Senator Gary M. Farmer, Jr. (D-Fort Lauderdale) on Thursday issued the following statement regarding the heartless remarks recently made by Senator Dennis Baxley:
“Words cannot express how disappointed I am in my colleague’s rationalization of the events in the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. To mitigate the impact of their deaths by suggesting their inevitability is simply wrong.
“We cannot condone death as a cost of doing business in the State of Florida. Our charge as a Legislative body is to do anything and everything we can to prevent tragedies like these from occurring or repeating themselves. Anything short of that is irresponsible and unacceptable.
“That is why I plan on introducing legislation that will go a long way toward preventing similar tragedies in the future. Ensuring access to life-saving temperatures, reviewing our oversight procedures and personnel, and providing accountability where there is none are just a few of the solutions that I will raise in this coming Session.
“I look forward to debating these issues when the time for a bill hearing comes. For now, it is my hope that Senator Baxley apologizes to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as the countless other nursing home and assisted living facility patients across our State. I ask Senator Baxley and my fellow Senators to join me in taking steps to ensure another tragedy like this never happens in the state of Florida. We owe them more than an abrupt dismissal. We owe them the dignity they were due.”
Senator Gary Farmer
Senator Farmer Introduces Auto Insurance Legislation
Senator Gary Farmer has submitted two bills to decrease unfair discrimination in the sale of auto insurance, and to reduce premiums for consumers across the state.
Senate Bill 414 would ban the use of credit scores as a determining factor in calculating auto insurance premiums. Currently, insurers are permitted to use a customer’s credit history as a justification for higher insurance rates. According to Consumer Reports, drivers with poor credit scores face an additional $1,301 in auto insurance premiums on average. The use of credit scores as a determining factor for auto insurance rates has been found to disproportionately affect minority populations, with African American and non-white Hispanic policyholders often paying higher premiums, and is not a reliable indicator for increased risk. “This is a common sense bill that would prevent responsible drivers from being penalized for financial situations which are wholly unrelated to their conduct on the road. Right now the system is rigged to unfairly force higher premiums on those who can least afford them,” said Senator Farmer on SB 414. Massachusetts, California, and Hawaii have all implemented similar statutes.
In addition to SB 414, Senator Farmer also filed Senate Bill 410, also dealing with auto insurance. SB 410 would prohibit the use of zip codes as a determining factor in calculating auto insurance premiums. A recent study by ProPublica determined that the use of zip codes in auto insurance rates have had an unfair impact on premiums for those living in urban areas, and particularly on minority and elderly communities. Currently, drivers with the same driving records and level of risk can be charged drastically different premiums simply because of the neighborhood in which they reside. “While Florida’s statutes contain language which purports is meant to prevent the use of zip codes in auto insurance from being unfairly discriminatory, what we have found is that their use is de facto discriminatory by nature and needs to be banned. Our minority communities are being adversely affected by our current statutes, so a change needs to be made,” Senator Farmer said about SB 410.
Senator Farmer hopes to see this issue addressed in the upcoming legislative session, as Floridians across the state struggle to keep up with high and often unfair insurance premiums.
Senator Farmer Thanks First Responders
On the 16th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and following Hurricane Irma
16 years ago our country suffered a devastating attack that was felt the world over. Today we remember that what makes us stronger as Americans is our dogged persistence, even in the face of hatred and bigotry, to our founding principles of tolerance and love for our fellow man.
It is in our response to adversity that our character is truly revealed. On September 11, 2001 we saw the character of America, and it was one of which we could be proud. Once again, today we are faced with adversity, this time in the form of a devastating hurricane. Much like on the fateful day of 9/11 we have seen our first responders put others first in an effort to secure the safety of our communities. We have seen an outpouring of support from fellow Floridians and our friends in states across the country. On a day when we remember the sacrifices of those who choose to run into burning buildings, we could not have a better example to look upon than the brave men and women who are actively supporting us now, from far and wide.
Today, recall the amazing work that our police, fire, EMT’s, and national guardsmen do for us each and every day. Remember that there are those who forgo personal safety for the benefit of others. Thank you to our first responders.
As we remember this solemn moment in America’s recent history, I wish you all a path to swift recovery.
-Senator Gary M. Farmer, Jr.
