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DeSantis accused of favoring insurance-industry donors at residents’ expense
Guardian ^ | 3 May 2023 09.51 | David Smith

Posted on 05/05/2023 8:55:28 AM PDT by conservative98

Ron DeSantis, the rightwing Republican governor of Florida and a likely 2024 presidential candidate, has handed favors to his big-money donors in the insurance industry at the expense of cash-strapped residents of his state, a new report claims.

The report, “How Ron DeSantis sold out Florida homeowners”, draws on contributions from the American Federation of Teachers union, the non-profit Center for Popular Democracy, the voting rights group Florida Rising and the dark money watchdog Hedge Clippers.

[cut]

the report’s authors suggest, that DeSantis’s administration has put the insurance companies’ interests ahead of Florida’s own citizens, who are battling homeowner insurance rates nearly triple the national average.

[cut]

Brown, a community liaison specialist for public schools, added: “The insurance everywhere here is crazy from Broward all the way to Dade. I’ve asked so many people and they’ve said the same thing. Their insurance has gone sky high.”

The report argues that the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is dominated by industry insiders who approved insurance price hikes at greater rates than were seen under previous governors.

“Evidence is mounting that big insurance has blocked proposals that would have lowered costs for consumers,” it continues. “A 2022 proposal by state senator Jeff Brandes claimed to reduce insurance and save Floridians ‘$750 million to $1 billion a year’ by allowing smaller insurance companies to access the catastrophic reinsurance fund. The insurance-heavy business lobby reportedly blocked the plan.”

The authors draw a contrast with Louisiana, which they say has a more robust property casualty insurance market despite similar hurricane risks. Unlike DeSantis’s insurance industry handouts, they contend, Louisiana conditions its subsidies to the insurance industry on increased participation in the state property insurance market.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: biginsurance; citizensinsurance; corruption; costofliving; desantis; donors; electability; florida; homeownersinsurance; insurance; insurancecompanies; insurancecrisis; insurancerates; megadonors; rondesantis; trump; vulnerability
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1 posted on 05/05/2023 8:55:28 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98

DeSantis, who ran a successful re-election campaign last year, and Friends of Ron DeSantis, a political action committee that supported him, have taken a combined $3.9m in contributions from insurance industry players. If donations to the Republican party of Florida since 1 January 2019 – days before DeSantis assumed office – are added, this total swells to more than $9.9m.

The authors’ analysis of campaign finance data also found that two property casualty insurance firms donated a combined total of $125,000 to DeSantis’s 2023 inaugural celebration, which marked the beginning of his final term as governor in the term-limited state.

It is no coincidence, the report’s authors suggest, that DeSantis’s administration has put the insurance companies’ interests ahead of Florida’s own citizens, who are battling homeowner insurance rates nearly triple the national average.

They write: “Instead of fixing problems with Florida’s property insurance industry, DeSantis has lavished the industry with favors and benefits while everyday Floridians suffer.”

These benefits have included the creation of $2bn taxpayer-funded reinsurance fund. Such funds exist to insure the insurers and prevent them being wiped out during a catastrophic event. Usually, insurance companies buy such coverage on the open market but, in Florida, DeSantis chose to use tax dollars to provide access to a state-subsidised insurance fund.


2 posted on 05/05/2023 8:56:05 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98

DeSantis accused of favoring insurance-industry donors at residents’ expense

I exposed a lot of this corruption in my exclusive report last week, which President Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

The victims are all Florida home owners. https://t.co/JANH9JeNcP— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 3, 2023


3 posted on 05/05/2023 8:59:46 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98

It is always surprising to see how cheaply career politicians sell themselves and their constituents.


4 posted on 05/05/2023 9:00:14 AM PDT by mikegreenwell39
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To: conservative98

Wow! Amazing. This morning, President Donald Trump posted my recent expose of @GovRonDeSantis’s involvement in Florida’s insurance scam that is impacting millions of Floridians!

Thank you, President Trump!

You can read my expose here: https://t.co/lV89xmK1XE pic.twitter.com/pvdp6gfbWC— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) April 29, 2023


5 posted on 05/05/2023 9:01:08 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98
Really?

Ron DeSantis is living so deep in your head that you rely on the American Federation of Teachers for your dirt?

6 posted on 05/05/2023 9:02:06 AM PDT by Mr. Lucky
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To: conservative98

The Antichrist media thanks you for posting their articles.


7 posted on 05/05/2023 9:02:28 AM PDT by cowboyusa (IT'S TIME TO PLAY COWBOYS AND MARXISTS!)
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To: mikegreenwell39

If you were a victim of Hurricane Ian and you’re still waiting for your claims to be fulfilled by Citizens Insurance in Florida, you probably won’t be getting your money…

You can thank Governor DeSantis. https://t.co/lV89xmK1XE— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 3, 2023


8 posted on 05/05/2023 9:04:56 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98

Laura hates florida so much she moved there. Should be a rule that you cant vote in a state you move to for twenty years. Keep carpet baggers out.


9 posted on 05/05/2023 9:05:31 AM PDT by Theoria
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To: conservative98

All groups known for their neutral, non bias, disinterested take on Florida politics I am sure.


10 posted on 05/05/2023 9:06:29 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: conservative98

The Guardian - read no further


11 posted on 05/05/2023 9:07:18 AM PDT by gibsonguy
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To: conservative98

Democrats

12 posted on 05/05/2023 9:07:57 AM PDT by windsorknot
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To: cowboyusa

Well he does it for free so they do save a buck or two. Maybe they’ll give him a fancy plaque of gratitude.


13 posted on 05/05/2023 9:08:47 AM PDT by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: conservative98

Sorry, but this is a vulnerability for DeSantis. Florida is wonderful, but the cost of insurance has skyrocketed for everyone I know here.


14 posted on 05/05/2023 9:10:32 AM PDT by M. Thatcher
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To: windsorknot
Desimps:


15 posted on 05/05/2023 9:10:43 AM PDT by conservative98
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To: conservative98

uhhhh....favoring the insurance co’s these days IS favoring the home owner, since we need the insurance co’s to insure our property


16 posted on 05/05/2023 9:13:08 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: spacejunkie2001

By that logic Obamacare is the greatest healthcare legislation ever.


17 posted on 05/05/2023 9:14:38 AM PDT by Observator
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To: conservative98
Wow...

The MSM has literally declared war on Republicans and Conservatives.

They are trying to destroy anyone who has leadership skills, including Conservative leaders in foreign countries like Israel, Hungary, and Brazil.

They are disappear-ing or camouflage-ing every issue that reflects badly on the Political Left.

18 posted on 05/05/2023 9:19:29 AM PDT by zeestephen (Trump Lost By 43,000 Votes)
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To: Observator

WRONG. DeSantis invoked tort reform for one so the insurance co’s don’t get their asses sued off by predator attorneys that then gets passed directly to the consumer.


19 posted on 05/05/2023 9:20:03 AM PDT by spacejunkie2001
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To: conservative98

Been saying this for months. This will ruin his career politically. Because he’s not taking care of us his constituents, but the insurance company donors. Florida is becoming not where woke goes to die but we’re homeowners drowning in debt from insurance payments. Or move out of Florida because it’s too expensive here. He made a bad decision on this one and I’m sure it’s not the first or the last.


20 posted on 05/05/2023 9:31:25 AM PDT by tinamina (Remember when Biden said “we have developed the most sophisticated voting fraud system ever”? )
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