Richardson named S.C. commissioner, replacing Kitzman

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford named and the Senate confirmed Sen. Scott Richardson of Hilton Head as the director of the Department of Insurance.

Richardson, 55, was elected to the South Carolina Senate in 2000, and previously served in the S.C. House from 1993 through 1996. Richardson, who has worked in insurance, currently works with Sea Pines Real Estate, and resides on Hilton Head. In the Senate, he serves on the Finance Committee and the Banking and Insurance Committee.

Eleanor Kitzman, the current insurance director, resigned from the post, after Sanford expressed a desire for a change to address coastal insurance issues.

Gov. Sanford said, “Scott, like me, believes that market reforms have to drive the solution to the insurance problems along the coast. Add to that his relationships in the General Assembly and his private sector experience, and you’ve got a person who’s uniquely qualified for this spot.”

“The coastal insurance problem is one that I’ve certainly heard a lot about from my constituents and from my colleagues in the Senate,” said Richardson. “I’m eager to take on this issue as the director, and work with the governor’s office and the legislature toward solutions.”