Byron Donalds introduces Insurer Scorecard to lower premiums, give consumers info

Insurance is a big issue for Florida voters, and a candidate for Governor has a novel proposal to bring transparency for homeowners.

Byron Donalds introduced an insurer scorecard during a Saturday swing through Pinellas County, which would make Florida the first in the nation to list price, claims and insurer performance together in a single comparison tool.

Donalds, a Republican, had support on hand, including congressional colleague Anna Paulina Luna, whose district includes Treasure Island; state Rep. Kim Berfield; and Pinellas County Tax Collector Adam Ross.

“Floridians need relief from sky-high property insurance rates. Consumers deserve to know what insurance costs and how well it performs before they buy,” said Byron Donalds. “The Insurer Scorecard will help lower premiums and put consumers in control of their insurance.”

His campaign says the proposed scorecard would “modernize and relaunch the state’s CHOICES Rate Comparison tool, combining pricing data with insurer performance metrics, like claims approval rates and time to payment, into a single public dashboard … to reward efficient, customer-focused insurers and put downward pressure on premiums.”

The stop was part of Donalds’ Defending the Florida Dream Tour, a series of rallies and meet-and-greets meant to engage voters in conversations about issues that matter most to the Sunshine State.

Donalds, who is running to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis as he faces term limits, is the far and away front-runner in the GOP Primary. A recent survey from The Tarrance Group found about half of voters supported Donalds in the GOP Primary for Governor, while all other candidates landed in single digits, including hedge fund investor and conservative firebrand James Fishback, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett and former House Speaker Paul Renner.

Donalds also leads polling in a hypothetical General Election against either former U.S. Rep. David Jolly or Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, though both are polling competitively. In a recent poll from Echelon Insights, Donalds led Jolly 49% to 43% and Demings 48% to 44%. Both results were within the poll’s 6-percentage-point margin of error.

Meanwhile, DeSantis’ top pollster, Ryan Tyson, said that while it’s statistically improbable that a Democrat could win a statewide race in Florida, the political climate this year now means “it’s no longer impossible.” He predicted Jolly winning the Democratic Primary and providing a competitive race against Donalds, though still favors Donalds thanks to a significant rightward shift among Florida’s voting population.

Donalds’ announcement comes after another earlier this month, in which he unveiled his LaunchPad workforce initiative aimed at reducing bureaucracy, expanding apprenticeships and connecting employees to high-wage employment opportunities that don’t require a college degree.

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A.G. Gancarski contributed reporting.