Power To The People

Alabama Mobile Gulf Coast homeowners fed up with skyrocketing premiums took their frustrations straight to lawmakers.

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Wed, March 11, 2009 - 5:00 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, March 11, 2009 - 5:23 pm CST

Gulf Coast homeowners fed up with skyrocketing insurance premiums took their frustrations straight to lawmakers.

The House and Senate Banking and Insurance committees met in a joint session Wednesday to hear more than two hours of testimony on a series of insurance reform bills.

Stan Virden, a Baldwin County homeowner, boarded a bus early Wednesday morning, paid for by Sen. Ben Brooks and Sen. Trip Pittman. The bus carried 32 people to Montgomery to testify during the public hearing.

"We understand there are complicated politics that go into this," said Virden, who hoped lawmakers would see the people affected by the insurance crisis and put politics aside.

"We are hurting. We need help," said Richadean Crawford, who gave one of the most passionate speeches of the hearing. "We are not asking that someone else pay our premium. We're just asking if you could get it lowered, so we could pay it ourselves," she told the committee.

State Sen. Ben Brooks, who represents Mobile County, admits solving South Alabama's insurance problems will not be easy, but he hopes the public hearing will have an impact on lawmakers from other parts of the state.

"I don't think a lot of legislators really know how bad it is in some circles down there," said Brooks. "I thought the stories were really compelling and I think they'll help our effort up here."

The next step for the insurance reform bills is a committee vote, but that could still be several weeks away.

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rolltide33 Says:

Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 7:13 am

The homeowners insurance situation does need to be addressed. Why can’t the insurance companies base rates on proximity from the Gulf of Mexico. The damage created from hurricanes deminishes exponentially as the distance from the Gulf increases. Does not seem like rocket science. It seems that they do not want to take the time to examine each and every policy and use the easy way by grouping by zipcode. I’m no expert but something needs to be done. I live an a 3 yr old brick home. There are 0 trees in my subdivision and I am not in a flood zone. My roof has a 48 degree pitch. All of these things should be taken into account when assessing exposure, not just my zipcode.

carl Says:

Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 5:54 am

I live north of I-10,Saraland to be more exact and I haven’t had home owner’s in 3,going on 4 years.They have priced me out of it,so I’ve had to take extra precautions to protect the homestead.I don’t like being without coverage but it seems to be necessary at this time.Figdudas seems to have something stuck in his or her craw.Ranting and raving doesn’t make a very good statement for a case Figdudas.

Wait4Me Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:45 pm

Oh I agree Bob, I just wanted to see if Fig could give us some facts or examples.

BamaBob Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:22 pm

The case fig is trying to make is abundantly clear and it is tinted with racial bias. It has nothing to do with reality.

Wait4Me Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:20 pm

Bama, Fig just wants to do a little venting, no real case to state.

BamaBob Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:15 pm

Home owners premiums have hit us all hard in this part of the world. It’s not just Baldwin County and it is not just waterfront property. Anyone living south of I-10 is getting hit hard and it makes no difference if you have never had a claim before.

Those that do not own property still have to rent and they end up paying that cost too. So, getting all sanctimonious about this issue is pure BS!

Wait4Me Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:08 pm

Fig, state your case against the coastal counties, using facts not insults and I will debate this arguement with you.

figdudas Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 6:58 pm

What a bunch of government welfare CRYBABIES!!! Why should the other 65 counties in Alabama subsidize the “COASTAL LIFESTYLE”? The general public is aware of the razor wire installed to prevent access to certain beaches. And your position on New Orleans refugees(after Katrina) in Daphne was racially immoral. If the homeless came from Ono Island and were all white it would have been ok. I do not live close to the beach and WILL contact my state representative and state senator to aggressively oppose any subsidies for you CRYBABIES. If YOU want to live in YOUR PARADISE, the YOU SHOULD PAY FOR IT!!

BamaBob Says:

Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 6:56 pm

Good for them! I ain’t happy about that either! I’m also not happy about my property taxes going up every year, when I constantly see in the news that the value of property is going down faster than a senator in a public restroom!