TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida's backup hurricane fund will have to sell up to $625 million in bonds to pay claims from Hurricane Wilma back in 2005.

Wilma caused $11 billion in insured damage. When insurance companies don't have enough to pay claims, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund pays the difference. But fund officials say there's only about $160 million left in the backup account. That's expected to be enough to last only the next couple months.

So Gov. Charlie Crist and state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink approved Tuesday the sale of the bonds to provide the cash to pay claims.

Crist and Sink both expressed concern that insurance companies are still paying claims for Wilma, including more than 6,000 that have been reopened after initially being denied.


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