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

For the insurance industry, the lasting legacy of former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist isn't just the anti-insurer legislation passed during his tenure. Crist's real legacy is the environment he created that made it easy and politically rewarding to depict insurance companies as enemies of the people.

Even now, during a time of no major weather catastrophes in Florida, a backlash has not-so-quietly been building. During deliberations on no-fault auto insurance in the 2012 Florida Legislative Session, more than one legislator made reference to problems in the property-insurance market as reasons not to trust insurers. One prominent senator even described insurance carriers as having "no soul."

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.