The Florida Legislature created the Task Force on Citizens Property Insurance Claims Handling and Resolution during a special session in 2007. Citizens Property Insurance Company, Florida’s state sponsored insurer, experienced significant difficulties in handling the deluge of claims from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. Citizens insures more than 1.3 million policyholders, and it had 303,000 claims resulting from those hurricane seasons, about 3,500 of which are still unresolved.
The Task Force is composed of: Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate Bob Milligan (Chairman); Senator Mike Fasano (Vice Chairman); Representative Julio Robaina; Michael B. Twomey Sr., Attorney; Mike Lancashire, V.P., The Main Street America Group; Heather Carruthers, Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe County; and Tim Loftin, V.P. of Claims, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, is overseeing the work of the Task Force. The Task Force must develop recommendations for how Citizens can resolve the claims remaining from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons. A report containing those recommendations must be submitted to the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House by July 1, 2007. The Task Force is also charged with evaluating Citizens’ procedures on claims handling, claims resolution and customer service, and making a final report and recommendations by July 1, 2008.
