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Insurance woes voiced at Fort Pierce town hall as affordability remains 'top concern'

Florida's insurance consumer advocate cites signs of recovery despite slow improvement to market

A town hall was held in Fort Pierce to help provide answers to the ongoing problem that has affected residents across the state.

Insurance woes voiced at town hall in Fort Pierce

By: Matt Sczesny

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FORT PIERCE, Fla. — WPTV continues to seek solutions to Florida's insurance coverage collapse.

Inside the Fort Pierce City Hall, a small group of people gathered for an insurance town hall looking for answers to homeowners insurance.

The town hall, hosted by state Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, was designed to lay out more information on how Florida is trying to remedy the insurance crisis.

Reporter Matt Sczesny was there and said it didn't take him long to find people struggling with the pain of rising premiums and little choice with homeowners insurance.

"I was hoping that my insurance premiums would go down, and it did increase just a tad," Mary Jackson, who attended the event, said.

Mary Jackson speaks to WPTV reporter Matt Sczesny at a town hall event in Fort Pierce on Nov. 14, 2024.

Jackson said it is getting harder to stay in her Fort Pierce home because of rising costs.

"This year it was a little under $3,000," Jackson said referring to the cost of insuring her home.

"So, if it goes over $3,000?" Sczesny asked.

"That's more than I can bear," Jackson replied.

Homeowner Danny Hearn said he has Citizens Insurance after his previous insurer dropped him last year.

"Nobody else would cover me," Hearn said.

Tasha Carter speaks about the current insurance industry in Florida.

Tasha Carter, Florida's insurance consumer advocate, spoke at the event.

"Affordability still remains the top concern for many homeowners insurance policyholders," Carter said. "It's difficult to try to maintain the hope and the patience because this has been a process that has been ongoing for the last several years."

Despite the continual struggles, Carter said signs of recovery exist, including:

15 insurers are seeking rate decreases next year
29 are not seeking rate hikes
Nine new companies are entering the state

Litigation is also reported to be down around 20%, in part because of state reforms and a belief the lawsuits were driving up costs.

Lawmakers plan to return in March with a Republican majority and firm control of state government.

"We need to continually reevaluate that and see what's been working and what we need to do better and maybe what we need to bring in and do more," Trabusly said.

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.