CFO Jeff Atwater Appoints Chris Gardner as New Chairman of Citizens Board of Governors
TALLHASSEE – August 12, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the appointment of Chris Gardner as Chairman of the Board of Governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Gardner, a resident of Winter Park, has 20 years of experience in the retail insurance brokerage business with a specific focus in Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance. He has served as a member of the Citizens board since his appointment in July 2011.
“In his 20 years in the insurance industry, Chris has proved himself to be a person of high character and sound judgment who shares my high expectations for how a corporation such as Citizens should be managed,” said CFO Atwater. “I am confident he has the business background and leadership qualities it will take to further establish defined and transparent procedures at Citizens. It is important to continue to build the public’s trust in the non-profit corporation and better equip it to protect Floridians during their greatest times of need.”
Chris Gardner is the managing shareholder of Kuykendall Gardner, LLC, a Florida based insurance broker doing business since 1953. Neither the firm collectively nor Mr. Gardner personally has any current business interests in Citizens. He has been a past chairman of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and is a past vice chairman of the City of Orlando Municipal Planning Board.
“I am very honored to be chosen for this opportunity to lead a corporation that protects Florida’s property owners,” said Gardner. “My first priority will be to establish a very clear process for how Citizens will conduct business, which means serving customers in a more transparent way than ever before that continues to protect them during times of disaster and protects the taxpayer dollars of all Floridians.”
Gardner succeeds Carlos Lacasa as chairman of the Citizen’s board.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, a statewide elected official, oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Atwater’s priorities include fighting financial fraud, abuse and waste in government; reducing government spending and regulatory burdens that chase away businesses and providing transparency and accountability in state spending.
Contact: Chris Cate
(850) 413-2842
