WTXL TV 27 ABC Tallahassee
A major meeting is underway at the Capital today.
Lawmakers want to make sure the states' insurance of
last resort is ready for the 2008 hurricane season. ABC
27's Alex Diprato reports.
Unfortunately it's only a matter of time before Florida
gets hit again. Not only were homes left tattered by
recent hurricanes, but so was reputation the state's
insurer of last resort - Citizens Property.
A citizen's task force met Tuesday at the Capitol to
make sure the insurance company has continued to iron
out problems like its poor service, and slow adjuster
response time.
Task force members say Citizens has improved.
"They have come a long way with the changes they have
made," Senator Mike Fasano said. "I believe they are
prepared if a hurricane has to come past and hit
Florida,"
"The programs they have put in place since 2006, we
believe they are moving in the right direction," Staff
Director Vicki Twogood added.
Citizens Insurance was created in 2002 for homeowners
who couldn't get insurance through a private company.
It's become the state's largest insurer with more than
1.2 million customers and may have to pick up more. Just
last week, State Farm announced it will no longer write
new policies.
While it all looks so good far on paper the real test
will come when the real thing comes.
"So far we should not have to be concerned, but when the
catastrophic event occurs, we will know right away."
Citizens insurance does not have its own adjusters, but
has contracted with 45 firms who've trained 6,000
adjusters to fan out across the state in the event a
hurricane strikes.
