Welcome from Florida's CFO
Dear NAIC 2019 Spring National Attendees:
Thank you for joining us here in the beautiful Sunshine State. As Florida's Chief Financial Officer, I am laser focused on continuing Florida's economic growth and job creation. It is my top priority to protect Floridians' hard-earned money by fighting for the state's financial health, that includes protecting tax dollars, making smart financial decisions for our state, and tackling issues like Assignment of Benefits abuse in the insurance industry.
As many of you know, Assignment of Benefits has unfortunately become a deceptive practice perpetuated by bad actors who prey on vulnerable situations. It's my firm belief that we must bring everyone to the table, that includes insurers, attorneys, contractors, and lawmakers, to find the best solutions to effectively address this mounting problem. Florida's consumers cannot go another year being stuck in the middle.
Protecting our insurance consumers from fraud and scams will continue to be my top focus. That is why I launched Fraud Free Florida, a new statewide initiative aimed at better coordinating collective investigative efforts to protect Florida's large population, especially seniors, from scam artists. Fraud Free Florida will bring together statewide law enforcement officials, local state attorneys, private sector stakeholders, and members of my fraud investigative teams. We announced our first partnership with both the Jacksonville Sherriff's office and Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's office to combat fraud in our state, and we look forward to announcing more partnerships in the coming weeks. It is my goal to help Florida stay ahead of new scams and take on rampant fraud already taking place in our state, including insurance fraud.
With Commissioner Altmaier at the helm of Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation and the collaborative effort of the NAIC, it is my hope that together we can strive for excellence while strengthening our regulatory networks, protecting our consumers and building upon our successes as we work to build a better, stronger Florida.
About the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
As part of our state-based system of insurance regulation in the United States, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides expertise, data, and analysis for insurance commissioners to effectively regulate the industry and protect consumers. The U.S. standard-setting organization is governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer reviews, and coordinate regulatory oversight. NAIC staff supports these efforts and represents the collective views of state regulators domestically and internationally.