If you own a home in Florida's 16th District, you already know the crisis we are facing. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years, and families in Bradenton, Riverview, Lakewood Ranch, and across our district are being squeezed like never before. Many homeowners are seeing their premiums double or even triple, and some insurance companies are pulling out of the Florida market entirely.
This is not just a statewide problem — it is hitting our communities especially hard. Seniors in Sun City Center on fixed incomes are being forced to choose between insurance coverage and groceries. Young families in Fish Hawk and Valrico are finding that the cost of insuring their first home is almost as much as their mortgage payment. Small business owners in Palmetto and Ellenton are watching their liability insurance costs eat into their bottom line.
The Root of the Problem
Florida's insurance crisis has many causes, but one of the biggest drivers is excessive litigation. Our state has long been a magnet for frivolous lawsuits and inflated claims that drive up the cost of insurance for everyone. While Florida's state legislature has taken important steps to address tort reform, there is much more that needs to be done at the federal level.
Insurance companies set their rates based on risk, and when the legal environment in a state creates enormous, unpredictable liabilities, those costs get passed directly to policyholders. Families in Anna Maria Island, Holmes Beach, and Longboat Key face additional challenges because of their coastal exposure to hurricanes and flooding.
My Plan to Bring Relief
As your representative in Congress, I will fight for comprehensive reforms that address the systemic problems driving insurance costs higher:
- Federal tort reform to curb abusive litigation and cap excessive punitive damages in insurance cases
- Promoting competition by supporting legislation that allows consumers in Brandon, Bloomingdale, and across the district to purchase insurance across state lines
- Strengthening fraud enforcement to crack down on organized insurance fraud rings that inflate costs for honest policyholders
- Improving federal disaster programs to reduce the burden on private insurers and lower premiums in hurricane-prone areas like Ruskin, Apollo Beach, and the Gulf Coast communities of Manatee County
This Is Personal
I have heard from hundreds of families in Riverview, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch who are desperate for relief. This is not an abstract policy debate — it is about whether families can afford to stay in their homes. I am committed to making insurance affordability a top priority in Congress, and I will not stop fighting until families in Florida's 16th District get the relief they deserve.
Read more about my full plan on the insurance costs issue page and view my complete platform.