Donald Trump Accused Governor Ron DeSantis of Abandoning Amid Florida's Home Insurance Struggles

Former President Donald Trump unleashed a harsh attack on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' approach to the state's insurance market. Trump called the bill backed by DeSantis a historic "insurance company bailout," claiming it would make homeowners' financial situations worse. Trump in his criticism specifically referred to House Bill 837 and Senate Bill 236 which would make it more difficult for Floridians to sue their insurers in court.

Trump amped up his attack while speaking at the Turning Point Action Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, in July. While highlighting Florida's high insurance prices he pushed DeSantis to focus on local matters and accused him of ignoring the state's insurance crisis in favor of national campaigns.

As reported by Politifact, he said at the time, "We are totally dominating DeSantis right here in the state of Florida. So, we want him to get home and take care of insurance because you have the highest insurance in the nation." In this case, Trump was discussing property insurance. The Trump campaign used media reports that showed Florida had far higher than average homeowner insurance premium increases.

These criticisms arise at a time when the insurance industry in Florida is contracting as a result of the state's high natural catastrophe risk. Due to extensive insurance fraud and susceptibility to natural disasters, the state's insurance market problem has reached a critical point, resulting in fewer insurers willing to accept risks.

According to a recent analysis by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the DeSantis administration's policy initiatives have worsened a major insurance problem in Florida. Florida has the highest home insurance rates in the country, and as a result, many Floridians have chosen not to carry coverage at all, leaving their homes and businesses vulnerable to natural disasters and increasing the risk to already vulnerable communities.

It's risky to try to save money by going without insurance or by self-insuring in a place like Florida, which is prone to hurricanes and other forms of extreme weather. Notably, those who strive to keep their insurance face challenges. Some insurers have even ceased offering new plans to people in high-risk areas, such as Florida and California. There has been a shift in the economic calculation of homeowners and purchasers as a result of insurers increasing premiums or decreasing coverage due to the proliferation of weather disasters linked to climate change.

According to the reports by The Intercept, it is been revealed that insurance sector players have contributed roughly $4 million to Governor Ron DeSantis and his affiliated political organization. As per the study issued by Hedge Clippers, a campaign launched by the Center for Popular Democracy, the governor's committee and the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC has collected $3.9 million from the insurance sector since its establishment in 2018. A total of $125,000 was contributed to the governor's inauguration fund by two property casualty insurers: People's Trust Insurance and a Heritage Insurance subsidiary. The report states, "DeSantis is not only failing to hold the insurance industry accountable. Critically, he is failing to bring down rates for Florida homeowners."