When Hurricane Ian slammed into southwestern Florida, its beleaguered home-insurance market didn’t seem to stand a chance.

Efforts to repair the system by Ron DeSantis -- the Republican governor expected to make a presidential run -- had floundered, with the market still beset by scams, expensive insurance policies and a retreat by the largest firms. Average homeowner premiums in the state surged 33% from last year to $4,231, nearly triple the national average. At least a half-dozen insurers that do business in Florida have been declared insolvent already this year, with Ian threatening to push more over the brink.

As the storm wreckage is cleared, policyholders are scrambling to collect on claims, while DeSantis and the statehouse rush to address the crisis. A special session will consider providing tax relief to those whose properties were destroyed by the hurricane and potentially to implement further reforms.

DeSantis’s handling of the insurance crisis provides easy fodder for political opponents, who say he focused too much on culture-war issues, including a state law critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” that limits instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. Yet it’s unclear whether the criticism is sticking with many voters as the Nov. 8 gubernatorial contest approaches. Polls show DeSantis with a wide lead over Charlie Crist, a Democrat.

“I don’t think between now and Election Day, it’s going to make any difference. It’s a complicated issue,” said Brad Coker, managing director of consulting firm Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, referring to the insurance crisis. “You can run off a litany of issues that people kind of know there’s this side and there’s that side. Insurance, it’s not the same.”

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