WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The financial struggle that has come with Florida's insurance market problems was brought into focus during WPTV's live Coverage Collapse town hall in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday night.
It was a lively hour with plenty of good questions about rates, cancellations and solutions.
Near the end of the program, Doug Quinn of the American Policyholder Association — a consumer advocate group — drew applause from the town hall audience when he suggested there is not enough tight regulation of insurance companies.
WATCH BELOW: Doug Quinn has tough words for Florida regulators during WPTV town hall; State Rep. Toby Overdorf pushes back
On Wednesday, he told WPTV that residents have a right to be upset with high premiums.
"You had 12 years before Hurricane Irma hit in 2017 with no major hurricanes hitting Florida. … Between 2018 Hurricane Michael and 2022 Hurricane Ian, you had four years when insurance companies collected billions of dollars," Quinn told WPTV. "Where's all that money? And what we encourage the state of Florida to do is simply follow the money."
WATCH BELOW: 'Where's all that money?' Consumer advocate has this advice for Florida
Florida lawmakers, including state Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, who was at Tuesday night's town hall panel, insisted that insurers are highly regulated in Florida.
That still doesn't sit well with the thousands of Florida residents who have been hit hard in the last few years by skyrocketing rates that in some cases have jumped thousands of dollars in a short period.
Click here to watch the full one-hour-long town hall.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
Read WPTV's latest "Coverage Collapse" stories below:
-
Mother’s Day bouquet hacks: How to keep flowers fresh a week or more
With bouquets averaging $58 this year, you and mom want flowers that last more than a few days. A floral expert shows us secrets to keep them looking fresh for days longer.
Whirlpool hikes prices again as Iran War, inflation shake appliance market
Whirlpool posts $82M loss, cites Iran war and inflation for recession-level sales drop; slashes outlook, raises prices, suspends dividend.
DoorDash plans to spend more than $50 million on gas price relief for drivers
DoorDash said Wednesday it expects to spend more than $50 million in the second quarter on gas price relief for its delivery drivers.
Summer travel costs are rising. Here's how to save.
The summer travel season is approaching, and higher airfares and gas prices are making vacation planning more difficult for many travelers.