This year’s Florida legislative session ended with the traditional surrender to reality with the dropping of a white handkerchief on the Capitol Room by two leaders in the House and Senate.
Daniel Roth
[ Tampa Bay Times ]
It is called “Sine Die”, which is Latin for “Boy we foyed the royed the state again!” How strange.
Granted, Gov. Ron DeSantis, along with his Republican no-holds-barred in the Florida Legislature, have been busy drones during this session going through all sorts of nonsense in their ongoing efforts to turn this state into a “1984” meets “Stepford Wives.”
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Yet they haven’t done nearly enough to address the single and most pressing problem facing all Floridians from Republicans to Democrats, liberals to conservatives, young people to adults, white to black to Latinos to Asians to Native Americans, gay to straight.
We all have to contend with the rigorous and enormous costs of homeowners insurance. It affects all of us, and threatens our security, the quality of life of the country and our future.
And what did DeSantis and his Republican princes do about it? cockroaches. Well, well, if you want to be picky, the legislature has given state regulators new powers to investigate and fine insurance companies. But this followed a special hearing on property insurance in December that aimed to cut litigation and stabilize premiums by — wait for it — making it harder for homeowners to sue insurance companies. thank you very much.
Simple question: If you’re a senior and living on a fixed income, are you more concerned about being able to stay in your home? Or are you more annoyed by the drag queens, whose Republican-controlled legislature moved to enforce the ban as if the Wagner Group were trying to invade Yeehaw Junction?
If you’re a young couple who want to buy a first home, are you more concerned about being kicked off the market because your insurance will rival your mortgage payment? Or are you grateful that the legislature dedicated itself to repealing a Florida law requiring the governor to resign from office if he announced his failed fantasy about becoming the next president? Now there’s a profile on Bevel for you.
If you’re a renter, do you feel more upset about having to write a bigger and bigger check each month because your landlord has been hurt by rising insurance costs? Or are you instead grateful that Tallahassee’s maids focused on passing a six-week abortion ban, reducing virtually every woman in the state to extras in “The Handmaid’s Tale”?
During this session, as millions of Floridians were reduced to insurance serfs, the Florida legislature seemed oblivious to their plight. There were more important things to do.
More important was the passage of a bill allowing idiots to walk around while carrying a gun without a permit or any remote semblance of firearms training.
The most important thing was to blow up New College and rebrand it as an evangelical school. Can we expect major things in dealing with snakes? speaking in tongues? Witch burning?
It was even more important to pass legislation protecting the public from knowing who Governor DeGarbo, RI Want To Be Alone, is meeting with, and where he is going. It’s a public office, not a witness protection program.
More important was the passage of a bill limiting by-laws, and requiring cities and counties to use less restrictive land-use regulations, which of course was nothing more than a big, fat, dirty kiss for the development interests.
Most important was getting thousands of low-income kids in Florida off Medicaid.
Most important was the increased difficulty in registering to vote and casting a ballot in Florida.
More important for the ruler was to go on a world tour to promote his anticipated presidential campaign, visiting Japan, Israel and London. Early reviews of the junket noted that the Governor was seen as lightweight and out of depth with all of Mongo’s “burning-saddle” charm and personality.
However, there was not a dime in comfort for Floridians being oppressed by the yoke of their insurance premiums. why is that? Not important enough? Too busy with other political mischief? very Difficult?
Never mind that according to The Guardian, citing a Center for Popular Democracy study, insurance interests poured nearly $4 million into the governor’s re-election political action committee and about another $6 million into the coffers of the Florida GOP.
Oh, and the $125,000 insurance benefits paid off most likely the second governor’s inauguration.
Perhaps all of this shows that you get what you pay for. Nothing at all. Such a bargain.