St. Petersburg attorney and House District 60 candidate Lindsay Polega-Quigley says Florida’s insurance crisis has been flattened into political talking points. Some blame trial lawyers, others insurance companies. Polega-Quigley argues the problem is all of that, and more.
“One of the biggest misconceptions voters have is that Florida’s insurance crisis is caused by a single villain,” Polega-Quigley said. “The truth is that premiums remain high because multiple problems are feeding into each other.”
Polega-Quigley, an attorney by trade, is a Democrat running to succeed outgoing Rep. Lindsay Cross, who announced earlier this month that she would not seek reelection and endorsed Polega-Quigley immediately following the candidate’s official filing for the seat.
If elected, Polega-Quigley said her first insurance-related bill would focus on transparency and accountability in Florida’s property insurance market, “including stronger oversight of rate filings and claims practices.” She told Poliverse, “We need reforms that balance the ability for people to access justice but increase options for settling cases more efficiently.”
For Polega-Quigley, that means creating a system where legitimate claims can be resolved before they become lawsuits, without stripping homeowners of legal options when insurers do not pay. Lawmakers also need to strengthen flood insurance options and invest in storm resilience before disasters happen, not only respond afterward, she continued.
“I expect opposition from any group that benefits from the status quo – which exists on nearly every financially interested side of the aisle in this broken system,” she said.
Polega-Quigley’s view is informed by her legal work in construction and insurance litigation, where she said she has seen problems on more than one side of the system.
“There have been bad actors who exploited the claims and litigation process, but there are also insurers, developers, contractors and others whose decisions can increase costs and shift risk onto homeowners and renters,” she said. “Reducing the problem to only one piece of the puzzle prevents us from finding real solutions.”
She pointed to stronger storms, aging infrastructure, development in flood-prone areas and construction quality as pieces of the same puzzle.
“One issue that receives far too little attention is construction quality,” she added.
Workforce shortages, accelerated construction schedules and development pressures can all affect how resilient homes are over time, she said. Florida’s building code, she added, should continue evolving alongside changing weather risks and advances in building science.
“If we want lower premiums, we have to reduce risk, improve the quality of what we’re building, and create a market that works for homeowners rather than special interests,” she said.
While Polega-Quigley has staked her campaign promises on insurance and affordability, those issues do not mark a break from Cross’ environmental focus.
“In Pinellas, flooding and resilience go hand in hand with affordability,” she said. “The work doesn’t stop when one representative leaves office.”
That is especially true in communities like Shore Acres and Riviera Bay, where flooding, insurance costs and long-term resilience are no longer separate conversations.
House District 60 includes portions of St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park and Lealman and is currently representeded by Cross, who in a previous interview expressed confidence that the district will remain well represented after her departure by Polega-Quigley.
“I know she’ll be a champion for us in Tallahassee, and I’m glad she’ll be our state representative,” Cross said. “I look forward to seeing her make her mark.”