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Florida 2026 gubernatorial candidates propose competing fixes for insurance
Plans range from a hurricane-only policy and consumer rights provisions to shifting storm losses into a state catastrophic fund targeting $30 billion to $40 billion in coverage.
As Florida's 2026 gubernatorial race heats up, insurance affordability has become a central campaign issue for homeowners and auto drivers, with candidates laying out sharply different strategies for the state's property and auto insurance markets, according to Insurance Business.
Independent candidate Frank Russo, who has more than 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, unveiled a Home and Auto Insurance Reform Plan that includes exploring legislation for a dedicated hurricane-only insurance policy, alongside a "Florida Insurance Consumer Bill of Rights" covering protections such as knowing why premiums increase and having rights to appeal insurance decisions and receive plain-English policies.
Russo also called for reviewing duplicate mandatory auto coverages for drivers who already carry qualifying health insurance, and for strengthening consumer rights related to premium increases and non-renewals.
US Representative Byron Donalds proposed an "Insurer Scorecard" initiative that would modernize and relaunch the state's CHOICES Rate Comparison tool by combining pricing data with insurer performance metrics, including claims approval rates and time to payment, into a public dashboard to drive competition. Donalds also argued Florida's property insurance regulatory framework has not been substantially updated in nearly 25 years and suggested broader changes could reduce rates by as much as 20%, while pointing to the state's Cat Fund as a stabilizer for major hurricane losses.
Former congressman David Jolly, a leading candidate in the Democratic primary, pushed a structural overhaul centered on a state catastrophic fund that would remove hurricane and other natural disaster coverage from the private market, leaving private insurers to cover perils such as fire and theft while the state assumes storm losses. Jolly said the fund would need to reach the $30 billion to $40 billion range to fully cover natural disaster risk.