Nationally renowned weather, insurance and emergency management experts met as a panel on February 24 to address the relationship between extreme weather and the rising cost of homeowner insurance.
In this forum, panelists with national and international expertise in weather, disasters and insurance spoke their minds and provided unique perspectives regarding the correlation between the rise in extreme weather events, climate change and the rise in homeowner insurance. They also took questions from attendees. All of the panelists are available now for questions and interviews regarding these topics and recent developments in the Florida Legislature on the issues of climate change, disaster, insurance and resiliency.
The event was hosted by the FAIR Foundation, a nonprofit organization conceived to create safer, stronger, more resilient communities by educating consumers on the risks of water, wind and other natural disasters, promoting wind and flood mitigation and reducing uninsured risk.
Watch the virtual Town Hall
Read the full transcript of the Town Hall
EXPERTS:
Jay Neal, Esq. President and CEO, FAIR Foundation, Executive Chairman, Federal Association for Insurance Reform
Craig Fugate, Chief Emergency Management Officer, One Concern, and Former FEMA Administrator
Fred O. Karlinsky, Esq., Greenberg Traurig, Co-Chair of Insurance Practice Group
John Morales, Chief Meteorologist, WTVJ NBC-6, Miami, FL
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
Jay Neal, President and CEO, FAIR Foundation
Jay Neal is the President and CEO of the FAIR Foundation and Executive Chairman of the Board for the Federal Association for Insurance Reform. He has over 30 years of experience in insurance and finance as a consultant at the CEO and agency principal level. Jay’s career experience includes commercial real estate lending, real estate capital markets, reinsurance, and development of retail insurance products. He focuses on national strategic partnerships, development, and enhancing and strengthening corporate governance.
Craig Fugate, Emergency Manager
Craig Fugate served as FEMA Administrator from May 2009 to January 2017. Previously, he served as Florida Emergency Management Director from 2001- 2009. Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding. Fugate set a clear and compelling vision, mission, and priorities for FEMA and relentlessly drove the Agency to achieve better outcomes for survivors. FEMA’s effectiveness in dealing with more than 500 Presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies under Fugate’s leadership restored the faith of the American people in the Federal Government’s ability to respond to disasters. Prior to his tenure at FEMA, Fugate was widely praised for his management, under Governor Jeb Bush, of the devastating effects of the 2004 and 2005 Florida hurricane seasons (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma). Craig currently provides senior level advice and consultation is the area of disaster management and resiliency policy through Craig Fugate Consulting LLC..
Fred E. Karlinsky, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Fred E. Karlinsky is Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Insurance Regulatory and Transactions Practice Group. Fred has nearly 30 years of experience representing the interests of insurers, reinsurers and a wide variety of other insurance-related entities on their regulatory, transactional, corporate and governmental affairs matters. Fred is a recognized authority on national insurance regulatory and compliance issues and has taken a leadership position in many insurance trade organizations, has led many industry-driven legislative and regulatory initiatives, and is a sought after thought leader who has spoken and presented to insurance executives and governmental officials, both nationally and internationally. In addition to his role with Greenberg Traurig, Fred has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Florida State University College of Law since 2008, where he teaches a course on Insurance Law and Risk Management. Fred is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator.
John Morales, Chief Meteorologist, WTVJ NBC-6
John Morales is the longest tenured broadcast meteorologist in South Florida, serving as a reassuring television presence for nearly three decades. His tropical weather acumen and steadfast character guided South Florida viewers through hurricanes Andrew, Irene, Katrina, Wilma, and most recently Hurricane Irma. For his life-saving work during the 2017 season, Mr. Morales was recognized with the John Coleman Broadcast Award at the National Tropical Weather Conference. He has twice been appointed to National Academies of Sciences (NAS) committees, co-authoring studies in 2012 and 2017 pertinent to America’s Weather Enterprise. He also wrote Huracanes, a Spanish-language reference book on hurricanes in 2000.
