By BRENT KALLESTAD
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Rick Scott winds up his first year in office wanting lawmakers to fix a pair of insurance consumer issues that are costing Florida hundreds of millions of dollars.
The major insurance issue facing Floridians is the rising cost of personal injury protection coverage required for drivers licensed by the state. In some areas of Tampa and Miami the coverage adds several hundred dollars a year to auto insurance premiums and virtually all of it is a result of rampant fraud.
Florida is one of only a dozen states that require the controversial insurance, which is most often referred to as PIP.
Although PIP is on the front burner when lawmakers hit town Jan. 10, they could also deal with problems surrounding the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
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