Crist, Davis Vow Different Approaches if Elected Fla. Governor

Charlie Crist and Jim Davis agree that three challenges facing Florida are skyrocketing homeowners insurance rates, rising property taxes and public schools that some rank among the nation’s worst.

That’s where the similarities end. Each is taking different approaches to the problems, leaving voters to decide which candidate — if either — can solve the two big pocketbook issues and who has the right approach on education.

“Clearly people are upset about insurance and clearly people are upset about property taxes, but I’m not sure that the candidates have carved out clearly discernible differences,” said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor.

They do have plans, and they are very different, but in the world of sound bites, 30-second ads and one-minute debate answers, it’s not an easy task for voters to figure out which plan they prefer and the candidates haven’t always done a good job of boiling down complex issues.

In a 10-minute conversation with reporters on insurance, Democratic U.S. Rep. Davis used the words “stand up” or “stood up” 11 times, as in, “As governor, I will stand up to these insurance companies. Charlie Crist had his chance. He didn’t, I will.”

“What’s that mean?” Corrigan asked.

Likewise, Republican Attorney General Crist often over simplifies the property tax issue.

“I’m for lowering property taxes, my opponent’s not. That’s inconceivable to me,” Crist said at an Orlando stop. “He thinks we ought to help government, I think we ought to help people.”

Davis has been holding a series of “backyard rebellion” tours in which he talks in more details about his proposals, but with 10.4 million voters, he doesn’t have time to get to enough backyards.

Here’s the gist of the candidates’ major proposals:

On insurance, Crist wants to eliminate Florida-only subsidiaries of national insurance companies, saying that while companies like Allstate and State Farm complain about losses here, the parent companies are making huge profits. He also wants to force companies who sell auto and life insurance in Florida to also sell property insurance if they sell it in other states.

He believes the state should also lower the threshold at which insurance companies can tap into the state Catastrophe Fund. Right now, the fund helps bail companies out once they’ve paid $5.3 billion in claims. Crist wants that figure dropped to $3 billion, which would limit potential risk for companies.

Davis proposes creating a $20 billion Hurricane Premium Protection Fund that would pay homeowners up to $500,000 for storm losses, leaving private insurers to cover only the remainder of damages and creating a much more competitive market for insurers in the state.

Under his plan, the fund would continue to grow during light hurricane seasons, and would roll over into the following year, allowing the state to increase its coverage for homeowners from season to season.

On property taxes, Crist wants to change the state constitution so counties can let voters decide whether the homestead exemption should be doubled from $25,000 to $50,000. He also wants a cap on property taxes to stay with homeowners even if they move to a more valuable home.

Davis is proposing to return $1 billion to property owners next year in a plan that calls for reinstating tax cuts passed under Gov. Jeb Bush, including a tax on stock and bond holdings Republicans eliminated this year after chipping away at it since 1999.

On education, Davis, like most Democrats, has repeatedly criticized Bush’s use of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to grade, reward and punish schools and to determine whether pupils can be promoted to fourth grade or graduate from high school.

Instead, the FCAT should be combined with other factors in making decisions on student advancement. It should also be more of a diagnostic tool and given at the beginning of the school year instead of the end so teachers and parents can focus help where students need it the most, Davis proposes.

Crist has largely said he will continue Bush’s education policies, and that standardized testing is needed to assess and grade schools. More recently, though, he has said he can be more flexible in how the test is used.

“Issues probably aren’t nearly as important this time around because at least on the surface, there aren’t big differences in the goals of the candidates,” said Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor. “The issues are more in the margins of how to do it, not what they’re trying to do.”

That leaves many voters deciding on who they think will be a better leader and on personal characteristics, he said.

“They want somebody they like, they trust and who they think can be a good leader,” Jewett said.

Another factor will be who can actually get the Legislature to act on proposals important to voters. That edge goes to Crist.

With Republicans outnumbering Democrats by a 2-1 ratio in the Legislature, Crist has a better chance of getting his priorities passed, particularly since Republican leaders openly criticize Davis’ proposals.

“We’re into cutting taxes, we’re not into bringing back taxes that we already cut,” incoming Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, said about Davis’ idea of restoring the intangibles tax on stocks and bonds. “It’s dead. The nail is in the coffin. It’s gone and it’s going to be gone forever.”

He also doesn’t believe Republicans would go along with a plan to further socialize the insurance market.

“That’s not doable. That’s just not going to happen,” said Pruitt, who added that he fully supports Crist’s insurance and property tax plans.

Incoming House Democratic Leader, Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, said Republicans will have to consider Davis’ plans or explain to voters why they didn’t take up proposals that would save them money.

If they don’t, “Then I guess in ’08 there will be another tsunami — a political windstorm.”

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