Mike Yaworsky Returning to OIR
Interim Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky
Governor DeSantis has announced his choice for Florida’s next Insurance Commissioner, nominating Michael Yaworsky to replace David Altmaier, who resigned in late December. Yaworsky is a familiar face, having served as Altmaier’s Chief of Staff at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) from 2017 to 2022. He will serve as Interim Commissioner until he’s ratified by the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Financial Services Commission. It meets next on March 21.
Prior to OIR, Yaworsky served as Legal Counsel to the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner for a couple of years, where he was responsible for advising the Commissioner and senior staff on policy decisions and performing administrative, regulatory and litigation duties associated with the legal unit. He also served as Counsel for the Office of President Pro Tempore in the Georgia Senate for a year.
Yaworsky had served in Florida government prior to that as Chief of Staff at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and with the Executive Office of the Governor in Cabinet Affairs during the Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist eras. Governor DeSantis named him to the Florida Gaming Control Commission in 2021. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Florida State University and a law degree from Samford University.
I told the Insurance Journal last week that the commissioner understands how to engage all stakeholders. He is a master at communicating, making sure no details are left out of a conversation. He’s returning to OIR at an opportune time, given that the two deputy insurance commissioner positions – for Property & Casualty and Life & Health – remain vacant, following the departures of Susanne Murphy and John Reilly, respectively. The commissioner will be able to build his own team and expectations.
We welcome Mike Yaworsky back to OIR and look forward to working with him and his team in this critical time of rebuilding Florida’s property insurance marketplace!
LMA Newsletter of 2-20-23
