The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 4

Two pour money into race for legislative seat LERNER DAVID market from national competition and the money for all the catastrophic coverage is coming from a very small pool the area with the highest he said why the rates are so David bristles at description of him as He points to a recent mailer for the Lerner campaign that shows a picture of a home destroyed by a hurricane with the words bill 300 increase insurance over it worked so long on recovery issues that really frustrating for me to see a home destroyed and for someone to imply I had something to do with he said David said he is a small player in the Internet division of his company which puts insurance data online Lerner on the other hand gets ruffled when David points out that she live in District 119 By law a candidate is allowed to live outside the dis- David believes money should be spent on hurricane and flooding research 5 hurricanes are really a rare occurrence if you think about it so the data is very scarce and insurance companies are scared to death of coming back into South he said By creating adequate data David believes the homeowner insurance market would become competitive again He also said push for new laws to prevent contractor fraud But he said legislators tend to forget after the emergency is over like knocking over the top of an ant he said ants rebuild and soon they forget what toppled the pile We as a society do the same David said if the insurance market became competitive again in South Florida it would eliminate the need for the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association the state-run insurance company that has been steadily hiking prices have walled off this BY EUNICE PONCE eponceherald com On Tuesday Democrat Cindy Lerner faces off against Republican Tom David for the seat in House District 119 being vacated by Democrat John Cosgrove Cosgrove is running for insurance commissioner Lerner a Pinecrest attorney and political consultant with a long history of volunteer service in South Florida handily defeated Homestead teacher and Democratic activist Fred Rader in party primary But this race promises to be much closer Rader did little advertising because of limited funding but smiling pose holding his 4-year-old son Tommy graces many billboards and bus benches along US David has raised nearly $85000 in campaign money and has spent about $51000 Lerner has raised about $156000 and spent about $60000 so far David is a technical market- HQUSE DISTRICT 119 ing specialist for AonLine the Internet division of Aon Group a multinational commercial insurance company And like Lerner he also has a long record of volunteer service From 1986 to 1990 David worked as a legislative assistant to Cosgrove a job that taught him things work in Tallahassee of it is just breaking up a big pot of he said all fighting over it and trying to protect your home turf As a staff person I participated in drafting bills and following them all the way through the David says that if elected focus on bringing down the cost of homeowner insurance which skyrocketed after Hurricane Andrew as well as on education and health care David the immediate past chairman of the Palmetto Bay Community Council points to a history of service in Homestead as preparation for the job In 1990 he worked as an assistant to the city manager of Homestead from 1992 to 1995 he was executive director of the We Will Rebuild Foundation aimed at rebuilding South Dade after the hurricane Then from 1996 to 1998 he was executive director of the International Hurricane Center entire South Dade area is still suffering from the aftereffects of David said also volunteered in the Homestead Soup Kitchen and at the Partnership for Natural Disaster Reduction among PLEASE SEE HOUSE 23 Announcing ing Uday extravaganza heard a great oPPortunav To be a nd seen deXomrnunity event art of this Productions at fj lA at Miami Metrozoo Presented by The Toys Us Wild Lights is a six-week-long holiday lights extravaganza produced by The Miami Herald Publishing Company and The Zoological Society of Florida It's a fun family-oriented event starting Thanksgiving week and running through New Year's featuring spectacular light displays music Santa and more EKelHumiHcratS Xh.