August 2019
Trust Tips is a resource for members of the Trusts administered by the Florida League of Cities. Here you’ll find tips and other information from the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust, Florida Municipal Investment Trust, Florida Municipal Loan Council and Florida Municipal Pension Trust Fund

Click the hyperlinks above to contact an insurance or financial services representative directly.
  In This Issue:

  • FMIT Announces New Program: Florida Firefighter Cancer Benefit
  • Cities that Weathered Michael to Share About Disaster Recovery
  • Cyber Solutions: Resources and Training for Data Security and Security Risk Management
  • Closing Out Your Insurance Loss
  • Free Webinar Offered on Preventing Ransomware
  • Access to Employment Law Attorneys at No Cost to Your Organization
  • Don’t Let Electrical Surges Shock Your City into Submission
  • Property Deductibles and Named Storms: FMIT Mitigates Huge Financial Risk to Members
  • No Modified Duty Available? Think Outside the Box!
  • Florida League of Cities Wins United Healthcare Award
FMIT Announces New Program:
Florida Firefighter Cancer Benefit

The Florida Municipal Insurance Trust , in partnership with The Hartford, has designed a lump-sum cancer benefit program that complies with the newly enacted state law SB 426 that went into effect July 1, 2019. This program helps all local government employers of firefighters obtain lower pricing through group purchasing and makes it easier for them to comply as they administer benefits required in providing this valuable firefighter program.

The program is affordably priced. For more information about the FMIT’s Florida Firefighter Cancer Benefit Program, email FFCP@flcities.com or call (833) 861-9424.

The Florida League of Cities ’ annual conference will offer a session about the benefit on Saturday, August 17. The speakers will be Amber Hughes , FLC senior legislative advocate , and Clay Austin , director of trust services at the FLC. For more information on the conference, click here
Cities that Weathered Michael
To Share About Disaster Recovery

Hurricane Michael cut a swath of destruction through the Florida Panhandle. After such a disaster, communities look to their city leaders to help them recover quickly and effectively. If you are attending the Florida League of Cities annual conference August 15-17, you won’t want to miss the session on having a successful disaster recovery plan.

Hear how leaders from larger and smaller cities used all available resources to meet the tremendous challenges they faced head-on. This session will have a special focus on how the right insurance and recovery partner can make the difference between success and failure. The speakers will be Keith E. “Ed” Cook , city manager of the City of Callaway , Taylor Matheny , director of operations for SynergyNDS , and Mark T. McQueen , city manager of the City of Panama City . The topic is “You Can Weather the Storm: How a Successful Disaster Recovery Plan and Partner Can Get You Through It.” For more information on the conference, click here .
Cyber Solutions: Resources and Training
For Data Security and Security Risk Management
Protecting your organization’s sensitive data is always a priority. Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, and many organizations are not able to proactively prevent or detect data breaches due to limited human and financial resources. Cyber Solutions offers resources and training materials to help general liability policyholders with the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust successfully prepare for, investigate and respond to privacy or security breaches.

Cyber Solutions offers turnkey training programs for your employees. It provides resources to assist an organization in investigating suspected and confirmed data incidents. Our cybersecurity experts are ready to triage and assess the severity of a data breach incident while coordinating the resources and services you may need to meet legal requirements and maintain consumer confidence. Our Privacy Builder toolkit helps you build your internal data privacy and security program.
 
To learn more, contact Melissa Solis . Telephone: (407) 367-1831.
Closing Out Your Insurance Loss

By Mike Matheny

Many members of the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust are familiar with how to report a loss to FMIT and provide claim information for review by an adjuster. In a catastrophic event when multiple assets are damaged, numerous adjuster estimates are created, and information overload creeps in. In this situation, FMIT members should understand how to effectively navigate the claims closeout process.

The new FMIT Spotlight program is a series of short videos containing valuable information for FMIT members with property coverage. The first video is “Closing Out Your Insurance Loss.” Click here to access the Spotlight page for the first video.

Mike Matheny is principal/manager at Synergy Companies – FMIT Turnkey Recovery Program Managers.
Free Webinar Offered
On Preventing Ransomware

There have been several recent high-profile ransomware attacks against Florida local governments that have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. To help combat these attacks, the Florida Local Government Information Systems Association (FLGISA) is offering webinars to discuss ransomware. The in-depth training includes recommended best practices, tools and services to prevent these types of intrusions onto networks. These webinars are designed for local governments of all sizes, and they are open to all Florida local governments staff.

The second webinar in this series was presented by Tim Brown, executive director of the Northwest Regional Data Center . He brings over 28 years of IT experience to the organization, with a focus on strategic planning, budgeting, building and leading support and development teams in academic settings. He is a certified information systems security professional and certified information systems auditor. To access the webinar recording, click here .
Access to Employment Law Attorneys
At No Cost to Your Organization

The Florida Municipal Insurance Trust’s exclusive Employment Law Advisor (ELA) program offers access to a Florida-based attorney with significant public-sector employment law experience. There is no cost to members of the FMIT family with liability coverage for employment practices.

This attorney can help with a wide range of employment-related matters, including hiring, discipline, promotion/demotion, transfer, reassignment, layoff, termination, and complaints of discrimination, harassment, unfair treatment and retaliation. Members can speak with an attorney Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., by calling (888) 368-FMIT (3648). 
Don’t Let Electrical Surges
Shock Your City into Submission

by Evan MacClellan

Lightning strikes and the resulting electrical surges can cause big problems for cities, towns and villages. After all, Florida is the lightning strike capital of the United States. If you live between Tampa and Titusville, you’re in the motherland known as Lightning Alley.

There are steps municipalities can take to ensure that vital services go mostly uninterrupted during these frequent storms. For information, click here .
 
Evan MacClellan is a risk and safety consultant with the Florida Municipal Insurance Trust, which is administered by the Florida League of Cities.
Property Deductibles and Named Storms:
FMIT Mitigates Huge Financial Risk to Members

by Tony Scott

Hurricane Michael was one of the strongest storms to affect the United States in recorded history. However, it is not just major disasters that can expose Florida municipalities to tremendous financial risk. The Florida Municipal Insurance Trust helps its members with property coverage reduce their risk during named storm events.

For insurers to maintain financial viability, they must spread their risk. For more information, click here .

Tony Scott is principal, Synergy ID LLC & Synergy NDS, Inc. – FMIT Turnkey Recovery Program Managers
No Modified Duty Available?
Think Outside the Box! 

by Vernell K. Goodridge

Thinking outside of the box is not necessary all of the time. Some things work quite well inside the box. This is never true when it comes to creating a modified duty return-to-work program.

To get the injured worker healthy and back to work, there might be a transitional period called “modified or light duty.” Wise employers understand this stage is very important and create return-to-work (RTW) programs.

If you are having problems creating an RTW program, think outside the box . There is a direct correlation between an employer’s experience mod, the attitude and health of employees, and whether it has a viable RTW program. Click here for an article from the Workers’ Compensation Institute on a non-traditional light duty program.
 
Vernell K. Goodridge CWC, ACA, CWCL, is the workers’ compensation claims manager for the Florida League of Cities.
Florida League of Cities
Wins United Healthcare Award

by Gwen Mahabir, MS, CHES

The Florida League of Cities is one of eight national recipients of the United Healthcare “Well Deserved” Honorable Mention award. This is the fifth consecutive year that the League’s Hometown Health program has been honored with this prestigious award.
 
This award recognizes organizations that motivate and empower employees to improve their health and well-being by creating a culture of wellness in the workplace. “It’s important to shine a light on successful, properly designed well-being programs that emphasize leadership support, effective communications and engaging incentives,” said Ann Marie O’Brien, RN, UnitedHealthcare’s national director of health strategies.
 
The Hometown Health wellness program is offered to 64 Florida municipalities. A huge thank you to participants for engaging in the many program offerings. To learn more about Hometown Health, click here .

Gwen Mahabir, MS, CHES, is Hometown Health manager at the Florida League of Cities.