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Florida lawmakers are into day two of their special session trying to find ways to lower your home insurance bill. The House and Senate passed different bills this afternoon, but as Mike Vasilinda reports…under either version of the reform, the state will be assuming more risk when storms come.

Here it Here: state-ready-to-assume-risk.mp3
For the second day in a row, angry insurance customers… this time from South Florida… flooded the Capitol. The governor says their presence is keeping the pressure on.

Slowly and methodically… The House and Senate began passing different versions of insurance reform. The biggest argument will be over how much risk the state should bear. The Senate plan, sponsored by Steve Geller, would have the state pay for losses over 25 Billion.

“I’m willing to take the risk of 100 – 1 storm and that we get no federal aid if I get an immediate one third reduction.” says Geller.

Charlie Crist has been in the halls negotiating. While not specific, he is not troubled by the state or its citizens taking on more risk. “They’re on the hook now… and we need to get them off the hook. They are suffering extraordinary rate increases.”

Charlie Crist continues to say he’ll accept nothing short of significant rate relief… and he now appears to be defining that as at least 25%. And the governor made it clear that legislative failure is not an option. “I wouldn’t want to be going back home if I were them.” says Crist.

Negotiations on specifics… such as whether companies that sell auto must sell property coverage… will start in earnest Thursday, when another batch of concerned homeowners will be descending on the capitol Thursday morning. This time, the buses will be coming from Brevard County.