Florida Gov. Jeb Bush last week criticized proposals for dealingwith the state's catastrophic property insurance issues from bothof the men seeking to succeed him, labeling aspects of the plans“foolish.”

Responding to questions at the annual meeting of the AmericanCouncil of Life Insurers, Gov. Bush said the most important advicehe could give the two candidates for next month's gubernatorialelection is “do no harm.”

He added that the plans offered by the candidates in November'selections–Republican State Attorney General Charlie Crist andDemocratic U.S. Rep. Jim Davis–would either drive insurers awayfrom the state or add an overwhelming burden to the state'sfinances.

To deal with increasing property premiums, Mr. Crist has calledfor barring insurers from establishing Florida subsidiaries andrequiring insurers that offer other lines, such as auto insurance,to also offer property coverage. “That would do more harm thangood,” Gov. Bush explained, noting that companies would be morelikely to abandon the state altogether rather than be forced into atroublesome market.

Rep. Davis' plan calls for the state to assume most of the riskfor windstorm damage to Florida homes, up to the first $500,000 ofdamage. However, Gov. Bush noted that plan would have required thestate to assume nearly all of the $38 billion in claims made forwindstorm damage in the past two years had it been in effectbecause 98 percent of claims totaled less than the $500,000threshold.

Although he would be a “lame duck” by the time it occurred, Gov.Bush said he planned to call a special legislative session inDecember to work on property and catastrophic insurance issues.