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| December 2010 | Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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Don Brown Newsletter
Florida's Property Insurance Market at a Crossroads |
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| Greetings! |
It is my privilege to correspond with you and other community leaders on a subject matter of mutual concern: Florida's property insurance crisis.
I have spent over 37 years of my career addressing the challenges of homeowners' insurance in Florida. As a local official, independent insurance agent and a former Florida State Representative, I've concluded that Florida doesn't have an insurance problem, but rather, Florida has a hurricane problem.
My mission with this free, monthly newsletter, is to provide bite-size reality checks that offer the untold story behind the headlines, the rhetoric and the self-interests. Also, to invite you to be part of the community dialogue.
The insurance market is teetering at the crossroads, despite the fact we haven't had a hurricane in 5 years! There's no silver bullet solution, but a vibrant, honest debate using facts and science versus emotion and political demagoguery, will begin the process of saving our homeowners' insurance market and establishing longer-term stability for homeowners.
Florida's insurance system is broken and we need to fix it. This newsletter seeks to offer insightful perspectives that can build consensus and provide common sense free market solutions.
Thank you for checking out my newsletter. To learn more about my services and professional background, visit my website www.DonBrownFlorida.com. Sincerely,Donald D. Brown |
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| Insurance Key in Florida's Economic Recovery | |
Rick Scott was elected as Florida's next governor on the campaign theme of, "Lets Get to Work." The insurance industry in Florida is part of the solution in getting Floridians back to work and revitalizing our state's economy.
Here are some quick economic facts published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on how insurance contributes to Florida's economy:
* 182,000 insurance jobs in Florida;
* Insurance jobs bring in $10.7 billion in annual Florida family income
* Insurance contributes for 2.4% of Florida's Gross State Product - $14 billion
However, big companies such as Nationwide, State Farm, and Allstate have been pulling out, because of Florida's hostile political and regulatory climate. As a state, we cannot afford to drive out big business that creates jobs and contributes to our economy.
We must create a free market environment that attracts out-of-state companies to do business in Florida. When we attract more insurance companies who write policies in Florida, the more jobs it creates, the more choices consumers get, and the more economic stability the market will see over the long term.
It begins by changing our outlook on insurance by learning a new appreciation for the peace of mind it can provide in times of crisis and for the contribution it makes to our economic recovery. |
| Join Don Brown on Twitter for Real-Time Commentary | |
Property insurance in Florida is a hot topic that interests every Floridian. Every day there are articles, reports, statements, and data pertaining to the insurance market. Follow me on Twitter to learn the latest news, developments, controversies, and my opinions.
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| Don Brown Speaking Engagements |
 January 26th: Don will be the featured speaker addressing the Orlando chapter of the Professional Insurance Association of Florida. January 27th: Don will be the moderator at the Florida Chamber's Insurance Summit at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando.
The panelist discussion is titled, Assessments: Pay Now, or Pay Later.
Panelists will include:
Sandy Robinson, Florida Insurance Guaranty Association
Sharon Binnum, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
Jack Nicholson, Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
February 24th: Don will speak before the Coral Gables Rotary Club.
If you are interested in having Don present, Florida Insurance Market at a Crossroads, before your civic or business group, you can email Don at dbrownfl@yahoo.com. |
| Governor Scott and Heartland Institute Appointments | |
Don Brown received two honors last month. First, Don was appointed a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute. As a senior fellow, Don will counsel the organization and its members on insurance issues in Florida, Texas and other states. For more information on the appointment and info on the Heartland Institute click here, Former Florida Insurance Committee Chair to Join Heartland Institute.
Don Brown was appointed to Gov. Rick Scott's Tort Reform Transition Team. Between now and the new governor's swearing-in early in 2011, Brown will advise the new governor on tort reform issues in the state. The press release by Heartland Inst. is posted on Don Brown's website, which you can visit by clicking here, Latest News on Don Brown. |
| Communism, Capitalism and Cows | |
If a Communist has two cows, he gives both to the government, and the government sells him some of the milk.
If a Socialist has two cows, he gives both to the government, and the government gives him some of the milk.
If a Nazi has two cows, the government shoots him, and takes both cows.
If a government worker has two cows, he can't sell them, fire them, or even label them as cows.
If a Capitalist has two cows, he sells one and buys a bull. |
| Merry Christmas to You & Yours |
Merry Christmas! This beloved and familiar greeting, in recent times, has received more than its fair share of press as we find ourselves embroiled in a debate over whether to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." Yet no matter which expression you choose, both promote certain hopes and expectations for the season. It's to be a time of merriment, of happiness.
And for many this is true. Lights, decorations, parties, carols, gifts, feasts, special worship services . . . all of this and more adds up to joyful celebration.
Yet for others Christmas isn't only a time to be merry. It's also a time of mixed feelings, a season of sadness as well as joy.
So what should we do? Well, for one thing, I'd suggest that we allow Christmas to increase our longing. So many of us live in a stupor, accepting the brokenness of our world as a given, rather than as something in need of divine mending.
The Christmas theme of peace on earth should increase our longing for peace on earth. It should amplify our hope for the future, even as it motivates us to be peacemakers wherever we can.
As important as this is, it isn't the end of the story. The time will come when heaven and nature will indeed sing the song they were intended to sing by their Creator. What God did through the Incarnation is the beginning of true peace on earth, even though it's not yet fully here. The brokenness of our world, and, indeed, of our own lives, drives us to the only One who brings wholeness. And this is the One whose humble birth we celebrate at Christmas.
To you and your family, my holiday wish to you is "Peace on Earth" and "Merry Christmas". Don Brown
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