Citizens policy count increases slightly last week

The number of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. policies increased slightly last week but remained below 1 million.

The state insurer had 989,306 policies as of Friday, up from 987,744 a week earlier, according to data posted on its website.

After reaching as many as 1.412 million policies in 2023, Citizens has used what is known as a “depopulation” program to shift policies to private insurers. It dipped below 1 million policies in November, and officials have said they expect the policy count to drop to 907,000 by the end of the year.

Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last resort, grew in recent years to become Florida’s largest insurer amid financial problems in the private market. State leaders want to minimize the number of policies in Citizens, at least in part because of financial risks if the state gets hit by a major hurricane or multiple hurricanes.

If Citizens wouldn’t have enough money to pay claims, policyholders throughout the state — including possibly non-Citizens policyholders — could have to pay what are known as “assessments” to cover the costs.

Man sentenced after fatal shooting

A Bradenton father has been sentenced to two decades in prison for the 2022 fatal shooting of his daughter’s boyfriend.

Charles Heaven, 50, entered a plea of no contest to the lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm Oct. 24, according to court records. The plea comes more than two years after detectives say Heaven shot and killed 30-year-old Keith Smith during an argument outside his daughter’s Bradenton apartment.

Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio sentenced Heaven to 20 years in prison with credit for time served. As part of his sentence, Heaven is barred from contacting Smith’s family.

Court records show Heaven was set to go to trial for second-degree murder with a firearm in October, but his defense attorney and the state negotiated a plea deal that involved Heaven pleading no contest to the lesser manslaughter charges.

The maximum sentence for second-degree murder with a firearm in Florida is life in prison, compared to a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for manslaughter with a firearm.

Detectives say the shooting happened on the evening of Sept. 20, 2022, at The Venue at Lockwood Apartments in Bradenton.

Consumer confidence at 3-year high among Floridians

Consumer confidence among Floridians is at its highest in more than three years, the University of Florida reported Wednesday.

UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research graded consumer confidence in November at 81.1, up from 77.4 in October. The scale runs from a low of 2 to a high of 150, with a benchmark of 100 set at the level of consumer confidence in 1966.

The November numbers reflect the sentiment of Floridians following the national presidential election, according to Hector Sandoval, director of the bureau’s Economic Analysis Program.

“With 56.1 percent of the vote in Florida going to President-elect Donald Trump, it’s no surprise that consumer sentiment in Florida surged, as elections that shift the party in power typically boost sentiment among those aligned with the winning party,” Sandoval said in a press release.

Floridians expressed more positive views on a variety of factors, including whether it is a good time to buy a major household item, personal finances compared to a year ago, expectations on where personal finances will be in a year, and expectations for the U.S. economy.

“These optimistic expectations were also shared by Floridians across sociodemographic groups, except for women, who reported more pessimistic views regarding the national economy over the next year,” the release said.

State employees will get extra time to enjoy the holidays

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced that state offices will be closed Dec. 23, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. That is in addition to already-planned closures on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“Florida is in great shape, and we want to reward our state employees,” DeSantis said in a statement. “After a full year — including three costly hurricanes — we hope these extra days off allow for state workers to spend more time with their families and loved ones during this holiday season.”

— Compiled from wire reports