Anne Geggis
Three-term Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings is running for the U.S. Senate, but she is calling for a Special Session of the state Legislature to forestall a property insurance meltdown in the face of Hurricane Ian’s destruction.
Her office issued a news release calling on the Governor and state legislative leaders to come together in the face of catastrophic destruction. And Demings wants them to do it before financial protection for property owners is annihilated completely.
“Florida families are hurting, the property insurance system is crumbling, and homeowners are paying the price, literally,” her statement reads, also citing her working-class bona fides as the daughter of a maid and a janitor.
“With Hurricane Ian dealing a heavy blow to Florida communities, it is critical that leaders across our state come together without delay and take unified action to shore up Citizens Insurance and ensure that our insurance system can withstand this storm.”
Demings said she’s done what she can on the federal level. But this is truly a state-level problem, her Monday release argued.
Property insurance was addressed during a Special Session held in May. But it didn’t do the trick, according to Demings’ statement. Days before Hurricane Ian hit, another insurer, FedNat, became insolvent, the sixth company to leave the Florida market this year.
Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book released a statement saying she’s all for heading back to Tallahassee before the next official Session. She noted the situation’s urgency.
“Ian’s wake has laid bare years and years of those in power turning a blind eye to the homeowners’ insurance crisis,” said her statement, which also rapped Republicans’ focus on “culture wars,” like the effort to more closely regulate teachers’ discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation.
“For too long, Band-Aids have been used instead of offering real solutions to ensure accountability for rate-payers and a more stable insurance market for our state.”
During the Special Session on property insurance, lawmakers approved a $2 billion fund for insurers to buy themselves insurance to protect themselves from risk and bankruptcy, and another measure that increases insurers’ flexibility on roofing coverage.
“Short-term patches and Band-Aids during election years are not sufficient to protect Florida’s homeowners,” Demings statement read.
The Republican rival she is trying to unseat, Florida’s senior U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also had property insurance on his mind Monday. Lawsuits are the culprit for the issues Florida’s insurance market is facing, he argued, noting that Florida accounts for less than 10% of the insurance market, yet accounts for 80% of the insurance lawsuits.
#Florida was facing a property insurance crisis even before #Ian because we are less than 10% of the nations homeowner insurance claims but rampant roofing scams make us almost 80% of the insurance lawsuits
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 3, 2022
Rubio was Speaker of the House in 2007 when another property insurance bill was signed to expand the offerings and reduce the rates of the state’s insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance.
The Governor’s Office did not immediately answer an inquiry Monday afternoon about whether Hurricane Ian is cause for a Special Session addressing property insurance. No Republican leaders from either chamber of the Legislature responded to a request for comment on a Special Session from FloridaPolitics Monday.
Demings, however, seems to think that an event this catastrophic calls for a large-scale effort.
“Our response to this storm must go beyond sandbags and plywood — we owe it to Florida families to build an insurance system that is accessible and affordable,” her statement said.
The release also noted that Demings voted for a continuing resolution to keep the government open, including $21 billion for disaster recovery: $18.8 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, and $2 billion for Community Development Block Grants – Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR).
Rubio was not present for that vote, due to the hurricane.
Senator Rubio remains in Florida as hurricane watches and warnings extend throughout the state.
The impact of #HurricaneIan on Tampa Bay and the Florida's gulf coast could be catastrophic.
Senator Rubio urges everyone to heed evacuation orders immediately.— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) September 27, 2022
His office also noted that Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott sent a letter Friday to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking “to develop a disaster supplemental that will provide the necessary assistance for Florida to recover from this devastating hurricane.”
25 comments
Charlie Crist
October 3, 2022 at 6:21 pm
Vote for me and Val. We care about people who aren’t rich. We aren’t empty suit puppets for the rich and the grifters who exploit the working class.
Maggie
October 3, 2022 at 6:41 pm
If this person is truly Charlie Crist, then your response is very weak. A person running for the Governorship of this state needs to make A STATEMENT,
Hope
October 3, 2022 at 6:43 pm
Don’t vote for me and Val. We don’t care about people who aren’t rich. We are empty suit puppets for the rich and the grifters who exploit the working class.
* Your typos and disinformation have been corrected. You are welcome!
Joe Corsin
October 3, 2022 at 8:27 pm
@Hope: You full of manure you right wing ¢unt😂
Tom
October 4, 2022 at 8:52 am
Incest Joey corsin degenerate.
Go get mommy!
User187
October 3, 2022 at 6:52 pm
Please commit Japanese ritualistic suicide.
Tom
October 3, 2022 at 9:25 pm
Joey degenerate, you loser.
Everyone is kicking your ass!
It sucks being you. Hang in there, stop the incest.
The Real Tom
October 3, 2022 at 10:19 pm
Tropical 2 swirling ocean typhooncane
Maggie
October 3, 2022 at 6:29 pm
I give her “E” for effort, however the State had a Special Session in May at which time they proudly screamed that the Problems had been fixed. I don’t recall how many other sessions have been held but no matter what nothing gets done! Alot of posturing, so called fixes (read the small print—-a BIG NO) and plenty of back slapping….look what I did for you, residents of Florida. Now look behind the curtain, insurance companies are in control, the Commissioner and staff are held hostage AND the campaign contributions go UP. And what about the people of this state? They get stuck holding the bag, with little to no hope!
Tom
October 3, 2022 at 7:16 pm
E for what?
Dumings is clueless.
As you are Maggie.
Joe Corsin
October 3, 2022 at 8:30 pm
It’s not “dum”… it’s dumb you imbecile 😆 You shouldn’t be allowed to vote. This why this country so fked because of stupid people!!!!
Tom
October 3, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Ok dum, dum Dumings.
Go back to looking for your revolver, gun.
Meaningless.
They placed $2 billion in the citizens fund.
Insurance is risk, Florida is risk,
Joe Corsin
October 3, 2022 at 8:28 pm
You are one to be calling people “dum dum” Mr. Tropical 2 swirling ocean typhooncane 😆
Tom
October 3, 2022 at 9:22 pm
You are dum, I own you Joey degenerate. I kick your ass all across FP. LMAO.
The Real Tom
October 3, 2022 at 10:21 pm
“dum I own” – Tom Dumbass
PeterH
October 3, 2022 at 7:28 pm
FUN FACT:
INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE LEAVING FLORIDA AND NOT RETURNING!
YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY. NO MORE INSURANCE, NO MORE UNINSURED BANK LOANS ….. GUBBERMENT FREE STUFF WILL GO AWAY SFTER A FEW MORE HURRICANES.
Lucky Larry
October 4, 2022 at 1:16 am
Too bad Lauren Book survived Ian.
Tom Hope
October 4, 2022 at 8:57 am
For years, Rick Scott, Ron DeSantas and the GOP dominated Florida Legislature gutted Florida’s growth management laws, including provisions designed to prevent further increases in coastal density and intensity of development in the coastal high hazard areas. Good planning involves evaluation of evacuation times, available shelters, and the number and special needs of the residents of a given city or county. Instead of paying attention to such basic planning principles and enforcing the fairly good growth management laws designed to help mitigate risks and prevent increasing the risks; the GOP decided to GUT those laws with the help of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the homebuilders, and big developers, so that they could sell more units to dumb transplants in harm’s way. Gee, look at the pretty ocean from your barrier island high-rise condo, Yank, that will only be $750,000. Then when no rational insurance company would insure such sitting ducks, those same greed heads created “Citizens” the socialist State-run insurance company to write policies. All along, it was well known that tropical cyclones have hit Florida as long as records have been kept. Geeze, what did our GOP “leadership” would happen? Of course, they have pocketed the profits from selling risky development to transplants; now, they expect the taxpayers of the United States, and all insured property owners of Florida to pay for the claims now that these castles made of sand have been destroyed. Gross. Wake up everybody, you are being duped. Of course, one has to feel sorry to those whose lives have been adversely affected by the Hurricane; but one has to take some personal responsibility for one’s actions: if you live on a barrier island in Florida, it’s just a matter of time before your residence will be impacted by a tropical cyclone – duh. Ironically, Rona voted against aid for Superstorm Sandy victims for that very reason; now he has his big fat hand out and acts like he didn’t know that this tragedy would happen in the land of Freedom. I don’t hear him calling for a special session to address this; like he did to fix those “woke” Disney executives. FYYCSMF Rona. Go Val!
John
October 4, 2022 at 4:58 pm
For the love of God,pull your head out of NPR’s ass and uncross your eyes… everything is going to shit with you libtards running things
Tjb
October 4, 2022 at 9:39 am
Tallahassee has been ruled by Republicans for years, why haven’t these Republican supported legislative reforms that would have made property insurance affordable and available to Floridians?
If I am correct, when Charlie was Governor, property insurance became less expensive.
Impeach Biden
October 4, 2022 at 9:56 am
Okay I’ll bite. How do you make homeowners insurance less expensive with these hurricanes that visit Florida almost every year? Someone has to absorb the claims. Kind of like Jose Biden and his student debt Ponzi scheme. Someone has to pay for that as well. Why me? I paid for my college.
Joe Corsin
October 4, 2022 at 10:57 am
Where did you go to school and how did you pay..
Tom
October 4, 2022 at 11:55 am
Insurance anywhere, for anyone is risk. Florida maybe the greatest risk for insurance. Impeach is correct.
Ignorant Joey Soros Corsin is incorrect! His alias above is ignorance. Just a pussy, no balls
When you can’t offer your name, just a scum bag.
John
October 4, 2022 at 3:59 pm
Charley and val oversaw the state with the largest housing bubble in the history of mankind… California needs them
Verdine Burden
October 6, 2022 at 3:35 pm
I see my boy is here. He loves Lauren Book so much he will follow her to the ends of the Earth.
Comments are closed.