IN CASE YOU MISSED IT….Associated Press: “Insurance, K9s and weed among Cabinet legislative priorities”
3/15/2021
“Insurance, K9s and weed among Cabinet legislative priorities”
Associated Press
Brendan Farrington
March 12, 2021
To read the full story, click here.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis wants to make navigating insurance claims more consumer friendly, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants to fight hunger and Attorney General Ashley Moody wants better protections for seniors who are exploited.
Associated Press
Brendan Farrington
March 12, 2021
To read the full story, click here.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis wants to make navigating insurance claims more consumer friendly, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants to fight hunger and Attorney General Ashley Moody wants better protections for seniors who are exploited.
While Florida’s three independently elected Cabinet members can’t sponsor or vote on bills, they hold important leadership roles in state government and each is working with lawmakers to pass legislation.
The Associated Press interviewed each of the Cabinet members to discuss their 2021 legislative priorities:
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JIMMY PATRONIS
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JIMMY PATRONIS
One of Patronis’s top priorities reflects an issue supported by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders: Passing a bill to shield businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19.
“COVID-19 lawsuits are going to happen and people are going to have this sue and settle environment,” said Patronis, whose family owns a restaurant. “Do right by your employees and your costumers. Safety measures should be easy to understand. I just want to put people ahead of lawyers’ profits.
He’s also pushing for a law that would require companies to let consumers opt out of having their personal information sold to other companies. He said he was inspired by a California law that went into affect last year in that state. Nevada has a similar law.
“I said I want this in Florida. I want to protect people’s rights on their information so Big Tech can’t harvest it,” Patronis said. ”If California and Nevada can do it, by God, Florida can do it.”
He’s also working with lawmakers on a bill that would make several changes to insurance laws in an effort to protect consumers from fraud and a bevy of fees. Among other things, it would give 10 calendar days to cancel a claims adjuster contract without penalty, instead of the current three business days. It would also crack down on unlicensed adjusters and make it illegal for contractors to solicit a consumer to file an insurance claim.
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About CFO Jimmy Patronis
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and X (@FLDFS).