TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's largest propertyinsurer wants sweeping changes, including the ability tocharge higher rates, in the coming year.

It may be a hard sell during a contentious election year, butthe board that  governs Citizens Property Insurance votedon Monday to ask state legislators to  approve a long listof changes during the upcoming session that startsin January.

Those in charge of the state-created insurer are pushing aheadwith the changes at the urging of Gov. Rick Scott. Scott recentlysounded warnings about Citizens, which has nearly 1.5million policyholders, including many homeowners  alongthe coast. 

Scott and other top GOP legislators would like to see Citizensto shrink in size because of fears that the insurer couldbe subject to massive  losses if a big hurricane hits.Unlike private companies, Citizens has the power to placea surcharge on nearly every insurance bill in the state if itcan't  cover its losses.

"I'm the first to acknowledge that it is time for us to contractand there is political pressure for us to contract," saidCarlos Lacasa, chairman of the Citizens board and a formerstate legislator from Miami.

Lacasa and other members of the Citizens board said they wantlawmakers to  reconsider a controversial bill from thispast year that would allow Citizens to raise its ratesmore than 10 percent a year and would make it harderfor policyholders to be covered by Citizens.

For example, state law now says that a homeowner is eligible fora policy from Citizens if the only alternative is a policy from aprivate company charging rates that are 15 percent higher. The newproposal would make homeowners ineligible for Citizens unless aprivate company is charging rates 25 percent higher.

Citizens officials also began discussing changes that could bedone without  approval from the Florida Legislature,including increasing deductibles for sinkhole coverage andeliminating certain types of coverage.

One proposal that was discussed would require homeowners to pay10 percent of  the cost of any sinkhole damage before theinsurance coverage kicks in.

Such changes could get a rough reception in the FloridaCapitol.

Some GOP legislators have already signaled that they are notanxious to consider any major property insurance changesduring 2012. The Florida Legislature approved acomprehensive property insurance bill earlier thisyear only to see it trigger protests when Citizens triedto enact large rate hikes for sinkhole coverage.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said proposed changes toCitizens would not shrink the size of the insurer becauseprivate companies don't want to cover  people in placessuch as the Tampa Bay area where the majority ofsinkhole claims have been.

He called private insurers "hypocrites" who won't start offeringcoverage to  homeowners regardless of what the statedoes.

"People in the Tampa Bay area would love to have a choice, theydon't have  one," Fasano said. "Our governor and a fewothers in Tallahassee don't get  it."

Some members of the Citizens board expressed a similar fear onMonday. But  John Rollins, a board member and an insuranceactuary contended that new  statewide data shows that manycarriers are adding policies, just not in the  Tampa Bayarea or in South Florida.