This blog has followed the procedure and politics behind the departure of Kevin McCarty as Florida’s Insurance Commissioner. Commissioner McCarty has been a wonderful servant to the people of Florida. More specifically, he has been an excellent insurance commissioner under very difficult circumstances.… Continue Reading
The State of Florida is in the process of replacing the current Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. As this blog has outlined in prior posts, McCarty has been a fair and effective commissioner under very difficult circumstances. His departure will be a loss for Florida’s insurance consumers.… Continue Reading
About a year ago, I posted a blog, Kevin McCarty and the Florida Cabinet. At that time, there was chatter that Commissioner McCarty would be fired by the Financial Services Commission (made up of the Governor, Attorney General, and CFO). Thankfully, he was not let go.… Continue Reading
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty obtained a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Association For Insurance Reform. His acceptance speech was brilliant, engaging, emotional, and funny. Floridians are lucky to have him working for us in the Department of Insurance now known as the Office of Insurance Regulation since the early 1990s.… Continue Reading
Recently, as outlined in Nicole Vinson’s blog post, Will Kevin McCarty Remain Florida’s Insurance Commissioner?, it has become apparent that the Florida Insurance Commissioner is on the hot seat. Unfortunately, there is no good reason for him to be in such a position. I was quoted on this topic by the Miami Herald and stated: Kevin … Continue Reading
Kevin McCarty has been Florida’s insurance commissioner since 2003 and has worked for the state for the past 26 years, but rumors have been spreading that Commissioner Kevin McCarty may not survive the transition into Governor Rick Scott’s second term. The media has us guessing whether there could be a resignation or whether Scott will … Continue Reading
Florida’s CFO Jeff Atwater must have had sticker shock when getting his bill for insurance renewal premiums. Last week, Atwater fired off a letter to Florida’s Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty asking why Florida insurance rates were still going up despite a drop in reinsurance rates.… Continue Reading
Floridians won a great victory on Tuesday. Against the wishes of powerful legislators in Tallahassee and the exceptionally influential insurance lobby, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty struck down most of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s proposed 447% sinkhole insurance rate hikes.… Continue Reading
Florida’s sinkhole issues have hit the national news. In an article in today’s Wall Street Journal, "Sinkhole Claims Threaten To Engulf Florida Insurers," the public adjusting industry takes some hard hits.… Continue Reading
The Insurance Commissioner has apparently decided to start calling some of my clients. According to the St. Petersburg Times, his office is trying to find statistical information regarding sinkholes reported between 2006 and 2009. We’ll call and try to find out more information so we can help them get accurate answers, but, in "Florida Regulators … Continue Reading
Governor Charlie Crist should veto the property insurance legislation which passed (SB 2044) and has been presented to the Governor. He made a promise not to raise rates when he became governor. Many other politicians made similar claims about standing up to insurance companies, but they seem to have forgotten. These proposed laws not only raise … Continue Reading
Why do so many of our politicians play to the lobbyists and support laws that harm the average person and voter? This is exactly what has happened with important laws sponsored by the insurance industry lobbyists and then proposed by Florida Senator Mike Bennett of Bradenton and Representative Bill Proctor of St. Augustine. These politicians … Continue Reading
Miami Herald reporter, Bea Garcia, wrote a very important story, Tackling Contentious Insurance Issues, concerning Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw. It appears the Roundtable meeting I wrote about in Alternative Resolution Roundtable: Appraisal is the Hot Topic and Is There Any Chance that Appraisal Will Stay the Same in Florida?, is going to be an important last meeting … Continue Reading
Julie Patel, of the Sun Sentinel, reported that Florida officials and State Farm appear to be working towards a mutual solution to keep State Farm selling property insurance in Florida: Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty told the Florida Cabinet Tuesday that State Farm may not leave the state’s property insurance market as planned and the state … Continue Reading
While taking the deposition last week of a Pilot Catastrophe flood adjuster that was a former State Farm claims representative, I was thinking about some recent good news for State Farm. The first had to do with a Palm Beach Post report concerning State Farm possibly continuing to write insurance in Florida. The second had … Continue Reading
Yesterday, Chad Hemenway, associate editor of BestWeek, reported that State Farm and Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation jointly moved to delay the administrative hearing that will address State Farm’s move to leave Florida’s property insurance market. The saga continues….… Continue Reading
I would pay to be a fly on the wall during the discussions the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is having with State Farm regarding its withdrawal from the Florida property insurance market. As I noted in State Farm Must Love the Clash, many of us suspect that State Farm’s bullying and threatening tactics demonstrate … Continue Reading
The Houston Chronicle ran an article by Purva Patel today, See what blew in with Ike: a battle, which explains the lifted shingle issue at the heart of numerous Hurricane Ike Claims. It is not clear at this time how Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin will resolve the issue, but consumer advocates hope Geeslin will … Continue Reading
Dan Luby of the Florida Insurance News forwarded a Blog, Alex Sink’s Cold War with the Insurance Commissioner, by Gary Fine regarding a possible “riff” between Alex Sink and Kevin McCarty. I find this curious because the two of them are leading consumer advocates for policyholders. I have never found Bill McCollum, Sink’s opponent for … Continue Reading
State Farm is a tenacious opponent. "If you at first you don’t succeed, try, try again" is a motto which must be emblazoned in bold letters somewhere in its Bloomington, Illinois, headquarters. But, down in the Sunshine State, some are criticizing State Farm for its creative methods of raising rates.… Continue Reading
"Should I Stay or Should I Go?" I imagine the State Farm claims employees and agents must be playing these classic lines from The Clash over and over. According to an article in yesterday’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel, there is some speculation State Farm wants to stay and may try to politically strong-arm Florida into allowing … Continue Reading
Have you ever visited one on one with an elected legislator for more than 30 minutes? I have a number of times, and the results are mixed. Yesterday, I had a surprisingly pleasant and rewarding experience talking with Mike Fasano, a Florida Senator.… Continue Reading
The Consumer Advocate for the Florida Public Interest Research Group, Brad Ashwell, wrote a letter published in the Gainesville Sun calling on consumers to urge Governor Crist to veto the State Farm bailout legislation. He clearly explained how the bill will harm Floridians: "The problem is that this bill would remove consumer protections by no longer … Continue Reading
The politics of insurance is tough for consumer champions. The insurance lobby has many faces and methods of forcing its position. In Florida, the dirty campaign against those governmental officials who stand up to State Farm and the big insurance industry has begun in earnest.… Continue Reading