Florida Homeowners Insurance Crisis

Having Affordable Coverage Florida

This page is a continuation of the article on HACFL, please see the Homeowners Against Citizens page for the initial part.

Having Affordable Coverage Florida is the new name of Homeowners Against Citizens according to Baird Helgeson of the Tampa Tribune, and perhaps from the HAC web site itself. According to Ginny Stevans, HAC President:

First let me explain the name change from Homeowners Against Citizens to Having Affordable Coverage. When this group started there were about 7 people who went to the meeting that Citizens had at the Spartan Manor. They were all sitting together and all on Citizens Insurance. They coined the name Homeowners Against Citizens because they believed the insurance crisis was a Citizens (company) problem only and that all the problems were caused by Citizens. As the group expanded it became evident that most of the problems that Citizens Insurance had was not because of Citizens but because of legislation that Citizens had to follow. Also as the membership grew in the organization it was evident that not only customers of Citizens Insurance were seeing outrageous increases but most homeowners with all types of insurance companies were also having an insurance crisis. We have always been committed to fighting insurance increases so we changed the name not our fight. It is just part of the growth of a new group.

HACFL Internal Problems

I contacted HAC four times volunteering to help them out with their web site and also with an idea that may help them raise some money. I didn't receive any sort of response. I finally did get in touch with them, and so I think that the lack of response may be due to an overzealous spam filter!

I was interested to see on TBO.com the following report that HAC's interim president quit because of allegations that offers of volunteer help were ignored! I am one of the people who sent an email to the individuals on then board or to the board as a whole.

Harold Polsky quit as the group's interim leader via e-mail before posting his resignation on an Internet chat site.

"It has come to my attention that there are some people in the organization who feel I have not been doing an adequate job," his notice July 27 states. "They feel that I have ignored people who have contacted me wanting to volunteer to help, that my direction is wrong, or that I have ignored the wishes of the members.

"First of all, let me state here right now and emphatically that I have not received a single phone call or e-mail from anyone offering to volunteer for anything within the organization."

Harold and his wife Barbara used to maintain the Homeowners Against Citizens web site. If you go to where they formerly hosted it, here is what it says:

This site is no longer affiliated with H.A.C. Florida, Inc.

If you got to this page from a link on the hacfl.org web site you need to know that they are in violation of U.S. Copyright Laws and have inserted word for word the pages previously created and written solely by Barbara Polsky.

The H.A.C. Florida, Inc. organization was never given permission to use the pages created by Barbara Polsky exactly as she had written them and they were expected to reword the pages to reflect their new direction and leadership which they have not done.

It looks like there is a bit of bad blood there.

Having Affordable Coverage Florida Board Members

I looked up most of the current board members of HAC as I was interested to find out if it was really some sort of neighborhood group which was suffering growing pains as it tried to accommodate a statewide audience.

STEVANS VIRGINIA M, NEW PORT RICHEY FL

I spoke to Ginny Stevans at length and found her to be a articulate and determined young woman who certainly has donned the role of president of HAC with enthusiasm. She was initially irritated by this site which she felt was trying to slight HAC as a Pasco County only group. Some of Ms Stevans' remarks are on these pages, but in the interests of fairness you can find them all on the HAC Florida Insurance page. I was just reporting the facts. The St Pete Times has an article about her being the president of Homeowners Against Citizens.

The other board members are listed below:

KOWALCZYK CHRISTOPHER P, HUDSON FL

ZOLOBKOWSKI DEBORAH M, PORT RICHEY FL

NICKERSON EDWIN WILBUR, NEW PORT RICHEY FL

MALINA FRANCES M, HOLIDAY FL

PISKIE DALE, TARPON SPRINGS FL

HOWARD CAROL JAKEY, NEW PORT RICHEY FL

Former board member DEG NICOLE, NEW PORT RICHEY FL