Bush leaves unmet goals - Bush leaves office with several high-profile problems left unsolved, including a homeowners insurance crisis and the state's rising uninsured rate

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush came into office promising to tackle "big hairy audacious goals" and left a legacy that may go unrivaled in the state's history.

But while he is proud of what he calls "eight years of activist, conservative reform-minded government," he leaves office with a list of unfinished business and problems left unsolved that could bedevil his successors.

That list includes:

--Homeowners insurance. Florida's insurance crisis was brought on by eight hurricanes in two years that cost insurance companies billions in damages. But Bush and Republicans have come under fire for not doing enough in the past year to confront the crisis and get rising insurance rates under control.

A task force appointed by Bush made recommendations earlier this month, but it will be up to the new governor, Charlie Crist, and the Legislature to decide how to respond to the insurance crisis in a week-long special session that starts Jan. 16.

"I think he's got to be very frustrated leaving the state with an enormous crisis in the windstorm insurance market," said Rep. Dan Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat and House minority leader. "This issue grew up under his watch and grew to full bloom the last two years. As he leaves it is the greatest economic threat to the state right now."

--Property taxes. While Bush gained a reputation as a fierce tax-cutter, he and the GOP-controlled Legislature relied on growth in property values to pay for public schools. Property taxes have grown faster than personal income and inflation, according to information that Bush's office presented to a tax reform committee the governor set up this past summer to make recommendations on what should be done.

--Healthcare. While Bush pushed ahead with an ambitious plan to retool Medicaid, the state-federal healthcare program for the poor, the number of uninsured in Florida has risen since he became governor.

The Florida Health Insurance Study released last year said that the percentage of those under age 65 without health insurance rose from 16.8 percent to 19.2 between 1999 and 2004. Bush's home county, Miami-Dade, has nearly 29 percent uninsured, the highest rate in the state.

--The child-welfare system. Bush came into office pledging to fix Florida's troubled agencies responsible for keeping children safe, and during his tenure he overhauled how the Department of Children & Families works.

But the problems persisted, most notably with the disappearance of Rilya Wilson, a 5-year-old Miami girl. Florida's agency responsible for taking care of juvenile criminals also came under fire for the deaths of Omar Paisley in Miami and Martin Lee Anderson in Panama City.

--Higher education. Bush admits that he did not do enough to force the state's community colleges and universities to prove that they are doing a good job at producing talented college graduates.