Florida Legislature may again punt on fixing property insurance

If there have been ever a particular session of the Florida Legislature to earn the doubtful distinction of not being all that particular, it is the one scheduled this Tuesday. In impact, state lawmakers are returning to Tallahassee to kowtow to the governor, who desires to redraw congressional districts to offer Republicans a big benefit within the subsequent Congress.

Partisan politics once more trumps coverage. Final week legislative leaders threw within the towel and warranted Gov. Ron DeSantis may usurp the redistricting course of. After threatening to veto any maps lawmakers had drawn, the Governor will get his approach, with a map he drew that enhances Republican illustration on the expense of Black and Brown voters.

“Right now, legislative reapportionment employees is just not drafting or producing a map for introduction through the particular session,” Senate President Wilton Simpson and Home Speaker Chris Sprowls wrote in a memo. “We’re awaiting a communication from the Governor’s Workplace with a map that he’ll assist.” 

FOR SUBSCRIBERS:Governor tainting Congressional maps

Hoist the white flag, and maintain a particular session to rubberstamp a brand new map that may find yourself in pricey litigation. A lot for the equal branches of presidency, to not point out any concern about spending $100,000 a day for a suspect session. 

For that sort of cash, lawmakers must be spending time fixing actual issues, not creating them. The excellent news, if certainly any involves move, is that some legislators are nonetheless attempting to deal with one problem that eluded them through the common 60-day session — the state’s hovering property insurance coverage charges. SB 1728 would have helped nevertheless it died on the final day of the common session, after Senate President Wilton Simpson didn’t win assist for the invoice from Home Speaker Chris Sprowls.   

Credit score state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R.-St. Petersburg, for beginning the method of forcing the difficulty onto this week’s agenda. Utilizing a procedural vote, he and 20% of the Legislature pressured a vote to find out if three-fifths of  the Legislature would agree to make it occur. Now, if solely Simpson and Sprowls may come to phrases, which hasn’t occurred but and makes the chance of reconsidering property insurance coverage iffy at greatest. 

Fixing property insurance coverage is sophisticated. It takes time and wishes consensus. No surprise Gov. DeSantis has been comfy main from behind on this problem, not like his badmouthing The Walt Disney Co., signing voter suppression legal guidelines on “Fox and Mates,” or going after black majority congressional districts, that are legally rooted in federal regulation and the Florida Structure. 

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The governor is fixated on creating “race-neutral” congressional districts. Translation: diluting minority votes. His precedence is to redraw congressional districts in north Florida and Orlando, to strip Black and Brown voters there of getting minority illustration in Washington. The change would give Republicans an opportunity at 20 of the state’s projected 28 congressional seats, up from their present, 16-11 majority.

So, residents who’ve seen their residence insurance coverage premiums raised past perception or cancelled outright are left to depend on a particular session that will not tackle their considerations. For Annette Taddeo, a state senator and Democratic candidate for governor, there may be another choice. She’s urging her colleagues to boycott. “If the governor desires to make an actual distinction in Floridians’ lives and sort out the insurance coverage price disaster or the housing disaster, I’ll see him in Tallahassee,” she tweeted. “However, I’ll be damned if I’m exhibiting as much as kiss his ring and waste taxpayer cash for an unconstitutional map that erases Black and Brown voices from the electoral course of.”

Lawmakers can nonetheless tackle property insurance coverage however provided that sufficient of them comply with push for it. In any other case, the thought of boycotting a meaningless session is nearly as good as any. 

Editor’s Be aware: There’s nonetheless an opportunity property insurance coverage may make the lower on this week’s particular session and we would like to listen to from you, to let state leaders know how critical this disaster is. Ship your feedback, detailing the challenges and the steps state leaders ought to soak up making reasonably priced property insurance coverage obtainable,  to letters@pbpost.com. Letters should not exceed 200 phrases, are topic to enhancing and should embody your title, tackle and daytime telephone quantity (We are going to publish solely your title and metropolis). Let your voice be heard on this essential topic.