials characterized the installation in Djibouti, which has a coastline along the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb at the edge of the Red Sea, as a “logistical support” facility that helps facilitate peacekeeping efforts elsewhere in Africa. …

Following a spirited debate, the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee approved a measure that would reconfigure the workers’ compensation system in Florida. Much of the discussion about PCB IBS 17-01 centered on attorneys’ fees, which under the approved 34-page bill, could be as high as $250 an hour. Business groups insisted that a rate that high would drive up employer costs, …