By James Call
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-887435.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet want more information before they approve a bond sale for the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. Officials say they have a lot of questions about the number of late file claims for storm damage from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
Forty-three named storms occurred in 2004 and 2005. Although the state has paid out more than 9-billion dollars, claims are still filing in.
Governor Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink all balked at approving the sale of another $700-million in bonds to reimburse insurance companies for claims they paid. Crist questions the legitimacy of the number of new and reopened claims coming years after the storms hit.
"That is my instinct, but I don't want to act on instinct alone. That is why the deferral was requested and the opportunity for more data to be accumulated. But to have that kind of explosion and a second bite of the apple, if you will, of these kinds of claims that would be borne on the back of good citizens that are just paying their insurance routinely as they're supposed to do would be inappropriate."
When a decision is made to go ahead and pay the reimbursements, residents with home and auto insurance will pay an additional 18-dollar fee. The Legislature is analyzing the situation and could impose a deadline for storm-related claims.