It would seem that Florida Gov. Rick Scott has someone in mind to serve as the state’s next insurance commissioner.
The governor’s office recommended late last week that the Florida Cabinet should conduct a final public interview with Jeffrey Bragg, one of the 55 candidates who applied for the position of insurance commissioner for Florida. According to a Tampa Bay Times report, the interview is set for March 29.
Jeffrey Bragg, 67, is a former insurance official who served during the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. Bragg, a Republican, administered the nation’s terrorism risk insurance program from 2003 to 2014, when he retired.
Although Bragg seems the likely choice, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has recommended the Cabinet to also interview State Rep. Bill Hager of Delray Beach. The Republican Hager, 69, was once Iowa's Insurance Commissioner from 1986 to 1990. Hager has been the vice-chair of the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, and was previously president of Insurance Metrics Corporation since 2000.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater also nominated Bragg and Hager to undergo the final interview.
Both Bragg and Hager had private telephone interviews with Gov. Scott, but Scott notably only advanced Bragg’s name.
The candidates are set to replace Kevin McCarty, who had announced earlier this year that he was resigning from his post as Florida’s insurance commissioner, effective May 2.
