When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, the collective phalanx of Tallahassee lobbyists and other industry representatives will probably throw back a shot of their favorite cocktail of choice and try to console themselves that 2007 has mercifully come to an end. For walking the halls of a capitol ruled by a hard-charging governor in the form of Charlie Crist, and a compliant legislature, made the legislative process largely a spectator sport.

They started the year pushed aside as they could only look on as the legislature executed what amounted to an unfriendly takeover of the property market by significantly expanding the Cat Fund while making Citizens a competitive state fund. Then they closed the year by losing the one victory they hoped would salvage 2007: an end to PIP. The legislature re-enacted PIP despite a three-year lobbying effort to convince lawmakers to either kill the system or enact major reforms.

Why this dismal year? There are plenty of reasons to point a finger at Crist, who backed by the entire population of Florida, did his best Teddy Roosevelt impression by using the bully pulpit to cast carriers as greedy, faceless, blood-sucking entities that took advantage of citizens while worshipping at the altar of the almighty dollar. Anyone familiar with American history knows that kind of populism is virtually unstoppable. Teddy took down Standard Oil and U.S. Steel. Crist merely needed to knock the legs out from under State Farm, Allstate, and others.