This week on Florida Matters, a big question for Florida homeowners is how insurance reforms pushed through by lawmakers late last year will affect them.
The changes include ending the assignment of benefits and one-way attorney fees. The insurance industry says those are key factors in they excessive litigation they blame for pushing companies into insolvency.
Host Matthew Peddie talks with professor Chuck Nyce, with the Florida State University College of Business about whether the changes will stabilize the troubled insurance market and give homeowners some relief from spiraling rates.
RELATED: Florida's insurance commissioner steps down a day after lawmakers approved an industry overhaul
Later in the show, we spoke with Sarasota Mayor Kyle Battie about how the city is rebounding from the economic squeeze of the pandemic, and how a building boom is changing the city he grew up in.
Like many Florida cities, Sarasota is growing. Development is transforming the city skyline, and one of the challenges is how to accommodate growth while protecting the environment, providing affordable housing and preserving Sarasota’s artsy identity.
RELATED: Sarasota mayor Kyle Battie talks about the future of his booming city
Battie, who won election to the city commission in District 1 in 2020, was chosen as mayor in November. It’s a largely ceremonial, year-long position.
He’s a former model and TV host who grew up in Sarasota and worked in New York and Miami before returning to his hometown.
He ran for commission on a platform of helping small businesses and working families recover from the pandemic.
You can listen to the full conversations by clicking on the “Listen” button above. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”
