TALLAHASSEE — Today, the Florida Legislature kicks off this year’s second special session to deal with our state’s collapsing property insurance market. After the $2 billion bailout for the insurance industry last May did nothing to lower rates for consumers or stabilize the market, Governor Ron DeSantis and his Republican allies in the Legislature appear ready to fulfill more of the industry’s wish list by making it harder for homeowners to sue over wrongly denied claims, forcing hundreds of thousands of Citizens policyholders into more expensive private plans, and plowing more taxpayer dollars into a fund for reinsurance for private companies. All of this will occur as those impacted by Hurricane Ian fight to receive the insurance claims payouts they are entitled to receive.
What is not on the table are any options to provide relief to policyholders who currently pay more than three times the national average for property insurance, a total number that has more than doubled since the Governor took office in 2019. It is no surprise the Governor is looking out for for his corporate donors though, as his political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, and the Republican Party of Florida has received almost $10 million in contributions from the insurance industry throughout his time in office, per an analysis of campaign finance records conducted by DeSantis Watch.
“Floridians throughout the state are struggling to rebuild following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Ian and Ron DeSantis is ready to once again do favors for the insurance companies wrongfully denying their claims,” said DeSantis Watch Communications Director Anders Croy. “Due to Ron’s Rising Rates, policyholders in Florida are being crushed by exorbitant property insurance costs that are making it even harder for workers and seniors on fixed incomes to afford to live their daily lives. While the people he was elected to serve are hurting, Ron is ready to once again give the corporate donors in the insurance industry who fund his political ambitions everything they want with no promise of lower rates for Floridians.”
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DeSantis Watch is a project of the Florida Communications and Research Hub dedicated to shining a spotlight on the Governor’s divisive policies and relentless political ambition. Together, we are building a grassroots movement to fight back against Ron DeSantis to ensure we all have the freedom to live our own version of the American Dream.
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