Brandes, a Senate candidate, is facing a tough primary race against fellow Republican, Jim Frishe, of St. Petersburg. The ad features a frustrated man reading an insurance bill, and slams Brandes for voting for a measure that would potentially raise rates on unsuspecting homeowners.

“Who’s he kidding?” reads the mailer. “Jeff Brandes claims he’s for us. But he would put Bay-area homeowners at greater risk while Big Insurance pockets more profits.”

Citizens’ board — with the blessing of Scott — has been moving to sidestep that kind of political infighting by simply enacting sweeping policy changes on its own.

“I hope you agree with me as an observer that the legislative process is extremely unpredictable,” John Rollins, a board member appointed by Scott, told the rest of the board in November. “We should agree on a package of things we can do absent of the Legislature but with the help of the help of the [Financial Services Commission].”

The Legislature created Citizens 10 years ago to be the insurer of last resort, and elected officials have been responsible for most of the major initiatives at the state-run company. In 2007, when a struggling Citizens needed major reform, lawmakers convened a special session to address property insurance issues. Lawmakers voted to overhaul Citizens and temporarily ban all rate increases, and later placed a 10-percent cap on annual rate hikes.

But because of several policy changes recently enacted by Citizens’ board, that 10-percent cap has not stopped homeowners from seeing premium increases of 50 percent to 100 percent this year.

Earlier this year, the board unveiled a plan to stop applying the 10-percent cap to new customers, allowing rates to increase more aggressively for those who join Citizens next year.

Some lawmakers who enacted the 10-percent cap were outraged by Citizens’ plan, and bashed the insurer for not seeking legislative approval.

Carlos Lopez-Cantera, the Republican majority leader from Miami, tongue-lashed the Citizens board for creating the perception that it can overrule lawmakers’ actions.

“This board may not agree with the policies that come out of the Legislature, but they are the law, whether you agree with them or not,” Lopez-Cantera said during a contentious July meeting with the board.

At least two South Florida lawmakers promised to file a bill next year to block Citizens from removing the cap.

Lacasa, in an interview, denied allegations that the board had overstepped its boundaries.

“There’s absolutely no way that we are attempting to bypass the Legislature,” he said. “Because that would be contrary to the laws that govern us.”

Some lawmakers have shown support for Citizens as it tries to raise rates and shrink in size. In June, 25 state lawmakers wrote an open letter in support of Citizens’ efforts to raise its rates and shrink its rolls.

“We understand and share the desire for lower homeowner’s insurance rates,” the group of 22 state Representatives and three state Senators wrote. “However, Floridians who are currently paying full-price for their insurance in the private market don’t deserve to pay a subsidy for those on Citizens.”

Most of the lawmakers who signed the letter are Republicans from inland parts of North and Central Florida.

More and more, the political divide over Citizens is taking place not across political parties, but between geographical regions. Politicians from inland communities complain they are subsidizing wealthy coastal dwellers, and those in South Florida say high insurance rates at Citizens are slamming their constituents, who have no other options.

“The problem we’re having is a civil war mentality between the North and the South,” said Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami. “The North doesn’t want to subsidize the South, but the South pays the taxes for everything else.”

With the debate intensifying, a showdown in the state Legislature next year is likely.

But before the Legislature can act, dozens of changes enacted unilaterally by Citizens board this year will take hold, leaving customers with higher premiums and reduced coverage.