Crist Ad Falsely Claims DeSantis Said Insurance Cost Increases ‘Weren’t His Problem’
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – A new ad from Democrat gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist hits Gov. Ron DeSantis for rising costs of everything, including property insurance rates.
“Ron DeSantis is making it harder to get by. He hiked sales taxes a billion, and said skyrocketing insurance costs weren’t his problem. Well they’re a problem for you. DeSantis won’t fix it – I will,” Crist says.
For the claim that the governor said “skyrocketing insurance costs weren’t his problem,” Crist cited no evidence of a specific instance in which that sentiment was expressed, even loosely.
DeSantis previously held a special session in May to address the issue, signing SB 2D which enacted “the most robust and significant reforms Florida has seen in decades to combat skyrocketing insurance costs.”
In the regular legislative session of 2021, the governor signed SB 76, which aimed to reform elements of the litigation environment. The changes were to “take potentially two years to feel the impact,” press secretary Bryan Griffin told Florida’s Voice.
At the debate, DeSantis directly addressed the issue and said that the state’s largest insurer Citizens is “undercapitalized” and pointed to tumultuous national economic conditions.
“We have the worst inflation of 40 years – it’s much more expensive to replace a roof today than just three years ago thanks to the Biden-Crist policies […] We’re number one in the nation in litigation with respect to homeowners insurance,” he explained.
In 2019, while 8.6% of property insurance clams in the U.S. were filed in Florida, 76.45% of property insurance litigation in the country occurred in Florida, he explained.
“We need to build off what we did […] We have to address the rising costs of litigation. It’s not about lining the pockets of billboard lawyers, it’s about having a competitive market where people have a shot to make ends meet,” DeSantis went on.
DeSantis is planning to call another special session of the legislature by the end of the year to address issues Ian victims are facing on their property.
“We want to make sure that we’re doing all we can to clear the burdens that folks are dealing with when it comes to recovering from this storm,” he said.
He signed an executive order to extend deadlines for payments of property taxes at locations that were destroyed or determined to be uninhabitable. “The last thing I think we want is, you know, someone loses their home and then they are getting hit up for property taxes on a home that doesn’t exist anymore,” he said.
“And [the legislators] are eager to come back to be able to make this relief permanent for victims of Hurricane Ian and particularly those who had a total loss of their home or of their business.”
