Documents show a Scott push to shutter Citizens

[Zorro]

Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Gov. Rick Scott has secretly pushed to kill Citizens Property Insurance before his first term ends, a goal that alarmed even representatives of private insurance companies seeking to remove Citizens as a competitor, the Herald-Tribune has learned.

In a February meeting with the industry lobbyists writing bills for the upcoming legislative session, documents show that Governor Scott's top staff sought to force the 1.3 million property owners who now have a policy from the state-run carrier back into the private market, "phasing out Citizens completely."

The industry lobbyists protested that Florida carriers could not absorb all of Citizens' business, records show.

The gap would force many Florida property owners to turn to the unregulated surplus lines market, where rates are unchecked and policies are not backed by a state guarantee fund.

Read more: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110423/ARTICLE/110429746/2416/NEWS?Title=Documents-show-a-Scott-push-to-shutter-Citizens

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This guy is a real piece of work. He's so bad even his fellow Republicants are offended by his policies.

[msongs]

1. he is the popular choice of the voters in florida. can he be recalled? nt

[atreides1]

3. Don't think so

I don't think Florida has a recall procedure, and as you said he was the popular choice of Florida voters...it looks as if they'll just have to suffer with the results of their choice.


The same goes for Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, and any other state that decided they could trust Republicans.

[freshwest]

8. They get away with this because it falls on individuals. I don't think there's a competing...

Media supported alternative to what he's doing. People will probably just say, 'well, we used to have...' but I don't believe they can put down their distractions long enough to see the big picture. They'll believe privatization is the way it's supposed to be. Anyone that makes an argument for continuing public insurance is going to be branded a socialist.

[999998th word]

13. I sure as hell didnt vote him in,and neither did anyone in my family.

Where do you live that you can afford to be so smug?

We would all like to find that utopian paradise,and spend our

lives in a place where we dont ever have to worry the consequences

of an ignorant naive short sighted electorate.

Please share.

[jpak]

16. Asterisk for Maine - LePage only got 38% of the vote - and we do not trust him

and Maine repugs don't trust him either

yup

[juajen]

31. Grey Davis was the popular choice in California, and they recalled him.

What difference does it make if he WAS the popular choice. If he is no longer the popular choice, he should be able to be recalled, IMHO.

[WhiteTara]

36. Diebold recalled Gray Davis;

not the citizens.

[FLyellowdog]

10. He won by less than 1% of the vote...

today he wouldn't be even that "popular". :puke:

[mwb970]

15. If any of these gubernatorial elections were held today, the Tea Party a-hole would lose.

Here in Ohio, a Strickland-Kasich rematch held today would go for Strickland in a landslide, now that the voters have seen both men in action. Of course, it's too late now.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

32. Everything their opponents said about them was true (even worse than what they said).

But when have you ever seen a Dem, claimed to be a socialist by their opponent, ever fulfill that claim?



:think:

[ShockediSay]

37. No We Don't Want Big Government; We want big corporate $ Insurance Co.s

ruling our lives.

[Loge23]

24. ...and out-spent his competitor 8 to 1!! (eom)

[Lorien]

30. And these days "close elections" are highly favored by the owners of Diebold

and the GOP.

[1monster]

29. No. Florida's recall laws apply only to county and municipal governments that are Charter.

I've never been convinced though, that Scott was the popular choice. Sink was five percent ahead of Scott for the whole week before the election day. She ended the day at five percent behind.

Remember, Tom Feeney (at the time Florida State Senate Leader) had requested and received a program that would change the result of the election.

If the Republican PTB have this program (or another one like it) they use it.

[robinlynne]

34. You assume the votes were actually counted as cast?

[Qutzupalotl]

2. Who does he think he is, George W. Bush?

It's like he's vying for Asshole of the Year.

[wordpix]

4. no doubt a BFF of Jebbie, at least

[SoapBox]

5. He's rotten, rotten, rotten to the core.

...an A-typical RushThug / T.HaterBagger.

Hates America...Hates Americans.

How about this OT gem:

"Michigan Watch: Foster kids would be allowed to get clothing only from second hand stores"

http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/04/23/michigan-watch-foster-kids-would-be-allowed-to-get-clothing-only-from-second-hand-stores/

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freshwest]

7. More privatization, what a transparent scam. Bet he'll get away with it, too.

[jmowreader]

9. Right now there's only one hope for Florida...

and it involves Rick Scott being eaten by an alligator.

[Fuddnik]

12. No there's not.

Every alligator in the state would die of indigestion before it got through our legislature. And the saddest thing is, there's NO effective opposition. None. Period.

The FDP is a glorified social club for irrelevant octogenarians.

[Fuddnik]

11. Oh, Sweet fucking, good god Jeebus on a pogo stick!

This ball-headed criminal fuck has no clue what the fuck we pay for insurance in this state!

State Farm just dropped me. Along with another 80,000 homeowners.

I'm paying $5,000 per year for insurance on a place with a replacement value of under $200,000! That is 10 times what I paid on the same valued house in Ohio! And, that's NOT including another $1,000 per year for flood insurance.

Fuck 'em. Wells Fargo can have this fucking place for all I care anymore!

[Zorro]

23. I've been through the same gristmill with a house in Sarasota

Dropped by State Farm, picked up by Citizens. Dropped by Citizens, picked up by a public insurance company. Dropped by that company, picked up by a different public insurance company.

I did discover that paying ~$100 for a "Wind Mitigation Survey" reduced the insurance quote over 60%, and my new annual premium is less than what I was paying on either of the previous two policies for the same coverage. The survey takes a look at how your roof is strapped down.

[jerseyjack]

14. Citizens' Property is socialist Gub'mint run insurance?

I didn't know. I'm cancelling mine right now. What that? Aetna will cost me more for the same insurance?

[jpak]

17. Is this the insurer of last resort for folks that have been dropped by private insurance companies

If so - Scott is the biggest asshole in FL

and that is saying something

yup

[QC]

19. Yes, Citizens is the insurer of last resort (and expensive, too).

It will be interesting to see what happens to those whose home private insurers will not touch--which is a lot of people here. Will their mortgage companies put them on the streets if they cannot maintain their insurance obligations? Who knows, but it doesn't matter to Scott, who, after all, has got his.

[crazylikafox]

21. My 93 yr old mother was just dropped by her private insurance because she has a manufactured home.

Citizens was the only company that would give her insurance, at a much higher expense, I might add.

[jpak]

25. I met a young FL couple (teachers) who bought their first home only to have their insurance premiums

jump from $800 a year to $10,000 a year (and 80 year old home that had been undamaged by previous hurricanes).

They had to sell it at a loss cuz they could not find affordable insurance

They young lady cried when she told me about it

[plumbob]

18. Seems to me that this violates the Sherman Act,

It certainly meets the prima facie test of getting rid of the competition by collusion.

Prison time and fines.

Well, I can dream.

[NashVegas]

20. The Buried Story

meeting with the industry lobbyists writing bills for the upcoming legislative session,

Our laws are not being written by elected representatives.

[999998th word]

33. Right--the ubiquitous A.L.E.C.

All over like horseshit.

[nashville_brook]

22. as someone who's had to use Citizens' -- i'm wondering, how does CA insure high-risk property?

any Californians here know?

[Zorro]

26. Depends on the assessed risk

Earthquake coverage is separate from the standard homeowner's policy, so that's an additional premium.

Insurance companies here typically put a hold on issuing policies in fire-prone areas immediately after a major fire, but it seems it doesn't take too long before they're writing policies again in such areas.

Not sure how they handle it for mudslide areas.

I have a general opinion that the California Department of Insurance works effectively in ensuring that people can get their property insured at a relatively reasonable cost.

[nashville_brook]

35. thank you -- that's really helpful. i think the biggest problem here in FL

is that we have a completely captured insurance regulatory agency.

it's similar here with hurricanes as it is there with fires. there's a "blackout" period of writing policies during hurricane season. makes buying a house, or refinancing difficult -- at least, that was my experience in 2004.

[Dappleganger]

27. He's a venture capitalist snake...

and while there are plenty of GOB republicans in the state legislature who don't like what he's doing, there are plenty of other of his fellow-snakes who are cheering him on. They all stand to make a shit-ton of money from this in years to come.

[1monster]

28. That's interesting. If I remember correctly, Citizens came into being because insurers were

refusing to cover homes to close to the shore.

I live, as the crow flies about three miles from the beach and was dropped by the Travelers with three months notice after thirty years for being to close to the ocean. And not even a thank you for our previous patronage.

Now the insurance industry is finding Citizens competition?

BTW, I pay extra on my home and car insurance by law in order to bolster Citizens...

[slater71]

38. 30% increase by insurance co`s

They are trying to get it passed or have passed a bill that would allow insurance companies increase home owners insurance up to 30% without permission from the state.