Gov. Bush Urges Fla. Legislators to Discuss Multiple Deductibles, Repair Work

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush vowed to urge the Florida Legislature, during upcoming sessions before Christmas, to solve citizens concerns about multiple insurance deductibles, repair work and property taxes.

The governor visited hurricane-ravaged parts of Florida yesterday to celebrate the end of the 2004 hurricane season.

As individuals and communities struggle to recover, the Legislature will conduct a special session, tentatively scheduled for the week of Dec. 13, devoted to hurricane-related problems.

Bush praised the hard work of emergency workers and volunteers during the hurricanes, calling them “true heroes.”

“Issues such as insurance laws will be taken up by the state Legislature in its next session,” Bush said. “As for people who have had to pay several insurance deductibles, I think it’s appropriate for the state to provide some support.”

Among the problems this year’s hurricanes leave behind will be a challenge in the area of affordable housing, Bush said, since so many of the homes destroyed were mobile homes.

“There has been an outpouring of compassion and love, the likes of which we have never seen,” Bush said. He described the disaster relief efforts following the four hurricanes that struck Florida this year as “the largest volunteer effort in our nation’s history.”

“There is a lot of work still to be done, no question about it,” Bush said, mentioning multiple insurance deductibles, property taxes, repair work as concerns facing many in Florida. “Today is the end of hurricane season, but the impacts of the hurricanes will go on for a lot of citizens.”

As for planning for future storms, Bush said Florida is simply too big to for everyone to try to evacuate when a hurricane threatens, and that helping people find shelter in their own communities should be the focus.