Hurricane season is here and Floridans are still not properly protected with ‘affordable” insurance against possible disastrous hurricanes. Citizens property insurance was created by the Legislature in 2002 for the benefit of property owners that could not obtain private sector insurance but that program is not working. Citizens’ Interim President Tom Grady’s message is “Don’t buy my product.” Grady says that citizens policies are not only a bad deal for its customers but even worse for those holding private sector policies because of potential assessments and surcharges for all.

It’s unfortunate but a fact that private sector insurance companies and the “Pup Companies” they establish in Florida do not want to provide windstorm coverage despite what industry lobbyists might proclaim. These carriers routinely increase insured property values on renewal policies, in order to obtain higher premiums, but they do not want more new business.