Homeowners insurance
The property insurance market has been in crisis for several years in Florida. Some insurance companies like Farmers and Progressive are not writing any new home insurance policies. Others, like United Property and Casualty, have gone bankrupt.
Meantime, Citizens Property Insurance - backed by state taxpayers - has doubled in size in just the past two years. What is supposed to be the home insurer of last resort is the only insurer for many homeowners across the state.
November's special legislative session will, in part, focus on funding the “My Safe Florida Home.” The grants program aims to help property owners save money on insurance by strengthening their homes. But what else can be done to fix the broken market?
Guests:
- Rep. John Snyder, Member of the Florida House of Representatives (R-Parts of Martin and Palm Beach Counties).
- Lawrence Mower, Tallahassee correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times.
Dozens of Disney employees quit
It has been nine months since Gov. DeSantis launched his efforts to take over what was previously known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District. That has since become the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District with a board of supervisors appointed by DeSantis.
More than 30 employees have resigned from Disney, according to a report by Jason Garcia for Seeking Rents. That report found that some of those employees cited mismanagement under the new leadership as their reason for leaving.
Guest:
- Jason Garcia, investigative reporter and author of Seeking Rents.
Education and Immigration
In Polk County, Mulberry Community Academy serves migrant families with classes in both English and Spanish. It is a charter school and it is expanding even though Florida’s new immigration law cracks down on undocumented immigrants, as Nancy Guan reports from our partner station in Tampa WUSF.
In Clay County, the school district agreed to boost its services for students learning English for the first time. This week, the district settled a Department of Justice investigation that found Clay County schools did not provide students who don’t speak English the instruction necessary to become fluent. We spoke with WJCT’s Steven Ponson for more information.