News: POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis' big property insurance ask

Monday, May 23, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis' big property insurance ask

May 23, 2022

Hello and welcome to Monday.

Question time — Raise your hand if you thought Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida Republicans would make more than $2 billion in taxpayer money available to help bolster the state's shaky property insurance market? Raise your hand if you thought Republicans would tell insurers that they couldn't deny coverage to homeowners with roofs less than 15 years old?

Change of pace — Those are just two of the surprising elements of the comprehensive property insurance package GOP legislators rolled out late Friday night in advance of the special session being held this week at the Capitol.

Go big or go home — The size and scope of the legislative package negotiated between the DeSantis administration and House and Senate leaders is an acknowledgment of the complexity of the problem that has resulted in some insurers going out of business and homeowners getting hit with massive rate hikes.

Not happy Bob — The solutions, however, are likely to get pushback and protests. Stringent new restrictions on lawsuits against insurers will likely draw opposition from trial attorneys. Insurers may not be too thrilled with new guidelines on coverage.

What's in your wallet? — And then there's the idea of state government setting aside billions in taxpayer money (albeit temporarily) to provide a new form of reinsurance — aka insurance for insurers — to help insurers cover claims. The coverage also comes with a mandate: Insurers that participate in the new program, which will operate separately from the state-created Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, must reduce rates either this year or next year.

Will it work? — The initial buzz is that the powerful reinsurance industry is OK with this approach because it's not permanent. But this is something that would have been unthinkable under former Gov. Rick Scott, and there is sure to be some who might float the B-word — bailout. Put it all together and it's an unprecedented undertaking that will help DeSantis keep his word on "significant" reforms. The big question is whether it will work and stabilize the market while helping homeowners.

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis will hold a press conference in Cape Coral with Florida Housing Finance Corporation Director Trey Price and Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle.

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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

COMING ATTRACTIONS — "Florida lawmakers release sweeping property insurance bills days ahead of special session," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Florida lawmakers late Friday night released a sweeping property insurance reform package that, among other things, creates a new $2 billion reinsurance fund and makes controversial legal reforms long sought by the insurance industry. Lawmakers will consider the two bills filed by the House and Senate next week as part of a special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis to overhaul the state's property insurance market, which has long faced structural problems but was not addressed by legislators during the regular 2022 legislative session.

— "Florida lawmakers want to fix property insurance. Here are the big issues," by Tampa Bay Times' Lawrence Mower

— " Florida insurance groups divided on proposed special session bill," by Insurance Journal's William Rabb

— "Legislature's property insurance bills propose sweeping changes, including a reinsurance fund ," by Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton

— "As cost of condo insurance soars, legislators remain silent," by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas

THE NEXT ROUND — "Florida wants to avoid critical race theory and 'social justice' in social studies texts," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida's Department of Education is explicitly aiming to keep critical race theory and "social justice" out of social studies textbooks that the state will ultimately adopt for its new teaching standards. The agency, in recent undated guidance, asked textbook publishers to avoid those topics on top of "culturally responsive teaching, social and emotional learning, and any other unsolicited theories" as the DeSantis administration and Republicans continue to scrutinize what students are learning in public schools, especially on the issues of race and gender identity."

— "DeSantis claims credit for jobs record, trolls Biden on same economic boom," by Palm Beach Post's Antonio Fins and Hannah Morse

— " Anti-abortion group plans rally outside the Capitol next week," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian

CAMPAIGN MODE

CRIST'S DISAPPEARING ACT — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried picked up a significant endorsement over the weekend when the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida — an official affiliate of the Florida Democratic Party — backed her over rivals Rep. Charlie Crist and state Sen. Annette Taddeo. The reason this is noteworthy is that Crist has gotten substantial support — more than 70 endorsements so far — from Black elected officials and community leaders.

Not here — Fried won the endorsement after Crist bypassed a candidate forum held by the group despite initially saying he would be there. Samantha Ramirez, a spokeswoman for the Crist campaign, acknowledged that he was scheduled to attend but stated that he had a "personal family conflict" that came up but did not provide any other details. Hmm.

What's going on? — This could just a brief stumble for the Crist campaign, but it appears to be another unforced error by the frontrunner. His decision to not attend the caucus' forum came a day after Crist held a press conference announcing he would issue an executive order on abortion rights if he was elected governor. Crist has been emphasizing his abortion position amid repeated jabs by the Fried campaign over his recent and at-times confusing statements where he says he is "pro-life" but also in favor of abortion rights.

— " Charlie Crist, Democratic candidate for governor, announces abortion rights firewall order," by The Daytona Beach News-Journal's Mark Harper

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried speaks during a news conference.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried speaks during a news conference on Nov. 9, 2021, in Miami. | Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Campaign roundup — State Sen. Lauren Book — the minority leader caught in a competitive primary — is already launching her second broadcast television ad. Book's new ad entitled "Fighter" features Book explaining to her twin 5-year-old children why she spends time in Tallahassee. The disclaimer on the ad shows that that ad is not being paid by Book's campaign, but the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the committee designed to aid Senate Democrats and that can accepted unlimited donations. The ad is actually what is known as a three-pack ad (a way to sidestep caps on direct support to one candidate) and includes the names of two other candidates in small print in the disclaimer.

SWEETNERS — "Sugar industry helps fuel Simpson's massive April haul," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Senate President Wilton Simpson's statewide 2022 midterm campaign for Agriculture Commissioner brought in nearly $1.5 million in April, a massive haul for a Florida Cabinet candidate bolstered by a huge fundraiser organized, in part, by the state's politically influential sugar industry…One of Simpson's biggest events last month was held April 12 at the John Boy Auditorium in Clewiston, a city in the South Central region of the state dominated by the sugar industry. The invite for the event, a copy of which POLITICO obtained, was circulated to lobbyists and donors by U.S. Sugar's top lobbyist Robert Coker, but included a wide range of regional agriculture interests.

JUST A STRAW POLL, BUT HMM — "GOP activists split in WisPolitics.com straw poll on Trump 24 run, plurality supports DeSantis," by WisPolitics.com: "GOP activists are split on whether they want Donald Trump to seek the presidency again in 2024. Even if he does, a plurality preferred Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the party's presidential nomination in two years, according to a WisPolitics.com straw poll at this weekend's state convention. Forty-three percent (141 votes) of those participating in the straw poll said they want Trump to run again, while just less than 32 percent (103) were opposed and 22 percent (72) indicated they were unsure. Viewing a potential 2024 GOP field, nearly 38 percent (122) backed DeSantis. Trump was second at 32 percent (104), while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was a distant third at just more than 7 percent (24)."

MAGIC 8-BALL SAYS — "Do Biden policy moves on Cuba, Venezuela doom Democreats' chances in Florida?" by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Anthony Man: "As the nuances of the policies are debated over cafecito at coffee counters, parsed by academics and denounced on Spanish-language radio, the political reverberations are alarming some Democrats. Writing on Twitter shortly after the Venezuela policy news broke this week — which was less than 24 hours after the Biden administration outlined its Cuba policy changes — Fernand Amandi was unsparing of his assessment of the one-two punch: 'In case you had any doubts that Florida is no longer a priority state for Democrats.'"

— "' Stay Woke, Go Vote rally stirs spirited emotions, heartfelt pleas," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Chris Perkins

— " Rubio gets backing from top police union in race with Demings for law and order label," by Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio

— "Race for new Florida congressional seat could get costly ," by Tampa Bay Times' William March

HAPPENING WEDNESDAY—A WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE MIDTERMS : Join POLITICO'S Women Rule for a conversation with the women running the midterm campaigns and how they are shaping messaging and strategy for their candidates. The program will look into what a win for either party could mean for access to reproductive health care, economic advancement of women, and how the final stages of the Covid-19 pandemic are managed. REGISTER HERE.

MAPMAKER, MAPMAKER

NEXT ROUND — "Florida appeals court reinstates DeSantis congressional map," by The Associated Press' Brendan Farrington: "A new congressional map drawn by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' staff that could diminish the state's Black representation in Washington was reinstated by an appeals court Friday, a week after a lower court judge said the map was unconstitutional. The 1st District Court of appeals ruled Judge Layne Smith erred when he ordered a replacement map be used for the 2022 election. The latest order means the governor's map is reinstated pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the map."

DATELINE D.C.

'NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW' — "Salazar on Jan. 6 GOP subpoenas: Those 'called and questioned should go say the truth,'" by Miami Herald's Bianca Padro Ocasio: "U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar appeared on Sunday to call on fellow Republicans who've been subpoenaed by Congress' Jan. 6 investigative body to testify on what they know about what happened during the riot. During a recorded interview with NBC 6's Jackie Nespral that aired on Sunday, Salazar responded to a question about the subpoenas to five GOP House members, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, saying that 'no one is above the law.'"

Rick Scott.

Rick Scott. | AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

NOTED — "Rick Scott says Republicans should 'be clear' about white supremacy: 'It's wrong,'" by The Hill's Olafimihan Oshin: "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said on Sunday that Republicans should 'be clear' on the topic of white supremacy, saying that the ideology is 'wrong.' During an appearance on CBS's 'Face The Nation,' moderator Margaret Brennan asked Scott if he thinks it's important for leaders to publicly condemn white supremacy, noting a CBS News poll in which 75 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Republican respondents said it is important for political leaders to reject the ideology."

— " Rick Scott makes case for Joe Biden's resignation to New Hampshire audience," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

WARNING SIGN? — "All of South Florida moves into high COVID risk category after 'processing error' in state's data," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's David Schutz: "All three South Florida counties have high COVID-19 community levels, despite the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showing the region having medium levels. The difference between the levels is significant. The CDC recommends that people in areas with high community levels should wear masks indoors in public places and lists additional precautions for high-risk people."

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

'I AM ON A JOURNEY' — "'Either you die or you succeed': Haiti's northwest coast spawns migration tide to Florida," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles: "In the past eight months Haitians have been leaving from the island and nearby coastal areas on the mainland by the hundreds to reach the Keys — the largest exodus of boat refugees since 2004. Most are stopped at sea and sent back to Haiti. Countless others are lost at sea on what have come to be called 'invisible shipwrecks,' incidents involving migrant deaths that go unrecorded because no one knows about them. Still, more than 600 Haitians have successfully made it into the U.S. mainland, where immigration judges will determine their fate."

R.I.P. — "Betty Reed, longtime Tampa legislator and community advocate, dies at 81," by Tampa Bay Times Romy Ellenbogen: "Betty Reed, a longtime state representative and community advocate who pushed for more resources for Black mothers, better schools and more mentorship in Hillsborough County and beyond, died Friday. She was 81 years old. Born to a family of 12 children in a small Georgia community, she moved to Florida in her early 20s and settled in Tampa, where she raised her five children as a stay-at-home mother."

— " Surfside condo collapse site to be sold for $120 million to Dubai developer, no other bids," by Miami Herald's Martin Vassolo

— "Presumptive case of monkeybox probed in South Florida ," by The Associated Press

— "Jacksonville City Council will vote on reimbursing city employees' travel for abortions," by Florida Times-Union's David Bauerlein

— "Local judge ordered to pay $30,000 fine, face reprimand after intervening in son's arrest," by Tallahassee Democrat's Christopher Cann

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— "Could the Pensacola Confederate monument come back? Federal ruling may make it possible," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little: "Pensacola may face the prospect of having to restore the Confederate monument after a federal appeals court overturned a previous ruling that cleared the way for the city to remove the monument in 2020. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled Monday that the federal court did not have jurisdiction over the case when it ruled the groups that sued the city to block the removal of the monument lacked standing to file a lawsuit."

BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez … Alvin Malnick, American businessman and attorney

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