Citizens Property chairman steps down

TALLAHASSEE — Winter Park insurance broker Chris Gardner, saying “the time has come for me to retire,” has stepped down as chairman of the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors after five years in the post.

“I’m incredibly proud of the transformation Citizens has undergone since I first joined the board, and especially during the last five years,” Gardner wrote in an Aug. 13 resignation letter to Gov. Rick Scott.

Gardner was appointed to the board of the statebacked insurer by Scott. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Wednesday he has named board member Gary Aubuchon as interim chairman.

The board’s next meeting is Sept. 26 in Maitland. Patronis called Gardner a “tremendous asset” to the agency and policy holders.

“The work he and the board have done over the last several years helped change Citizens for the better,” Patronis said of Gardner. “His skills and expertise, including understanding the concerns and bringing the perspective of insurance agents to the table, were invaluable.”

Gardner was first appointed to the board in 2011 and became chairman two years later.

“When I began my time on the board, things were less than ideal at Citizens,” Gardner said in his resignation letter. “Working together, the members of the board, the CEO, and the entire team at Citizens have transformed it from a place of economic peril and disorganization, to one of fiscal responsibility and efficient and responsible service to Florida.”

When Gardner joined the board in 2011, the agency was handling 1.4 million policies. As of July 31, the agency had 443,204 policies.

Aubuchon is a former state House member from Lee County.