Let's start the year off on a positive note — we made it through 2010!

The past year was tough on many of us. Revenues were down, and bottom lines sometimes looked as if they would bottom out. Premium levels and books of business shrunk. Many carriers and agencies cut back on staff; others froze hiring and pay. We all struggled to do more with less. However, as we move into 2011, some encouraging signs are beginning to emerge.

One of the best things about insurance agents is their optimism, and the agents I have spoken with recently are expressing optimism for the year ahead. Every January, Florida Underwriter conducts a salary survey of agents, brokers, underwriters and CSRs. One of our questions is, “How would you rate the employment outlook for the insurance industry in general?” When we publish the results in our February issue, hopefully we will be able to say most answered that with “Great!” a welcome change from the economic doldrums of the past 12 months.

On the governmental side, there is a welcome change in the governor's mansion. Although Rick Scott's lack of political experience and his comments on workers' compensation rates remain worrisome, industry observers are hopeful that his outspoken disdain of state regulation of businesses in general will translate into a friendlier atmosphere for our industry.

Speaking to the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches last October, Scott was emphatic that the state imposes too much regulation on property insurers, specifically. “We haven't had a hurricane since 2005, and our insurance companies are struggling to make a profit,” Scott said. “This is when they should be making a profit, because we will have another hurricane, but because of our regulations, we've killed the insurance market.”

That sure beats the “good riddance” message from our former governor.

On the economic side, the nation remains in the grip of the Great Recession and Florida has been especially hard hit with high unemployment and the tanking of the housing market. However, while the Florida Dream may have weakened in recent years, it is far from dead. The recently released 2010 census numbers show that Florida has experienced substantial population growth since 2000, especially when compared with most of the nation.

People continue to like warm climes, and the Sunshine State's population swelled by 2.8 million people to 18.8 million over the past decade. Our state's growth rate of 17.6 percent was second only to Texas and California during the 10-year period. Michigan was the only state to lose population (did they all move here?).

More good news: Along with adding to our cachet as a great place to live, these transplants also allowed us to pick up two more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The new year also brings an exciting change at Florida Underwriter and its sister publications. In January, we launched PropertyCasualty360.com an all-inclusive source for P&C news, analysis, trends, and industry activity. The site combines the established knowledge resources and news reporting capabilities from the experts at Florida Underwriter, National Underwriter P&C, American Agent & Broker, Claims, and Tech Decisions with proprietary market data and relevant content aggregated from across the web to create one distinct and vital information source for all P&C professionals. I hope you will check it out and let us know what you think.

Here's to all of us having the best year ever in 2011.

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