By Jeff Harrington, Times Staff Writer
Friday, July 13, 2012
After a year as Florida's insurance consumer advocate, Robin Smith Westcott is still fighting the same fights. • Not just scuffles with insurance companies, but the fight to prove she truly is pro-consumer. • "One thing I get dinged on a lot is (an accusation) that I'm an industry shill," Westcott said. "But you can't talk to me and think I'm not absolutely passionate about doing some of these things to help our state." • Yes, she serves at the pleasure of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who espouses a pro-business philosophy. And she has been tethered to the Tallahassee legislative scene since graduating from law school at Florida State University. • On the other hand, Westcott, 44, isn't shy about calling out the powers that be. She thinks the Legislature dropped the ball on a bigger property ...