FRANK'S BLOG

INSURANCE INFORMATION

RECENTLY WE E-MAILED INFORMATION FROM NEWS ARTICLES IN WHICH TOM GALLAGHER, FLORIDA'S CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER THANKED HIS GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN FUND TEAM FOR THEIR RECORD BREAKING ACCOMPLISHMENT OF RAISING OVER $3 MILLION IN THREE MONTHS. ONE OF THE KEY MEMBERS OF THIS TEAM IS TOM PETWAY, OWNER AND EXECUTIVE OF ZURICH INSURANCE SERVICES. MR. PETWAY AND HIS WIFE, A BOARD MEMBER OF ZURICH INSURANCE SERVICES HAVE MADE OVER $228,000.00 IN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS DURING RECENT YEARS. MR. PETWAY'S COMPANY HAS A LONG STANDING BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH ZURICH INSURANCE NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS, WHICH IS A SUBSIDIARY OF THE ENORMOUS SWISS BASED INSURANCE POWERHOUSE ZURICH INSURANCE GROUP. OUR INSURER, EMPIRE INDEMNITY INSURANCE CO. IS A SUBSIDIARY OF THE ZURICH INSURANCE GROUP. MR. GALLAGHER, IN HIS POSITION AS FLORIDA'S CFO, HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF FLORIDA IN INSURANCE RELATED MATTERS. THIS ASSOCIATION OF MR. PETWAY OF ZURICH INSURANCE SERVICES WITH MR. GALLAGHER'S FUND RAISING TEAM IS NO DOUBT COMPLETELY LEGAL, BUT IS JUST DOES NOT SMACK OF BEING PROPER OR MORALLY CORRECT. MARY NETTLES,ONE OF OUR VERY ACTIVE AND HIGHLY ARTICULATE UNIT OWNERS, HAS TAKEN ISSUE WITH THIS, HAVING BEEN "BLOWN-OFF" BY MR. GALLAGHER AT THE INSURANCE "TOWN MEETING" HELD IN FORT PIERCE WHEN SHE ASKED FOR HELP IN RELATION TO OUR ASSOCIATION'S PROBLEMS WITH ZURICH/EMPIRE INDEMNITY. BELOW IS MARY'S VERY WELL WRITTEN AND SUCCINCT LETTER TO MR. GALLAGHER, WHICH WE FELT YOU SHOULD SEE.


Robert E. & Mary P. Nettles
717 Roseland Road
Sebastian, FL 32958
(771) 581 – 0957
July 12, 2005
Mr. Tom Gallagher, CFO
Office of Insurance Regulation
200 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear Sir:
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
There will be no twice, Mr. Gallagher. It has just come to our attention that a frequent
and major political contributor is one of the lead individuals in the fund raising team for
your gubernatorial campaign. This individual is Mr. Tom Petway, of Zurich
INSURANCE Services in Jacksonville. If such support is not a conflict of interest, it
should be. When you were asked point blank if any insurance companies supported you
during the Ft. Pierce meeting last April, I noticed that you did the “Politician’s Waltz.”
Now I know why. I am no longer fooled.
At the time, I wondered why I was the ONLY person you kept interrupting at that same
meeting. I wondered why you constantly shuffled those cards. Were you trying to avoid
me because I wrote “Zurich & Empire” on the card? I was fooled when you said to your
staff, “Make a note of it. We’d better investigate,” after two of us in a row complained
about Empire/Zurich. When you said, “Get a lawyer,” I was foolish enough to think you
were being helpful. I should have known better after you rebuffed the woman who lived
in manufactured housing, as well as another condo owner. Are we to be considered
second class citizens because we live in condos or manufactured housing?
Has it not yet occurred to you and your staff that there are more Floridians who live in
condos and manufactured housing than those who are able to raise funds for your
campaign? I pray every one of them now sees those meetings as a political ploy and
votes for Mr. Crist. I know we will.
Sincerely,
Mary P. Nettles
CC: Florida Attorney General, Mr. Charlie Crist