Meet Mark Delegal

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 Overview

With almost three decades of experience, Mr. Delegal provides a wealth of legislative, regulatory and administrative law services. He has a substantial background in serving as counsel to insurance companies, hospitals, physician groups and other providers as well as advising local governments, Florida-domiciled businesses and business associations throughout the state. From advocating on policy for clients to voicing their concerns about issues of specific concern, Mr. Delegal provides personalized attention to thoroughly represent clients before numerous Florida government entities.

Regulatory Representation

Mr. Delegal advises companies focused on property and casualty, life, medical malpractice insurance, third-party administrators, continuing care retirement communities, and managed care in matters before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. He guides clients on all types of regulatory issues, including rate and form filings, licensure applications, and financial and market conduct examinations. Before the Department of Financial Services, Mr. Delegal assists agents and agencies with regulatory investigations and other licensure issues. Mr. Delegal also represents the interests of healthcare companies before the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration in areas such as Medicaid funding, healthcare quality compliance and other legal services. Before the Florida Department of Health, he assists with the application of biomedical research funding involving cancer and other disease-related research and with the regulation of the state’s trauma service network. 

Legislative Representation

Mr. Delegal represents a number of different Florida businesses, including manufacturing, agricultural, health care and insurance businesses. He represents some of the largest insurance companies in the nation as well as top Florida hospitals, physicians and other healthcare entities before both the Florida legislature and cabinet. As a lobbyist for major property and casualty insurance companies for more than 20 years, Mr. Delegal has advocated on behalf of clients to position their significant property, casualty and life insurance reform initiatives before policymakers. In addition, he is heavily involved in the Medicaid appropriations process for safety net hospitals and other healthcare entities statewide. In his representation of healthcare organizations and hospitals, Mr. Delegal has secured critical funding for the populations served by those entities, particularly as it relates to the state’s hospital disproportionate share program, low-income pool program and intergovernmental transfers.

Administrative Counsel

Mr. Delegal’s administrative law practice includes insurer formation, acquisition, reorganization, market conduct examination, form and rate approval, and financial reporting. He has counseled clients on mergers and sales of insurance companies. He has substantive knowledge in resolving agency and broker issues, third-party administrators (TPAs), appointments, contracts, licensing and compliance services for insurance companies and other insurance-related entities. He also has extensive experience in agency rule development. When clients are disputing state and federal constitutional challenges to legislative and administrative agency action, Mr. Delegal consults and advises clients in litigation using his extensive subject matter knowledge and experience.

Regulatory Representation

  • Representing an insurance company in gaining approval from Florida state regulators to assume policies from Florida’s residual market
  • Assisting a Florida insurance company in receiving state approval of a rate filing for property insurance policies, which allowed insurance companies to offer new policies in Florida for the first time in five years
  • Representing a health insurance company in obtaining approval from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to terminate the issuance of group health insurance without issuing a conversion policy to all insureds, pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Representing a Florida-based malpractice insurance company in transitioning its business via an acquisition to a California-based medical malpractice insurance company
  • Representing a group of 14 hospitals before the Agency for Health Care Administration regarding interaction and resolution of a Medicaid reconciliation process with the federal government

Legislative Representation

  • Representing a medical malpractice insurance company in opposing a no-fault system for medical malpractice insurance bill during the 2014 Florida legislative session resulting in the bill failing to gain passage
  • Representing an automobile insurance company in assisting with the reform of the Florida No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act during the 2012 Florida legislative session
  • Representing a life insurance company in opposing the repeal of a tax credit on premium taxes payable by insurance companies during the 2013 Florida legislative session resulting in the defeat of the proposal
  • Representing one of the state’s leading academic cancer centers in obtaining and implementing a program to fund cancer research and cancer care

Administrative Counsel

  • Representing a technology company in procurement, administrative and political processes to provide a product to the state’s revenue department
  • Assisting a national mortgage insurance firm in obtaining a Florida Certificate of Authority license to operate a mortgage insurance company in Florida

Credentials

EDUCATION

  • Mercer University, J.D.
  • University of Florida, B.A.

BAR ADMISSIONS/LICENSES

  • Florida
  • Georgia

COURT ADMISSIONS

  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Florida Chamber of Commerce, Board of Governors, 2003-present
  • Florida Chamber of Commerce, Political Institute, 2003-2017
  • American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), Teaching Hospitals and Academic Medical Centers Practice Group
  • Rick Scott for Governor, Finance Team, 2014
  • Mitt Romney for President, Steering Committee, 2012
  • The Florida Bar, Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee, 2016-present
  • The Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee, 2000-2004
  • The Florida Bar Ethics Review Panel, 2000-2004
  • The Florida Bar Special Committee for the ABA Model Rules, 2000-2004
  • Leon County Republican Executive Committee, 1998-2000
  • Boys’ Choir of Tallahassee, President
  • Florida Blue Key, 1988

HONORS & AWARDS

  • INFLUENCE Magazine, Golden Rotunda Award, Insurance Lobbyist of the Year, 2016
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Insurance Law, 2006-2020
  • The Best Lawyers in America guide, Tallahassee Insurance Law Lawyer of the Year, 2014
  • Chambers USA – America’s Leading Business Lawyers guide, Insurance, 2006-2020
  • The Legal 500, Government Relations, 2015, 2019
  • Florida Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
  • Florida Super Lawyers magazine, 2006-2009, 2012-2019
  • William E. Rion Most Outstanding Graduating Senior Award, 1989

Speaking Engagements

The Florida Chamber Insurance Summit

PROGRAM DIRECTOR / NOVEMBER 4-5, 2019

The Florida Chamber Insurance Summit

2008-2018

Florida Chamber’s 2016 Capitol Days

JANUARY 13-15, 2016

Climbing Out of Florida’s “Judicial Hellhole”

FLORIDA CHAMBER’S 2015 CAPITOL DAYS / MARCH 15, 2015

The Eighth Annual Florida Chamber Insurance Summit

JANUARY 26-28, 2015

Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund 2014 Participating Insurers Workshop

JUNE 19-20, 2014

2014 Florida Legislative Recap

HOLLAND & KNIGHT WEBINAR / JUNE 11, 2014

That Sinking Feeling: Issues involving Florida’s Sinkholes, Litigation and Legislation

BIG BEND PARALEGAL ASSOCIATION SPRING SEMINAR, THE LAW BOAT: NAVIGATING THE LEGAL WAVES / APRIL 5, 2014

The Seventh Annual Florida Chamber Insurance Summit

JANUARY 15-17, 2014

Staying the Course: The March to a Better Market Place

FACILITATOR / ANNUAL FLORIDA CHAMBER INSURANCE SUMMIT / NOVEMBER 2012

A Vibrant Insurance Market: Critical for Economic Growth

FACILITATOR / 5TH ANNUAL FLORIDA CHAMBER INSURANCE SUMMIT / NOVEMBER 2011

CLE Presentation: FDLA

2011 DEFENSE COUNSEL CONFERENCE / AUGUST 12, 2011

You Know the Problems, Let’s Talk Solutions

FACILITATOR / 4TH ANNUAL FLORIDA CHAMBER INSURANCE SUMMIT / JANUARY 2011

Participating Insurers Workshop – Current Insurance Issues in Florida: Windstorm Loss Mitigation Inspections/Re-inspections

MODERATOR/PANELIST / FLORIDA HURRICANE CATASTROPHE FUND / JUNE 2010

Market Based Solutions Equals Consumer Protection

FACILITATOR / 3RD ANNUAL FLORIDA CHAMBER INSURANCE SUMMIT / JANUARY 2010

Florida’s Insurance Crisis

SPEAKER / GREATER NAPLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE / 2008

Participating Insurers Workshop – The 2006 Legislative Session

PANELIST / FLORIDA HURRICANE CATASTROPHE FUND / MAY 2006

Publications:

Restoring Balance in Insurance Litigation

Florida Justice Reform Institute

Certain providers have partnered with attorneys to create a profitable litigation arrangement. In this arrangement, a service provider agrees to make a repair potentially covered by an insurance policy in exchange for the insurance policyholder’s right to sue his insurer via an assignment of insurance policy benefits. These service providers are typically associated with home and auto repairs. The service provider then often uses that acquired right to force the insurer to pay grossly inflated costs or risk even higher litigation costs. While policyholders simply seek to be made whole for losses, service providers and their attorneys are likely motivated to increase scope of work and to maximize profit and litigation fees.

Edge v. State: The Modified Merger Rule Comes Up Short

49 MERCER L. REV. 697, 1992-1993

Florida No-Fault Insurance Reform: A Step in the Right Direction

29 F.S.U. L. REV. 1031, 2002