We are fast approaching Springtime in Tallahassee and the annualpilgrimage of politicians, lobbyists, media pundits, and variousinterest groups to our unassuming state capital. Our man inTallahassee, Gary Fineout, will be reporting on all the legislativehappenings with a cover story in our March issue and featurearticles in April and May. In anticipation of the March 2 openingday, I offer some thoughts on what we might expect Gary to becovering for us.

The elephant in the room will, once again, be propertyinsurance. Sen. Michael Bennett (R-Bradenton) and Rep. Bill Proctor(R-St. Augustine) have introduced companion bills SB 876/HB 447 totheir respective chambers that would allow Florida residentialproperty insurers to charge rates in excess of the rates approvedby the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). Widely referred to asthe "Consumer Choice" bill, the legislation has strong proponentsand opponents, as did similar legislation from Bennett and Proctorin 2009. Already lined up on the nay side are Florida InsuranceConsumer Advocate Sean Shaw, the Florida Public Interest ResearchGroup, and the Florida Consumer Action Network, among others. Gov.Charlie Crist vetoed the 2009 version of the bill; a change ofheart is not expected. The bill would become effective January1.

SB 352 by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness) holds the OIR's feetto the fire, requiring the office to provide policyholders withwritten notice when their coverages are about to expire. It alsorequires OIR to provide written instructions on how policyholderscan contact brokers, agents, or counselors to help them select andobtain new coverage or change their existing plans. The bill wouldbecome effective July 1.

SB 740, another bill offered by Sen. Bennett, requires theFlorida Financial Services Commission (the governor and Cabinet) toreconfirm the appointment of the director of the OIR every twoyears. According to the bill, the "commission shall appoint orremove each director by a majority vote consisting of at leastthree affirmative votes, with both the Governor and the ChiefFinancial Officer on the prevailing side." Given the widelydisparate views of Gov. Crist and CFO Alex Sink on InsuranceCommissioner Kevin McCarty's performance, this requirement toreconfirm his appointment could be a real gunfight. The bill wouldbecome effective July 1.

In what will surely provoke a fight, SB 662 from Sen. RondaStorms (R-Bradenton) prohibits auto insurers from using creditscores and credit reports when determining individual rates.Specifically, the bill "prohibits an insurer that issues motorvehicle insurance from using a rate, rating schedule, ratingmanual, or an underwriting rule that is not contained in a ratingmanual and is determined in whole or in part on the basis ofcertain characteristics of an insured." The bill would becomeeffective July 1.

In addition to these bills, we can expect heated debate aboutwind mitigation credits, health care, auto insurance fraud, andpublic adjusters and homeowners' claims. Sinkholes may get someattention, given the recent cave-in on Interstate 4 near PlantCity. Workers' compensation always earns some floor time, althoughit probably will take a back seat this year to more pressingmatters.

Also, look for Consumer Advocate Shaw to be front and center ona variety of topics. Since his appointment to the office by CFOSink in October 2008, the affable Shaw has become a visible forcein the public arena and at industry events. He has already come outpublicly for or against a number of proposed bills, ranging from SB516/HB 275 on prescription drug insurance coverage (for) to theaforementioned negative stance on "Consumer Choice."

To all of this, factor in that Gov. Crist, Attorney General BillMcCollum, and CFO Sink are all running for offices other than theircurrent ones, and we have the makings of a session for theages.