Bill Hager Considered For Insurance Commissioner
By Casey Westfall
The City of Boca Raton’s state representative could soon find himself as the state’s new insurance commissioner.
The incumbent, Kevin McCarty, who served as the state’s insurance commissioner for 13 years, announced his resignation in January, which would be effective on May 2.
Bill Hager (R), who represents District 89– which the City of Boca Raton is a part of– in the Florida House, was one of 55 applicants for the position, which pays a salary of nearly $200,000 a year.
Prior to his election to the House in 2010, Hager served as Iowa’s insurance commissioner from 1986 to 1990. Hager was elected to the Boca Raton City Council in 2002, and served as a member until 2009. He is also a member of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, and previously served as the board’s chairman.
During his time on the City Council, Hager served as Deputy Mayor, which he was appointed to in 2004, and served until the next year.
In addition, Hager formed the Boca Raton-based firm Insurance Metrics Corporation in 2000, where he continues to serve as president.
On Tuesday, March 22, Attorney General Pam Bondi recommended that Hager be considered for a public interview at the Cabinet Meeting on Tuesday, March 29.
The short list of candidates who will interviewed at the Cabinet Meeting was unveiled by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater later that week on Thursday. Of the 55 applicants for the position, only two made it onto the short list, with Hager being one of them.
The other candidate who will be interviewed at the hearing is Jeffrey Bragg of Palm Harbor, who was recommended for the interview from Gov. Rick Scott’s office.
Bragg served as the administrator for FEMA’s national flood insurance program during the Reagan administration, and was the first director of the U.S. Treasury’s Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, which he served on from 2003 until 2014.
He also worked for Saint Petersburg-based firm Insurance Management Solutions Group, where he was executive vice-president from 1997 until 2000. Bragg was later employed at Zurich Risk Management, which he was senior vice president of from 2001 to 2003.
Following the interviews, the cabinet decide on who will ultimately succeed McCarty; a decision which is predicted to be made during the next meeting.
