Politics

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 2.18.25

Published

2 weeks ago

February 18, 2025

May Greene

Sunburn: Heating up Florida politics, one headline at a time.

Good … morning.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

— DAYS UNTIL —
— TOP STORY —

—LEGISLATIVE—

“2 years after reforms, lawmakers share insurance horror stories” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Florida’s Insurance Commissioner might not want the Legislature to pursue any major new reforms during the upcoming Session, but lawmakers on House and Senate committees that determine which bills advance might not be so patient. Two years after voting to enact reform bills aimed at reducing rates of claims abuses and litigation against insurers, lawmakers arrived at two meetings in Tallahassee prior to the March start of the 2025 Legislative Session loaded with complaints from constituents and questions about the state of Florida’s insurance industry. What remains to be seen is whether the concerns expressed will result in actual bills intended to reduce costs and improve how fast insurers pay claims and respond to homeowners’ claims.

—100 DAYS—

“Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic control staff just weeks after fatal D.C. plane crash” via The Associated Press — The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement. The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

— STATEWIDE —

“Why is car insurance so expensive in Florida? Insurance expert weighs in on high rates” via Lianna Norman of the USA Today Network-Florida — Insurance is expensive in Florida. And it doesn’t only affect the hurricane-prone state’s high prices for home insurance policies. Florida has long been one of the most expensive states when it comes to the cost of car insurance policies, too. According to BankRate’s January 2025 data, Florida has the third-most expensive annual costs for minimum coverage in the U.S. and the most-expensive overall when it comes to the average cost for full coverage policies. And a recent study from online insurance marketplace Insurify reported this month that car insurance prices are likely to increase another 5% in 2025, after increasing by a whopping 42% since 2022, ranking as the fifth-most expensive state in the U.S. for car insurance.

— MORE D.C. MATTERS—

— ELECTIONS —

Happening tomorrow:

— LOCAL: S. FL —

— LOCAL: C. FL —

— LOCAL: TB —

“DeSantis appoints ‘Jeopardy’ champion and conservative donor Charbel Barakat to USF Board of Trustees” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — DeSantis has appointed Barakat to the University of South Florida (USF) Board of Trustees. Barakat is the Vice President of Counsel for Public Policy at Tampa-based homebuilder D.R. Horton, Inc. He also is a former “Jeopardy” contestant and champion, winning the popular game show in 2018. Barakat serves on the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Governors as a DeSantis appointee. And DeSantis appointed him previously to the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission. Barakat also serves as a member of the Florida Development Finance Corporation. Barakat earned his undergraduate degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University and his law degree from New York University.