Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal met in Baton Rouge, La., on Dec. 12 as new allies on issues like insurance, ethics, the environment and alternative energy.
Crist, who has made insurance and environmental issues priorities since taking office last January, wanted to encourage Jindal to work with Florida on the push to create a national insurance backup fund.
“To have a partner that’s willing to help us and help the people of both our states do better, and have a better opportunity to protect our homes, that’s good. That’s the right thing to do,” Crist told Jindal.
It didn’t take much convincing. As a congressman, Jindal worked with Democratic Florida Reps. Tim Mahoney and Ron Klein to write a bill that would create the kind of fund Crist is seeking. The bill recently passed the House, but hasn’t been taken up by the Senate.
“We speak more effectively and loudly with one voice. The reality is 2004 was y’all’s turn, 2005 was our turn and nobody can predict who’s going to be hit next,” Jindal said, referring to the four hurricanes that hit Florida the year before Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans.
He added that insurance companies are canceling policies all along the Atlantic Coast, as well as fire policies in California.
“If we go talk to Congress together about the need for a federal backstop for catastrophic coverage, it’s not just one governor of one state. It’s on regional lines, saying, ‘It happened to us, it could easily happen to your state as well,”‘ Jindal said.
Crist, who has traveled the country speaking about the threat of climate change, encouraged Jindal to consider developing ethanol supplies out of the state’s sugar industry.
Jindal agreed ethanol is an important part of finding other energy supplies.
“And I’m saying that from a state that produces a lot of oil and gas, from a state that has a long and proud history of domestic energy production,” he said. “You can’t drill yourself into independence. We know that this is a finite, nonrenewable energy resource.”
The Republican governors had already begun a good relationship. Crist hosted a fundraiser for Jindal in Florida last fall, and the two had already by talked by telephone about common issues.
“We can hit the ground running together and do great things for the people of Louisiana and for the people of Florida. That’s why I’m here,” Crist said.
Jindal, who at 36 will be the youngest sitting governor when he takes office Jan. 14, said Louisiana is using Florida as an example of how to prepare for and respond to hurricanes and used Florida’s state-created insurance company as a model for a similar one here.
Jindal said he is now looking at Florida’s recently passed ethics reform laws as he prepares for a special session to tighten Louisiana’s laws. And as Louisiana seeks to restore its wetlands, he wants to learn from Florida’s massive Everglades restoration.
“We have a lot of common issues that are important to the people of Florida and Louisiana, whether it’s insurance, whether it’s ethanol, whether it’s renewable energy, whether it’s preparing for the next storm,” Jindal said. “We have a lot of areas where we can work together.”
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Man Admits to Tracking Drivers, Programming Keys, Stealing and Reselling Vehicles 
Insurers Face Business Interruption Claims After Global Tech Outage 
Wall Street Pushes Back After Activists Escalate Protests 
AIG Files Amended Suit Against Former Execs, Dellwood Insurance 
