Saturday letters Saturday letters Check out this story on tallahassee.com: http://on.tdo.com/1BCDuNi
Published 11:37 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2015
Cuts(Photo: Andy Marlette/Pensacola News Journal)
Budget will turn out poorly
So Gov. Scott, who has the smallest and lowest paid state workforce in the U.S., has submitted a budget that again ignores state workers. Well, the ignorant voters who elected him got what they thought they wanted: lowering of taxes, smaller government.
But look at the result. We will continue to have a state workforce that is underpaid and discouraged, in addition to worrying about a loss of a job. It looks like the same thing that big business CEOs did to cause the current economic crisis: downsizing the workforce, and no salary or benefit increases.
Is Scott is reaching out to the politically ignorant with the promise of less government and no new taxes? Perhaps he is thinking about a run for president.
tprebys@ius.edu
Don't allow bear hunting
Some Floridians are suggesting that the state open a trophy hunt on black bears for the first time in 21 years.
This is a misguided response to the recent human-black bear incidents, each of which was tied to unsecured garbage in the area. In one case, three neighbors were arrested for illegally feeding bears.
To prevent similar serious incidents, policymakers need to target the problem — garbage. Allowing trophy hunters to shoot random bears deep in the woods simply misses the mark.
Instead of wasting time and resources, the FWC should focus its attention on proven approaches such as enforcing laws that prohibit feeding, using bear-resistant garbage bins, using aversive conditioning to stop bears from learning that neighborhoods mean easy food and educating the public on how to coexist with bears.
Email commissioners at Commissioners@MyFWC.com and ask the agency to keep Florida's bears protected from trophy hunting.
Florida director for U.S. Humane Society
kmacfall@humanesociety.org
Citizens Property Insurance already shrinking
Contributor Alan Daley hit the nail on the head in his recent My View ("Time for Citizens Property Insurance to Shrink," Jan. 27). I am happy to report that Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is actually one step ahead of him.
Today, our policy count sits at just under 630,000, a far cry from the nearly 1.5 million policyholders Citizens covered in 2012 and below the 650,000 target we set just 12 months ago. Meanwhile, Citizens last year reduced premiums for 70 percent of its policyholders.
Barring a major hurricane, Citizens' policy count will dip to 550,000 by the end of 2015 as policyholders find quality coverage from financially sound private companies vetted by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
Just three years ago, Floridians would have been on the hook for $11.6 billion for Citizens claims in the event of a 1-100 year storm. Today, we have the ability to handle a storm of the century without having to levy any "hurricane tax" on all Florida policyholders.
The bottom line is that Citizens is in the best financial shape it ever has been and is well on its way to returning to its role as the state's insurer of last resort.
President, CEO and executive director, Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Read or Share this story: http://on.tdo.com/1BCDuNi
Saturday letters Saturday letters Check out this story on tallahassee.com: http://on.tdo.com/1BCDuNi
Published 11:37 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2015
Cuts(Photo: Andy Marlette/Pensacola News Journal)
Budget will turn out poorly
So Gov. Scott, who has the smallest and lowest paid state workforce in the U.S., has submitted a budget that again ignores state workers. Well, the ignorant voters who elected him got what they thought they wanted: lowering of taxes, smaller government.
But look at the result. We will continue to have a state workforce that is underpaid and discouraged, in addition to worrying about a loss of a job. It looks like the same thing that big business CEOs did to cause the current economic crisis: downsizing the workforce, and no salary or benefit increases.
Is Scott is reaching out to the politically ignorant with the promise of less government and no new taxes? Perhaps he is thinking about a run for president.
tprebys@ius.edu
Don't allow bear hunting
Some Floridians are suggesting that the state open a trophy hunt on black bears for the first time in 21 years.
This is a misguided response to the recent human-black bear incidents, each of which was tied to unsecured garbage in the area. In one case, three neighbors were arrested for illegally feeding bears.
To prevent similar serious incidents, policymakers need to target the problem — garbage. Allowing trophy hunters to shoot random bears deep in the woods simply misses the mark.
Instead of wasting time and resources, the FWC should focus its attention on proven approaches such as enforcing laws that prohibit feeding, using bear-resistant garbage bins, using aversi
ve conditioning to stop bears from learning that neighborhoods mean easy food and educating the public on how to coexist with bears.
Email commissioners at Commissioners@MyFWC.com and ask the agency to keep Florida's bears protected from trophy hunting.
Florida director for U.S. Humane Society
kmacfall@humanesociety.org
Citizens Property Insurance already shrinking
Contributor Alan Daley hit the nail on the head in his recent My View ("Time for Citizens Property Insurance to Shrink," Jan. 27). I am happy to report that Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is actually one step ahead of him.
Today, our policy count sits at just under 630,000, a far cry from the nearly 1.5 million policyholders Citizens covered in 2012 and below the 650,000 target we set just 12 months ago. Meanwhile, Citizens last year reduced premiums for 70 percent of its policyholders.
Barring a major hurricane, Citizens' policy count will dip to 550,000 by the end of 2015 as policyholders find quality coverage from financially sound private companies vetted by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
Just three years ago, Floridians would have been on the hook for $11.6 billion for Citizens claims in the event of a 1-100 year storm. Today, we have the ability to handle a storm of the century without having to levy any "hurricane tax" on all Florida policyholders.
The bottom line is that Citizens is in the best financial shape it ever has been and is well on its way to returning to its role as the state's insurer of last resort.
President, CEO and executive director, Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Read or Share this story: http://on.tdo.com/1BCDuNi