Deland,
December 01, 2006
VERY
OPEN LETTER TO ALL
FLORIDA
STATE LEGISLATORS
Dear
Legislators,
It's
great to call a special session, but are you really serious
about making the changes necessary to stop the property
insurance disaster?
As
stated in an article yesterday (quote): "Stephen
MacNamara, a former senior legislative staff member who now
is a professor of communications at
Florida
State
University
, said the state commission run by Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings
was ‘a face-saver for Jeb, who was unable to
develop an agreement that would allow this to have been
handled under his watch.’"
I
guess that sums it up really well, because only one of the
many proposals of the Commission can really be taken serious
-- Equal building codes for the whole state! Everything
else is a cover-up for the insurance industry at the expense
of the property owners!
Do
you honestly think that owners unable to pay high insurance
rates are able to find the money for the proposed outrageous
deductibles in case of hurricane damage?
I
know this letter may not make me lots of friends among
Florida
's legislators, but I think I can live without these
"friends" if they cost my fellow citizens and me a
lot of money and grief. Who needs enemies if he has
"friends" like this?
Let's
make one thing very clear: Radical times call for radical
changes! And that is exactly what we need if we want to
see a solution to the insurance disaster! So, I apologize
for my "direct" language in advance and hope you
all understand that it's sheer frustration that causes me to
use this very "direct" language!
I
thought the election was a wake-up call for certain people.
But from yesterday's comments in the media it seems pretty
obvious that some of our leading legislators still haven't
gotten the message. And the same legislators that failed us
in the last two years are back in the power seats in House
and Senate. And they are back with the same lame excuses --
excuses our wallets can't afford any longer!
Please
note again: The results of the election – whatever else
the spin-doctors may be telling you -- were a clear vote by
the people against the politics we constituents saw in
Tallahassee
during the last two years. May I remind you that the vote
against Tom Lee and Frank Bolanos was as well a vote against
Governor Jeb Bush? When you watched the Lee campaign ads,
you were not sure if you were supposed to vote for Tom Lee
or Jeb Bush!
I
know quite a few people who voted for Alex Sink, not because
she is a Democrat or has more knowledge about financials
issues than Tom Lee -- but because of Tom Lee's record as
Senate President and his role in passing Senate Bill 1980.
Ever
thought about the fact that in the last elections every
former Speaker or Senate President running for public office
suffered crushing defeats?
If
you haven't realized it yet, the insurance industry is not
willing to take our risks, they just want our money! All the
bait the legislature used in the last two years to make them
write reasonable priced property insurance policies is not
working -- they just want profits without the risk.
If
they don't want our business, why should we beg them to take
it?
The
insurance industry forced
Florida
to create Citizens to insure the risks they didn't
want to underwrite. So, let's stop kissing the insurance
industry’s butt and turn the tables!
Ever
considered letting Citizens write the complete property
owners' policy? The agency is in place, functioning better
and better -- if it weren’t for Senate Bill 1980. Let's
keep the profitable business in
Florida
as well! If you look into history, that's how
insurance started -- not with greedy insurance companies!
What
does it take to make
Florida
's legislators realize that we owners need serious relief,
not just lip service?
People
weeping at town hall meetings, crying old ladies on the
phone, desperate e-mails, fast-climbing numbers of home
foreclosures? It obviously still didn't get the attention of
some legislators, judging by yesterday's quotes in the
media.
Maybe
we should use a method that has proven to be very effective
in homeowners' associations and condo associations: Recall
the people unwilling to listen to the majority! Since
association law lacks enforcement, recall is often the only
way to be heard!
Maybe
we should start recalling the Speaker of the House or the
Senate President in order to get the attention of our
legislators? Are radical methods necessary to show how
desperate many of
Florida
's citizens really are? Don't count on the usual apathy from
homeowners when families are losing their homes because they
can't afford the insurance premiums and property taxes.
Please
think about it -- and take the necessary action in January
-- it's long overdue!
OUR
CONSTITUTION STILL SAYS: "We The People"!
We,
The People, elected you to represent us, The People, not the
interests of the insurance industry!
Warm
Regards,
Jan
Bergemann, President
Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.
IN
ALLIANCE
WITH:
League
of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Property Owners Association in the Villages (POA)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 11
Fair
Housing
Center
of the Greater Palm Beaches (FHCGPB)
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