Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, will participate in a “seaside chat” during next week’s PwC Insurance Summit, presented with the Financial Times, at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.

Hurricane-prone Florida has long been a major market for Bermuda’s catastrophe reinsurers and the Governor’s remarks will be of great interest to the conference delegates.

Mr DeSantis has driven significant legislative reforms in his efforts to stabilise Florida’s volatile homeowners insurance market. The state is plagued by high litigation and insurer insolvencies, but there were signs late last year that his reforms are having a positive effect, with the signs continuing this year.

The state has seen a decline in lawsuits, a return of private insurers and the first signs of rate stabilisation.

Arthur Wightman, PwC Bermuda territory and insurance leader, said: “The PwC Insurance Summit, presented with the Financial Times, offers an exceptional platform for global thought leaders, policymakers and industry experts to exchange ideas and forge pathways for the future of [insurance and] reinsurance.

He added that Mr DeSantis would attend the forum “to provide his perspectives on the state’s longstanding collaborative relationship with the Bermuda [insurance and] reinsurance market dating back to 1992’s Hurricane Andrew”.

This summer, a Gallagher Re news publication called the insurance reforms a sunshine success story for the Sunshine State, noting that they are making Florida “a viable destination for [insurance and] reinsurance capital once again”.

External adviser for Gallagher Re, Lisa Miller, the chief executive of Lisa Miller & Associates, said the tort reforms “addressed longstanding systemic issues but have also reshaped the legal and regulatory environment in a way that brings greater balance, transparency and sustainability to the market”.

Ms Miller is Florida’s former deputy insurance commissioner and her Tallahassee company is a regulatory and legislative consulting firm.

She observed: “The reduction in litigation, stabilisation of rates and restoration of underwriting discipline are just a few indicators of a market moving in the right direction.

“The momentum created by these reforms signals a new era for Florida, where disciplined risk-taking is both viable and rewarded. The Sunshine State is once again open for business, as this body of work presents.

“Florida represents not just a challenging climate risk environment but a vibrant, evolving marketplace rich with opportunity. For investors and industry stakeholders willing to engage with its unique dynamics, Florida offers the promise of growth, innovation and long-term return on capital.”

Mr DeSantis joins David Burt, the Premier, and a list of high-powered industry speakers that organisers call an “unrivalled global C-suite line-up”.

His seaside chat is being moderated by John Huff, the chief executive of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers, and will discuss how the American property insurance market is under strain from rising catastrophe risks and affordability challenges, and how the industry must balance protection, resilience and long-term economic growth.