TALLAHASSEE — After more than a decade as Florida’s chief insurance regulator, Kevin McCarty resigned Tuesday, nearly a year after he overcame a failed effort by Gov. Rick Scott to get rid of him.
McCarty invited reporters from the Times/Herald and two other news outlets to his office to break the news of his departure, which is effective May 2.
“Sometimes it’s good to leave on top,” McCarty said.
He noted that the property insurance market has stabilized and said he’ll leave on his own, not under pressure from Scott.
But in a private meeting with Scott in October, McCarty had made clear his plans to look for another job, he said Tuesday. By staying in the job until May, just before the start of the hurricane season, McCarty said he’ll be able to review all insurance legislation out of the 2016 session that opens next week and make recommendations to Scott.
McCarty did not disclose his plans. He is considered a leading candidate to be the next chief executive of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, where he once served as president.
“I certainly would like to be in a position on the national stage or on an international stage where I have spent a good part of my career,” he said.
