Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Calls for Special Legislative Session to Address Florida’s Property Insurance Crisis

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September 6, 2023

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Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Calls for Special Legislative Session to Address Florida’s Property Insurance Crisis

Mucarsel-Powell: “Property insurance costs are a crisis. I’m calling on leaders in Tallahassee to convene an immediate special session to pass common-sense legislation to lower costs for Florida families and small businesses.”

Miami – Today, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, candidate for U.S. Senate, called for a special legislative session in Tallahassee to address Florida’s property insurance crisis.

Floridians currently suffer under the highest property insurance rates in the nation. The rapid increase in property insurance rates has left countless Floridians struggling to keep up with payments, putting the dream of homeownership out of reach for many, and creating barriers for small businesses owners. A recent report stated that Floridians pay on average a staggering $7,788 annually for home insurance. With climate change driving more and more powerful storms, tackling this crisis in a way that puts regular Floridians first is more important than ever.

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell said:

“Property insurance costs are a crisis. I’m calling on leaders in Tallahassee to convene an immediate special session to pass common-sense legislation to lower costs for Florida families and small businesses. We need action, not tomorrow, but right now, to save Floridians who are struggling with massive rate increases.

“For too long, Florida families have been paying some of the highest property insurance rates in the country — rates have been skyrocketing for years. This is not a new problem: when Rick Scott was governor, rates reached record highs, and due to his failures, rates have just kept climbing. We all know families who are making the tough  decision right now between paying for their insurance or supplies for their kids as school starts.

“And it is long past time to acknowledge the impact of climate change on this crisis. Floridians need solutions that put them first, not political agendas or insurance company profits.”

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About Debbie Mucarsel-Powell

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell came to the U.S. from South America at a young age with her mom and sisters, fleeing violence and searching for a better life.

While her mother worked double shifts as a home health care provider, Debbie worked at a doughnut shop to help her family make ends meet. After working her way through high school and college, Debbie worked as Associate Dean at Florida International University’s Colleges of Health and Medicine. While at FIU, Debbie helped lead a program to expand access to affordable healthcare to more Floridians.

Serving in Congress, Debbie fought to expand opportunity for every American. Debbie wrote the bill to expand seniors’ Medicare Advantage coverage, and she worked with Republicans to provide economic relief to families and small businesses, and secured $200 million for Everglades restoration. When Debbie was 24, she tragically lost her father to gun violence, and she has been a lifelong advocate for reducing crime and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.

Now, Debbie is running for the U.S. Senate because our democracy, our economy, and our rights are all on the line — and Senator Rick Scott has failed Floridians. Florida is one of the least affordable states in the nation, but Senator Rick Scott wants to raise taxes on our families and end Social Security and Medicare coverage. As someone who takes care of her elderly mother, Debbie will always fight to protect Medicare, Social Security, and access to quality, affordable healthcare.

And while Rick Scott has pushed for a national abortion ban, and even introduced a bill that would criminalize doctors and nurses, Debbie will protect the rights of women and families and work to sign Roe v. Wade into law.

Debbie and her husband Robert live in Miami and have three children, Willow, Jude and Siena, two dogs, Spike and Kali, and a bunny named Ashanti.