WLRN has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Is Florida the worst state in the nation in mental health care, elder fraud, homeowner insurance rates and rent increases?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.<\/p>\n
The Democratic governor has been highlighting Republican-governed states\u2019 shortcomings in recent X posts and comments. In June, amid Los Angeles protests about ICE operations in the city, Newsom sparred with Republican governors over their states\u2019 homicide rates. In July, he compared California\u2019s federal contributions to those Texas makes.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s on to Florida, where he says directives from the Trump administration and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove street markings that commemorate LGBTQ+ rights reflect misplaced priorities. The policies could affect rainbow-painted crossings across Florida, including St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n
“Florida: #51 in mental health care, #1 in home insurance costs, #1 in elder fraud, #1 in rent hikes. But let\u2019s crack down on\u2026 rainbow crosswalks. Totally the crisis,” Newsom wrote July 18 on X.<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s accuracy is mixed. Overall, analyses show that Florida lags in almost all of these areas, but they don\u2019t consistently show the state running dead last in each.<\/p>\n
No. 51 for mental health care?<\/p>\n
Florida has long ranked low in this category. We found three reports that showed the state last or second-to-last on mental health care \u2014 one from 2025 and two based on data that is at least a decade old. But other rankings put it in a slightly better light.<\/p>\n
A report published in April 2025 by Rehabs.com which used data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said Florida spent the lowest amount per capita of any state on mental health \u2014 $36.05. By comparison, the state with the highest mental health expenditures, Maine, spent $362.75 per capita.<\/p>\n
Mental Health America, a mental health and wellbeing nonprofit, ranked Florida 21st for mental health using 2024 data about overall mental illness prevalence and access to care. So, Florida is slightly better than half the nation by that measure.<\/p>\n
In a May 2023 report, the Florida Hospital Association ranked Florida 46th in the nation for mental health care access, making it one of the worst states. The measure includes access to health insurance, treatment, quality and cost of insurance, access to special education and mental health workforce availability.<\/p>\n
In January, Forbes ranked Florida as the fourth-worst state for mental health care access, finding that people in the state with mental illness lack access to care because of its high health care costs and mental health treatment center shortages.<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office pointed PolitiFact to a 2020 state grand jury report that studied school safety following the deadly 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, by a shooter who had been treated for mental health issues. The report described Florida\u2019s mental health system as disjointed and underfunded, and said it provided less money per capita than any other state, citing a graph from a 2016 National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute report.<\/p>\n
“Although this graph has been composed from financial information from the 2015 fiscal year,” the grand jury wrote in a footnote, “Florida is still the lowest-ranked state in terms of mental health care and treatment spending as of 2019-20, and we see no reason why that status quo would not continue into the foreseeable future absent intervention by the Legislature and the Governor.” The group did not provide further citations on Florida\u2019s ranking.<\/p>\n
Newsom also pointed to 2017 PolitiFact coverage evaluating the association\u2019s finding that ranked Florida 51 out of 52 jurisdictions (it includes Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) in state mental health spending. This ranking is also outdated, based on fiscal year 2014 data.<\/p>\n
No. 1 state for home insurance costs?<\/p>\n
Newsom has a point that Florida often is on the high end of home insurance costs \u2014 much like his own state \u2014 because of its exposure to natural disasters including hurricanes.<\/p>\n
But is it the most expensive now? Rankings are all over the map. Some put Florida at the tippy-top, while others show it\u2019s high, but not highest.<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office shared reports that said Florida averaged the highest home insurance premiums, as well as a September 2024 U.S. Census Bureau report that said Florida had 1.2 million homeowners paying $4,000 a year or more for homeowner\u2019s insurance, the highest share of any state.<\/p>\n
According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the average 2024 statewide premium is $3,731, based on policies written for all levels of coverage across Florida\u2019s 67 counties.<\/p>\n
Consumer websites, however, vary on the amount Florida homeowners pay on average for insurance because of their different methodologies.<\/p>\n
Bankrate, a consumer financial services website, ranked Florida third-highest in home insurance costs, estimating that homeowners pay $5,695 annually to cover a $300,000 home. Nebraska came in first at $6,425 and Louisiana second at $6,185.<\/p>\n
Insurify, an insurance comparison shopping website, said Florida homeowners paid the most for insurance in 2024, with an average yearly rate of $14,140.<\/p>\n
These numbers vary for a few reasons, insurance industry experts said. Some analyzed one specific level of coverage. Some included higher coverage amounts and additional types of coverage such as flood and disaster insurance. Others took averages from a handful of zip codes.<\/p>\n
There is no definitive source comparing home insurance rates across states because “every consumer quoting site determines premium averages differently,” Mark Friedlander, senior director of media relations at the industry-funded Insurance Information Institute, said.<\/p>\n
Experts said data based on the average of actual premiums policyholders paid presents a more accurate picture.<\/p>\n
Lending Tree, an online lending marketplace, did this in a June report using data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, which captures data directly from each Department of Insurance across the country. The report ranked Florida ninth highest in average premiums while finding it had the nation\u2019s lowest average one-year premium increase in 2024.<\/p>\n
No. 1 for elder fraud?<\/p>\n
Long a destination for retirees, Florida has one of the nation\u2019s largest populations of people over 60. So, it makes sense that the state would be a leader in fraud reports by that group.<\/p>\n
Fraud often leads to the loss of money or some other harm, and scammers often target older people.<\/p>\n
Florida ranked second in the raw number of fraud reports filed by people over 60, according to the FBI\u2019s 2023 and 2024 crime reports.<\/p>\n
It trailed Newsom\u2019s California both times.<\/p>\n
The FBI didn\u2019t calculate states\u2019 per capita rankings, but All About Cookies, a digital security research organization, used the FBI data and Census Bureau statistics to calculate states\u2019 elderly fraud complaints per capita. That organization found that Arizona had the most elderly fraud complaints per capita in 2023, while Florida landed in 12th place.<\/p>\n
That may not be unexpected; California has the nation\u2019s highest population of residents 65 and older, followed by Texas and Florida.<\/p>\n
California also ranked first in both 2023 and 2024 for financial losses from fraud complaints by seniors; Florida ranked second in 2023 and third behind California and Texas in 2024.<\/p>\n
Although Florida did not take the top spot on this metric, fraud is a problem statewide across all populations.<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office pointed us to a 2024 report by the Federal Trade Commission, an independent U.S. agency focused on consumer protection, that listed Florida as first in the most fraud reports per capita. But that included all age groups and was not specific to people over 60. His office also shared a 2019 news story based on similar FTC data from 2017 showing the same ranking.<\/p>\n
No. 1 for rent hikes?<\/p>\n
Florida has high rent compared with the national average, especially in cities such as Miami and Tampa. But we found no current ranking that put the state as the highest in the nation for rent increases.<\/p>\n
Florida largely prohibits cities and counties from implementing rent stabilization or control policies, making it easier for landlords to increase rents.<\/p>\n
Construction Coverage, a nonpartisan organization that specializes in research about real estate and construction, reported that from 2024 to mid-2025, Florida\u2019s median rent increased 6.4% \u2014 the 15th highest median increase in the country. Montana had the highest hike, with a 20.7% increase in median rent.<\/p>\n
Newsom\u2019s office cited a 2023 report by Benzinga, a data technology and investment platform, that said from March 2020 to March 2023, Florida\u2019s rent increased by 45.77%, the most of all states. Other news outlets also reported the number.<\/p>\n
Rents increased nationally during and after the COVID-19 pandemic because of a combination of higher demand and lower rental availability. However, since 2024, rental prices in Florida have started to stabilize.<\/p>\n
In 2025, SmartAsset, a financial advising company, included some Florida cities, such as St. Petersburg, among areas with the highest rent increases from February 2024 to February 2025. But none ranked first in the category.<\/p>\n
House Beautiful, a real estate magazine, concluded from Realtor.com data that Miami and the Tampa area have experienced the highest increases in average rent among major cities since 2019.<\/p>\n
Starting in 2024, Benzinga began reporting decreases in rents across Florida. Other reports also found that many areas of Florida have experienced rent decreases since 2024.<\/p>\n
Our ruling<\/p>\n
Newsom said Florida is “#51 in mental health care, #1 in home insurance costs, #1 in elder fraud, #1 in rent hikes.<\/p>\n
“Florida lags other states on all these metrics, but the rankings vary.<\/p>\n
On mental health care, rankings we found placed the state at or near the bottom of the nation.<\/p>\n
On home insurance costs, some analyses show Florida expenses as the nation\u2019s highest, while others show it in third- or ninth-place.<\/p>\n
One metric showed Florida had the highest fraud complaints per capita across all populations. But when looking specifically at raw numbers of complaints by people over 60, California and Texas beat out Florida, depending on the year.<\/p>\n
And high rent is a trouble spot for Florida, too. From 2020 to early 2023, Florida\u2019s median rent increased more than in any other state, one analysis showed. But in a more recent report focused on 2024 to mid-2025, it came in 15th. Rents in Florida have also begun to slightly decrease since 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate it Half True.<\/p>\n
Our Sources<\/p>\n
Federal Trade Commission,\u00a0Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2017<\/a>, March 2018Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0Offense Definitions<\/a>, 2019Northwest Florida Daily News,\u00a0Study: Florida least safe state for seniors<\/a>, 2019United States Census Bureau,\u00a02020 Census Results<\/a>, 2020Federal Trade Commission,\u00a0Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2019<\/a>, January 2020Population Reference Bureau,\u00a0Which U.S. States Have the Oldest Populations?<\/a>, 2021Pew Research Center,\u00a010 facts about U.S. renters during the pandemic<\/a>, December 19, 2022The Senior List,\u00a0Which States are Safest for Seniors?<\/a>, March 31, 2022United States Census Bureau,\u00a0Florida<\/a>, 2023Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0Elder Fraud<\/a>, 2023\u00a0Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0Elder Fraud Report<\/a>, 2023Florida Hospital Association,\u00a0Behavioral Health Profile Data Brief<\/a>, May 2023Rehabs.com<\/a>,\u00a0Mental Health Spending By State Across the US<\/a>, April 2025\u00a0WKMG-TV ClickOrlando,\u00a0Florida rent prices have increased drastically since 2020, analysis shows<\/a>, June 14, 2023Benzinga,\u00a010 States With The Highest Rent Increases<\/a>, July 7, 2023Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0Elder Fraud Report<\/a>, 2024Insurify,\u00a0Home Insurance Rates to Rise 8% in 2025, After a 20% Increase in the Last Two Years<\/a>, 2024Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University,\u00a0Rental Markets Are Cooling, but Rents Still Far Exceed Pre-Pandemic Levels<\/a>, September 3, 2024U.S. Census,\u00a0Nearly Half of Renter Households Are Cost-Burdened, Proportions Differ by Race<\/a>, Sept. 12, 2024\u00a0Benzinga,\u00a0Florida Rents Are Dropping Fast Is It Time For Investors To Look Elsewhere?<\/a>, May 25, 2024PBS,\u00a0Why rents are still higher in much of the U.S. than before the pandemic<\/a>, June 1, 2024Lending Tree,\u00a0State of Home Insurance: 2025<\/a>, June 2025\u00a0Mental Health America,\u00a0Data & Rankings<\/a>, 2024Supreme Court of Florida,\u00a0THIRD INTERIM REPORT OF THE TWENTIETH STATEWIDE GRAND JURY<\/a>, Dec. 10, 2020\u00a0PolitiFact,\u00a0After Fort Lauderdale airport shooting, legislator says Florida lags behind in mental health funding<\/a>, Jan. 18, 2017\u00a0The Florida Times-Union,\u00a0Rent costs in Florida are coming down, slowly. Here\u2019s how they compare to the rest of the U.S.<\/a>, February 16, 2024American National Bank,\u00a0Seniors are fraud targets<\/a>, May 1, 2024Realtor.com,\u00a0How Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent? What To Know About Increase Laws in CA, NJ, NY, and Beyond<\/a>, May 9, 2025Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0FBI Highlights Growing Number of Reported Elder Fraud Cases Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day<\/a>, June 14, 2024The Triple-I Blog,\u00a0Florida Homeowners Premium Growth Slows as Reforms Take Hold, Inflation Cools<\/a>, June 26, 2024Realtor.com,\u00a0June 2024 Rental Report: Median Asking Rents Continue To Fall<\/a>, July 18, 2024Insurify,\u00a0What\u2019s Causing the Florida Home Insurance Crisis?<\/a>, July 29, 2024House Beautiful,\u00a0The 10 American Cities With the Highest Rent Increases<\/a>, August 3, 2024All About Cookies,\u00a0States Where Elder Fraud Is on the Rise in America [Data]<\/a>, August 9, 2024Federal Bureau of Investigation,\u00a0Common Fraud and Scams<\/a>, 2025Forbes,\u00a0The Worst States For Mental Health Care 2025<\/a>, January 2, 2025CNN,\u00a0California\u2019s insurance is in crisis. The solution will cost homeowners a ton<\/a>, January 9, 2025Florida Office of Insurance Regulation,\u00a0Stats, Data, and Facts<\/a>, January 16, 2025Construction Coverage,\u00a0U.S. Cities With the Biggest Change in Rent Prices<\/a>, January 23, 2025The Triple-I Blog,\u00a0Florida\u2019s Progress in Legal Reform: A Model for 2025<\/a>, January 23, 2025The Listing Real Estate Management,\u00a02025 Florida Rental Market Outlook: Insight From an Orlando Property Manager<\/a>, February 7, 2025Hemlane,\u00a0Florida Rent Control Laws in 2025<\/a>, February 9, 2025Federal Trade Commission,\u00a0Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024<\/a>, March 2025Rent.com,\u00a0February 2025 Average Rent Report: Rents Rise as Construction Slows<\/a>, March 12, 2025Ackley Florida Propery Management,\u00a0Central Florida Rental Market Update 2025<\/a>, March 21, 2025SmartAsset,\u00a0Where Rent Increased Most \u2013 2025 Study<\/a>, April 17, 2025Bankrate,\u00a0Home insurance rates by state for July 2025<\/a>, July 1, 2025E&E News,\u00a0California leapfrogs Florida in US insurance risk<\/a>, July 18, 2025Zillow,\u00a0Florida Rental Market<\/a>, July 19, 2025Apartments.com,\u00a0Rent Report for June 2025: Summer Rent Increases Hit a Plateau<\/a>, July 14, 2025Email interview, Mark Friedlander, senior director of media relations at the Insurance Information Institute, July 21, 2025Email interview, Gov. Gavin Newsom press office, July 21-22, 2025Email interview, Sophie Eyre, data journalism associate at Insurify, July 21, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WLRN has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. 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