Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis joins “Fox & Friends” to discuss the state’s property insurance crisis as residents reel from Hurricane Milton.
Floridians are just starting to get back on track after Hurricane Milton hit the state. But some residents are especially upset about the lack of insurance coverage.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis appeared on “Fox & Friends” Friday from the scene, telling the story of a 70-year-old man with no insurance whose home was destroyed.
“(He) was heartbroken,” Patronis told Fox News’ Steve Doocy. “He was probably about 70 years old. He lived next door to a woman who was in her 80s. And they became neighbors, and he became her caregiver. He’s actually living with her now. They live together. Her house is untouched and his house has been destroyed.”
“He was uninsured and his main income was Social Security. This was a gated retirement community…but unfortunately, you know, he told me…he I started crying and he said, ‘Jimmy, this isn’t your fault…’ These were my own bad decisions and I should have been more prepared for this in my life. But it could have happened later, and it did,” the CFO explained.
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FOX Weather confirmed 17 deaths in Milton as of Friday morning after the storm made landfall in Siesta Key, Florida late Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis encouraged Milton victims to contact Hope Florida and FEMA for recovery and relief assistance. (Getty Images)
Power and other utilities are slowly being restored across Florida after Hurricane Milton tore through the state for less than 12 hours, leaving more than 4 million people without power and flooding neighborhoods at its peak.
Florida’s CFO claimed Friday that the person he spoke with is eligible to participate in Hope Florida’s travel trailer program. Hope Florida is a nonprofit organization that brings together public and private sector services to support, find and provide resources to single parents, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and others.
Patronis said the individual will not only be provided with a temporary travel trailer, but will also be eligible for FEMA assistance. FEMA announced in a Thursday press release that it has launched a 24-hour supply, volunteer agency, and response asset operation in response to Milton, and that more than $344 million has already been distributed to victims of former Hurricane Helen. did.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey talks about search and rescue operations at Barney & Co. during Hurricane Milton.
Patronis also highlighted the importance of having homeowners insurance even if your mortgage is paid off.
“We told people it would take 12 to 18 months to fix it because there was a man-made problem in Florida that had to be fixed,” he explained. “(Insurance) rates in Florida are going down, but they’re down single digits (single digits), not double digits. They’re not going down fast enough for me. But for people like you who have huge losses, Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian has had a significant financial impact on these services.”
The chief financial officer told FOX Business’ Stuart Barney earlier this week that if a home is damaged and its assessed value goes down, there will be a “deferral” on property taxes, and insurance premiums should go up. He said it was not.
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Jack Brewer Foundation CEO and former NFL player Jack Brewer discusses the impact of Hurricane Milton and his foundation’s efforts to provide aid to communities affected by the storm.
“So we did this after Hurricane Ian, where a rebate scheme is put in place, but individuals have to apply by March 1 to get that rebate back. If your house isn’t as (valued) as it was before, when a storm comes, you should pay taxes on the undamaged house, so if your house is damaged, you should get a discount. ,” he previously said.
“We’ve made Florida an attractive place to invest money again when it comes to the insurance market,” Patronis added Friday. “But it’s not going to happen overnight. I’m still very bullish on Florida.”
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FOX Weather staff contributed to this report.
