With Floridians beginning to face the realities of a worsening property insurance market after Hurricane Ian, a new Lincoln Project ad is blasting Gov. Ron DeSantis over rising rates.
The Republican Governor has emerged as a national force within the GOP and is well-positioned to be a leading presidential contender. But the Lincoln Project says DeSantis has neglected the home front.
"Florida homeowners are paying more for storm insurance every year. What has Ron DeSantis done to help us? Nothing," according to the ad.
Overlaid with hurricane footage and news reports, the ad blusters against DeSantis for "running for President," "cruel campaign stunts" and more, including attacking companies like Disney. Clips of the Governor "bragging" and "trolling" during his news conferences are also peppered throughout the minute-long ad.
"He did everything but help us protect our homes — protect the dreams we worked so hard for," it continues. "Trolling isn't governing, waging culture wars isn't leading and Ron DeSantis isn't helping."
The Lincoln Project, which emerged in 2019 as a Republican "Never-Trump" PAC, is targeting pivotal regions of the state with the ad, including the Interstate 4 corridor. The ad will run digitally in Pinellas, Orange, Hillsborough, Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Seminole and Indian River counties.
Property insurance became a flashpoint in Florida this year as the market's erosion accelerated. This year marked the second straight year of annual industry losses exceeding $1 billion. The Legislature ultimately convened in May to address the issue ahead of hurricane season, but many say it was too little too late.
More than a dozen companies have stopped writing new policies in Florida, and several have closed shop this year. One company was declared insolvent and placed into receivership as Ian was barreled toward Florida.
Before Hurricane Ian, the annual cost of an average Florida homeowners insurance policy was expected to reach $4,231 in 2022, nearly three times the U.S. average of $1,544.
The ad isn't the first reel the Lincoln Project has cut that uses Hurricane Ian to sell its point. Last week, the group released an ad criticizing DeSantis' response to Ian and suggesting lives could have been saved had DeSantis not coordinated flights of migrants from Texas to Massachusetts.
DeSantis is up for re-election this year. With less than four weeks until Election Day, polls show DeSantis leading his challenger, Democrat Charlie Crist, by 5 points or more.
No comments:
Post a Comment