Hurricane Ian: Damage will drive insurance rates even higher, cripple industry

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With early predictions of $50 billion in damage from Hurricane Ian, experts worry whether the state’s struggling property insurance system will become another casualty of the storm and lead to even higher premiums. If it fails, the cost will be passed on to all Florida homeowners,not just those who suffered damage, because of assessments levied on them to cover the losses. “We’re relying on a strategy of hope, and that hasn’t played out,” State Sen. Jeff Brandes, a Republican from Pinellas County who has tried to push for strict insurance and litigation reforms to rein in t...