67 apply to become state’s next Insurance Commissioner

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Gov.Ā RickĀ ScottĀ and the Florida Cabinet now haveĀ 67 namesĀ to pick from forĀ state Insurance Commissioner.

They decided to take more applications for the job after the March 29 Cabinet meeting, setting an April 15 application deadline.

Scott and Chief Financial OfficerĀ JeffĀ AtwaterĀ hadĀ eachĀ favored two different candidates: Retired executiveĀ JeffreyĀ BraggĀ andĀ state Rep.Ā Bill Hager, a former Iowa insurance commissioner,Ā respectively.

Scott and Atwater first have to agree on the sameĀ candidateĀ under state law. TheĀ Office of Insurance RegulationĀ is underĀ theĀ Department of Financial Services, which Atwater heads as CFO.

Bragg and Hager were the finalists out of an original 55 who applied.

Among others, the new applicants now include:

  • Michael Bownes, a veteranĀ General Counsel for the Alabama Insurance Department. He’s also past head of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection.
  • Michael Conover, a vice president at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
  • Joshua Williams,Ā theĀ corporate risk director forĀ Crescent Hotels & Resorts.
  • Richards Barger Jr., an insurance consultant in Pasadena, California.
  • Said Abadi,Ā a French citizen withĀ extensive knowledge of the French insurance industry. He’s looking to relocate to America.

BraggĀ madeĀ a high-profile misstepĀ when Attorney GeneralĀ Pam BondiĀ asked him an Affordable Care Act question about navigators. They’re application counselors who are supposed to help people get health insurance. Bragg saidĀ he didnā€™t know what Bondi was talking about.

Bragg has had senior positions with theĀ Federal Emergency Management Agency and mega-insurer Zurich. He also was director of the Federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Program.

Hager is a current Florida state representative who was Iowaā€™s insurance commissioner. He also runs a small business as anĀ expert witness and insurance arbitrator. TheĀ Delray Beach Republican isĀ vice chairman of the HouseĀ Insurance andĀ Banking Subcommittee.

ā€œI believe I would be ready from Day 1,ā€ he told the governor and Cabinet. ā€œI have experience leading ā€¦ Iā€™m unafraid to lead and to take the heat.ā€

The next Cabinet meeting is April 26.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Floridaā€™s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of whatā€™s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the stateā€™s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.