Today, in a secret signing ceremony out of public view, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 837. This sweeping attack on the rights of consumers checks almost every box on the insurance industry’s checklist to make it harder for everyday Floridians to hold their carriers accountable for not following through on their policies.
“Ron DeSantis is a coward who does the bidding of the corporate elite behind closed doors while the people of Florida suffer,” said DeSantis Watch Communications Director Anders Croy. “Whether it is another massive giveaway to the same insurance corporations increasing rates and slashing payments for people recovering from a devastating hurricane or raising taxes on everyday Floridians by a billion dollars in the dead of night, Ron DeSantis can never jump high enough for the corporate donors funding his political ambitions. This pathetic display of subservience to the corporate elite should be the final nail in the coffin for Ron DeSantis’ increasingly transparent brand of fake populism.”
As a reminder, Governor DeSantis has signed taxpayer giveaways totalling $3 billion to the insurance industry in the last year, with no promise that rates will come down for Floridians. In fact, property insurance rates are expected to rise another 40%-50% this summer. While rates are continuing to skyrocket, carriers are under investigation for slashing payouts to Floridians still recovering from Hurricane Ian.
As part of our accountability work at DeSantis Watch, our Influence Watch platform has tracked almost $10 million from the insurance industry donated to the Governor and the Republican Party of Florida over the last five years. This analysis examined donations to Friends of Ron DeSantis since the Governor declared his campaign in 2018, as well as donations to the Republican Party of Florida since January 1, 2019, days before he was sworn into office, and only takes into account donations of $5,000 or more.