This was a long, wet week. Got Mom all squared away with the car recall. Nothing was wrong with the car, but the amount of time, effort and aggravation was enormous. Time to do a Frozen - Let it go, let it go... Our next stop was Verizon. Store number one did not seem to like working with older buyers. We were kept standing for about 20 minutes (there was no where to sit) and when Mom was about ready to leave a young man came up to help. When asked if he could help her learn how to use the product he said there were You Tube videos she could watch. We didn't stay long. The second store was a complete 180. Veteran owned, set up with desks and chairs like a real office ready to do business. Everything she needs has been ordered, and they will help her as often as she needs to be sure she understands how to work the watch.
I showed some beautiful homes over the weekend, took a zoom class on affordable housing and went grocery shopping. I put an interesting article at the bottom about flood insurance rates and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac at the bottom.
Time to go out and do some fun things:
Weekly List of Live Music & DJ's
Here's what's happening in the music scene this week around our area.
Join us for great local talent, as well as a very active night life.
Come on out for a good time and some great music!
*Check back frequently for updates, as information is subject to change at any time.
Weekly List of Trivia & Bingo
Here's a list of where to go for Trivia & Bingo this week in our area.
Come out for a good time and some great fun!
*Check back frequently for updates as information is subject to change at any time.
Pool Tournament at Cumberland Breeze Bar & Bites
Create a Message in a Bottle at the Merry Mermaid
Enjoy fellowship and a glass of wine as you, and fellow crafters, create a Message in a Bottle.
All materials will be provided, but you can also bring a special note or love letter, to put in your bottle.
Class Fee is $25.00. Register by calling (760) 213-0551, or by stopping by the store.
Arts and Crafts -Teen Art League at Coastal Camden Art League
This is an on going class every Thursday night .The league is for teens 13yrs and up. Cost is $55 for the year. All supplies provided.
Shrek - The Musical
Don't miss your chance to see everyone's favorite ogre, Shrek, and his BFF, Donkey take the stage in this delightful musical.
Based on the Oscar-winning, DreamWorks animated film, Shrek The Musical is big summer fun for the whole family!
Come on out to sing, dance, and have a good time as your favorite characters entertain you with their side splitting humor and antics.
For more information: 912-510-9700 or www.saltwaterpac.org/
Large Galvanized Tray Class at Cottle & Gunn
In this class you'll paint a large galvanized tray with Annie Sloan chalk paint, and then your instructor will teach you how to stamp and embellish them in Iron Orchid Design transfers.
These are a great size to hang on the wall, or to display on a kitchen island or coffee table.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Summer Movie Days - FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Thinking of ways to beat the heat this summer? Wanting to get your family out of the house for the day?? Join us for a series of family-friendly films this summer at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge! Our Summer Movie Days will offer a movie showing in the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center auditorium, with a variety of classic family-friendly movies as a way to cool off on a hot Saturday afternoon. Each movie will begin at 2:00 p.m. and is open to all ages (see movie ratings below). The movie is free to attend with entrance to the refuge ($5/vehicle, Refuge Annual, or America the Beautiful Pass).
Plan to come out prior to the show and have lunch at Okefenokee Adventures or enjoy a picnic in the picnic area. Take a ride on Swamp Island Drive or bring the kids early and have them become Junior Refuge Managers before the show! Don’t miss all of the fun and educational activities right here in your backyard.
List of Showtimes:
- July 30 - FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Rated G (80 minutes)
- August 13 - Pete's Dragon, August 13th, Rated PG (103 minutes)
- August 27th- Zootopia, August 27th, Rated PG (108 minutes)
Contact the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center at 912-496-7836 with questions, or to find out more about visiting Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
Mingle at the Makery - Morning Event
Family Day at Unleashed Camden
City of Woodbine National Night Out 2022
The City of Woodbine invites you to join them as they celebrate National Night Out 2022. This event will be held on August 2, 2022, from 6-8 pm at the Riverwalk Gazebo Area along East Oak Street.
Together, we can make communities safer! Come out for free food (Kids 12 & under), games, child safety education, check out emergency vehicles, chat with law enforcement personnel, and have tons of family fun!
The City of Woodbine appreciates and values its citizens and looks forward to doing their part to give back to the community.
For more information please contact City Hall at 912-576-3211.
New Insurance Challenge: Rating Downgrades
Demotech rates insurers’ financial health and warned 17 Fla. firms of a possible downgrade. That creates homeowner problems if Fannie or Freddie hold the mortgage.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida regulators scrambled Thursday after they said a financial-ratings agency notified about 17 property-insurance companies of potential ratings downgrades.
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis questioned the ratings agency, Demotech, Inc., and warned that such widespread downgrades could affect homeowners across the state.
The ratings are important for homeowners with loans owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac because the lending giants require property insurers to maintain an adequate financial rating. If the rating isn’t considered adequate, homeowners must find other coverage.
So far, the insurers have only been warned.
In letters Thursday to leaders of the mortgage-finance giants and the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Patronis criticized Demotech and the possibility that downgrades would lead to insurers not meeting the ratings requirements and, as a result, creating problems for policyholders’ mortgages.
“If (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) de-authorized a sizeable percentage of Florida’s insurers based on the dubious ratings of one company, it would create financial chaos for millions of Floridians,” Patronis wrote.
The state Office of Insurance Regulation late Thursday afternoon released Patronis’ letters and a letter that Altmaier wrote to Demotech President Joseph Petrelli. The documents did not name insurers that could face downgrades, with Altmaier saying “approximately 17” could be affected.
Downgrades would add to existing problems in the state’s property-insurance market, as many carriers have dropped customers and sought major rate increases because of financial losses. Four property insurers have been declared insolvent since late February, and thousands of policies a week pour into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session in May to try to help stem the problems. While lawmakers made a series of changes, they acknowledged that the market would not be fixed quickly.
In a June 30 news release, Demotech said it was continuing to “review, analyze, and evaluate Q1 (first quarter) 2022 operating results, catastrophe reinsurance programs, disaster recovery plans, catastrophe response plans, the legislation emerging from the special session at the end of May 2022, and other considerations. These factors, and others, influence Demotech’s quarterly assessment of financial stability ratings assigned to carriers writing residential property insurance in Florida.”
But in a three-page letter Thursday to Petrelli, Altmaier raised questions about issues such as Demotech’s ratings methodology.
“Given the potential impact of Demotech’s financial ratings, OIR (the Office of Insurance Regulation) believes Demotech should perform a more comprehensive review, using consistent standards, of the proposed ratings prior to their effective date,” Altmaier wrote.
“Additionally, in the interest of stabilizing the private market and ensuring companies have all necessary information to take appropriate corrective action, we strongly encourage Demotech to clearly communicate its rating standards and methodology prior to these ratings becoming effective.”
© 2022 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved.
|