Say Something Nice About Florida P/C Insurance

There is plenty of negativity about the Florida property/casualty insurance market in the press, living rooms, boardrooms and barrooms across the state-and even among many people outside the state with an interest.

The talk is about troubles with property insurance cost and availability, auto insurance fraud, drug-dispensing doctors, home and condo foreclosures, severe storms and sinkholes, unscrupulous public adjusters, and more.

But is it all bad? Is there anything that works? Is there anything nice that can be said about Florida P/C insurance markets?

In a recent survey, Insurance Journal asked Florida agents to rate various markets in the state. More than 100 agents responded. While property markets got negative reviews, more than two-thirds, perhaps surprisingly, rated the personal auto market as either good or excellent. Markets for commercial general liability, commercial auto, motorcycles and professional liability fared very well also, while small workers’ compensation and medical malpractice did just OK.

As part of the 20-question survey on a variety of issues, Insurance Journal also asked Florida agents if there is anything nice they could say about the state. It turns out, many had nice things to say.

The good includes agencies that are resilient and professional, small commercial liability and professional liability lines that work well, gradually rising rates and politicians who finally seem to be rising to the challenges of some of the state’s most critical problems. Some even said some nice things about the much-maligned Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

In what might be the least positive thing to be said, one agent said, “We are still here.”

But plenty of agents came up with more than that. For some of the nice things agents have to say about Florida insurance, read on…