Why Sunshine and the media matters

March 16 marked the beginning of Sunshine Week, a week that highlights the importance of open government.

As we celebrate Sunshine Week, the recent investigative work by the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald on Florida's property insurance industry stands as a powerful reminder of how a free press can expose wrongdoing and spark real change.

When Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez ordered an investigation into the practices of property insurance companies, it underscored the continuing influence of diligent journalism. Perez directed the House Insurance and Banking Committee to examine claims raised in the Times/Herald report, which revealed that some insurers concealed profits while portraying themselves as financially distressed.

The Times/Herald investigation exposed how several insurance companies funneled more than a billion dollars in profits to affiliated businesses while claiming to be on the verge of collapse. These actions came after a series of devastating hurricanes prompted the Legislature to pass laws shielding insurers from lawsuits and offering other legal advantages.

Uncovering these practices was no easy feat. The reporting team spent two years waiting for a draft report from the Office of Insurance Regulation – an example of how Florida's once-robust Sunshine Laws have eroded – before completing their own investigation. Their findings suggest that while insurers claimed financial hardship, they were quietly transferring profits to parent companies. Some insurers even withdrew from Florida, insisting they could no longer operate profitably.

In response, Perez's investigation will include subpoena power and the authority to recommend policy changes to prevent similar abuses in the future. His decision to pursue this inquiry is notable, particularly in Florida's Republican-controlled Legislature. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle welcomed the move after the Times/Herald report exposed how insurers may have misled the Legislature.

Insurance industry leaders, however, dispute the report's conclusions. They argue that it is outdated and fails to account for changes made by the Legislature in 2022. Those reforms, they say, have stabilized Florida's insurance market, encouraging companies to return to the state and reducing the burden on Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort.

Lawmakers are already considering new measures to increase transparency, including requirements for insurance companies to disclose executive compensation and provide clearer accounting of where premium dollars go. These proposals reflect growing concern over whether consumer interests are being protected.

Insurance will undoubtedly be a major issue during the 2025 legislative session. While companies aim to preserve the 2022 reforms – crediting them with stabilizing the market even after three major storms in 2024 – lawmakers are under pressure to deliver greater accountability.

Whatever the outcome, Florida homeowners owe a debt of gratitude to the journalists at the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald. Their years-long investigation shed light on practices that left many policyholders struggling to repair their homes after hurricane damage – facing denied claims and lowball settlement offers.

The message to insurance companies is clear: they are being watched.

This is the essential role of the media.

Florida once led the nation in public records access, but those days are fading. Each new restriction on public information chips away at citizens' right to know. Sunshine Week is the perfect time to remind lawmakers that transparency matters – and that the public values the right to hold powerful institutions accountable.