Even before his installation as Florida's new governor, Charlie Crist sent a letter to Florida Senators Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson detailing his support for legislation addressing insurance rates. He also sent letters to Speaker-Designate Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader-Designate Harry Reid advocating for the creation of a Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance in the 110th Congress. Individual letters were addressed to governors or governors-elect in every state requesting their support in a national effort to create the bipartisan commission to address preparation and response to natural disasters.

“I want to reiterate my support for the Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Act of 2006,” said Crist in the letter addressed to Senators Martinez and Nelson. “I propose that we do everything in our collective power to advance the passage of this important piece of legislation. It is critical that we find both an immediate and comprehensive solution to this pressing problem.”

SB 3114, The Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Act of 2006, was filed in the Senate in 2006. The bill would establish the Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance, a national bipartisan panel of experts similar to the recent Baker Commission, designed to examine proposals to make insurance available and more affordable. The commission would issue policy recommendations designed to improve the competitiveness of insurance markets. A similar piece of legislation (HR 5891) was filed in the House of Representatives.