After a fierce lobbying battle that included arguments about insurance rates and “bad actors,” the Florida Senate on Wednesday approved an overhaul of the insurance practice known as assignment of benefits.

The 25-14 vote sends the measure (HB 7065) to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who quickly issued a statement saying he will sign it. Passage of the bill was a major victory for insurers and business groups, which have argued that “AOB” abuses and excessive litigation have driven up homeowners’ insurance premiums.

Law-enforcement officers could pull over motorists they see texting and driving, under a measure approved Tuesday by the House despite concerns the change could increase racial profiling.

However, the Senate is set to vote Wednesday on a different proposal that would only allow motorists to use hands-free wireless devices when they are traveling on Florida roads, a restriction that House leaders haven’t supported.

Florida’s senior senator on Capitol Hill is going to bat for Gov. Ron Descants' proposal for the federal government to assume more of the costs to help North Florida recover from Hurricane Michael. 

On Friday, Descants wrote President Donald Trump on the matter, urging him to make the federal government pay 90 percent of recovery costs instead of the current 75 percent. Descants noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reclassified Hurricane Michael 5 as a category 5 storm last week.