As we stand at the beginning of the next hurricane season,here's one prediction I'm willing to make: When it comes, the nexthurricane will bring more than high winds and plenty of claims.

For the insurance industry, the lasting legacy of former FloridaGov. Charlie Crist isn't just the anti-insurer legislation passedduring his tenure. Crist's real legacy is the environment hecreated that made it easy and politically rewarding to depictinsurance companies as enemies of the people.

Even now, during a time of no major weather catastrophes inFlorida, a backlash has not-so-quietly been building. Duringdeliberations on no-fault auto insurance in the 2012 FloridaLegislative Session, more than one legislator made reference toproblems in the property-insurance market as reasons not to trustinsurers. One prominent senator even described insurance carriersas having “no soul.”

These condemnations usually come with a healthy dose ofindignation that holds insurers responsible for abandoning “thepeople” in the first place. Never do these declarations recognizethe complexity of the problem or the willingness of insurers to bepart of the solution.

Mark my words, when the next major hurricane comes, the windwill not have even stopped blowing before the blame startsflowing—and carriers are at the bottom of the hill.

The question is not how the insurance industry will respond, buthow your company will differentiate itself and preserve thecredibility of your brand among policyholders, agents, regulatorsand legislators.

During those years that I helped lead the responseto Crist's assault on the insurance industry, I also had theopportunity to visit many of those insurers in the crosshairs. Thepeople I met were proud of their companies' performance duringthose difficult times. Often, they directed me to bulletin boardswhere numerous heartfelt letters of thanks from policyholders weredisplayed.

But those good stories never seemed to make it off the bulletinboards. Some insurers were uncomfortable telling their own story.Some didn't know how.

As the next hurricane season looms, insurers should preparethemselves for the public and political repercussions sure tofollow a storm making landfall.