Courtney says he can lead state in right direction
By KATI BEXLEY
kati.bexley@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 10/28/08
Palm Coast businessman Doug Courtney, a Democrat, wants to win the District 20 House seat and says the state "is heading in the wrong direction."
Courtney is running against incumbent state Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, who hopes to gain his third term.
Courtney has said he likes Proctor, but he believes Republicans are destroying the economy and education with outrageous spending.
"We've had too many jobs lost and too many budget cuts," he said. "(The state) finds more money by eliminating programs for schools. That's wrong."
Courtney said that in 1998, the state budget was $35 billion and it's now $77 billion.
He said the state could gain $100 million for education by eliminating the controversial FCAT.
He also disagrees with how the Republican party has handled issues with the Florida insurance crisis.
He said a short-term solution is to diversify and invite more insurance companies into the market, so there are not so few companies with so much control over the public.
He also wants to see more independent home insurance carriers that would cover the millions of customers flocking to the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Co. He said the Republican majority seems to be in favor of large companies who take out small businesses.
Courtney said he can empathize because he is a small- business owner who works in software technology for the medical field.
Courtney also feels there should be green jobs in the state. He said the state needs to look at using wind, water and solar power for future jobs.
"There are so many more things we could do with jobs in the state," he said.
He agrees with Proctor on some issues, but he says the Republican party is leading the state down the wrong path.
"There are many things we could do improve (the state)," he said.
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Wow this is an excellent blog. Nice job with it.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see caring people weighing in on democracy and getting these Florida politicians to get their act together.
Katie hit the nail on the head with this article.
We've been sold a bill of goods with Florida home insurance.
The Florida home insurance companies have cherry picked the risk, and dumped a lot of Florida home insurance policies into Citizens Insurance Florida.
Now both Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund are short on money and have no place to turn with the shaky bond market.
The best thing a St. Augustine Florida homeowner can do in this environment is to stay informed on the issues and to do their best to shop their Florida home insurance policy and try to avoid Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.
Here are some excellent articles that can help your blog readers in St. Augustine and around the state of Florida:
Find, Screen, and Contact Companies Writing Homeowners Insurance Florida
Find out exactly who is still writing new St. Augustine Florida home insurance business
Get the truth about Citizens Insurance Florida
Keep up the good work on this blog and thanks!