A reborn political advocacy group in Tallahassee is taking shots at
Florida's insurance reform.
CIVIC Concern calls itself an "incubator for progressive ideas and a
legislative watchdog" from a "centrist" point of view.
It's no coincidence that Civic Concern's new website bears a
registration contact address at the liberal-leaning political news
service The Fort Report.
Civic Concern spokesman Bernie Campbell, also a paid Democratic
consultant, acknowledged that Fort Report's Pamela Burch Fort is named
as the organization's chief officer on its non-profit financial reports
with the IRS.
Civic Concern's first subject is the insurance legislation passed in
January, which expands state-backed insurance and catastrophe funds, but
Campbell said the policy center intends to hold a press conference later
this week dissecting Florida's A-plus education plan. For the task, it
commissioned University of South Florida education researcher Sherman
Dorn, whose recent works include a paper showing how the Florida
Department of Education inflates high school graduation rates.
Today, Civic Concern urges reporters to call former state Rep. Doug
Wiles, an insurance agent from St. Augustine, to hear how the insurance
bill -- crafted in the heat of a seven-day special session -- is making
it harder for insurance companies to do business in the state.
"We want to focus on the parts of public policy that got overlooked,"
Campbell said.