Gulf Coast Business Council (GCBC) and Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (SMPDD), both CSFI members, hosted the first Gulf Coast Regional Policy Forum on November 16, 2023.  The forum, held at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, was focused on insurance, which is “what many believe is our most important current issue,” according to hosts.

CSFI shared an overview on NFIP, including the Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, rating factors, and reform priorities, like NFIP debt forgiveness.  CSFI’s overview PowerPoint can be reviewed here.  Additional presenters included the Mississippi Insurance Department, the Mississippi Wind Underwiring Association, Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, private insurance companies, and elected officials, like State Senator Scott DeLano.  The forum was covered by WLOX and the Sun Herald.

At the forum, Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, president of SouthGroup Insurance Services, said that, “We’re seeing higher wind rates, higher fire rates, higher liability rates.  The only thing that seems to be going down is workman’s comp.”

Mary Martha Henson, deputy director of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation, affirmed that, “This is no longer a coastal issue. This isn’t an NFIP issue. This is a human issue. This is an economic development issue.”