The 2011 legislative session was, according to seasoned insurance industry professionals, the most active in the past 30 years—especially in the property insurance arena. Bills dealing with sinkhole reform, replacement cost reform, and Citizens Property Insurance Corp. were at the top of the to-do list for committees overseeing the insurance statutes. Though the problems and appropriate solutions seemed clear to the industry, lobbying groups representing other interests (primarily public adjusters and their trial lawyers) did their best to undermine efforts to stabilize the market. Despite their actions, some positive changes were made.
Sinkhole Claims Insanity
Throughout the 2011 legislative session, heated discussions centered on the proliferation of sinkhole claims and the reluctance of insurers to provide the coverage, citing the explosion 
of claims filed by policyholders who are, for the most part, encouraged to do so by unscrupulous public adjusters. While the 2005 law changes make filing these claims perfectly legal, they are the very claims contributing to Florida's sinkhole claims insanity.
Karyn Roeling, principal of Tampa's Seibert Insurance Agency, whose home and offices are in Florida's sinkhole alley (Pasco, Hernando, and surrounding areas) said, "I am saddened to see what has happened to our part of Florida. The billboards advertising for legal services, the door knockers seen blanketing neighborhoods, and the brazen attitude of the area's public adjusters who prey on the fears of our residents is appalling. And to think that Florida's 2005 sinkhole law changes have perpetuated this insanity."
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