Bill Text: FL H4129 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Residential Property/Evaluation Grant Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-04-06 - Ordered enrolled -HJ 447 [H4129 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-H4129-Introduced.html
HB 4129

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to a residential property structural
3soundness evaluation grant program; amending s. 627.0629,
4F.S.; deleting an obsolete Citizens Property Insurance
5Corporation residential property structural soundness
6evaluation grant program; providing an effective date.
7
8Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10     Section 1.  Subsections (8) and (9) of section 627.0629,
11Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
12     627.0629  Residential property insurance; rate filings.-
13     (8)  EVALUATION OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY STRUCTURAL
14SOUNDNESS.-
15     (a)  It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a
16program whereby homeowners may obtain an evaluation of the wind
17resistance of their homes with respect to preventing damage from
18hurricanes, together with a recommendation of reasonable steps
19that may be taken to upgrade their homes to better withstand
20hurricane force winds.
21     (b)  To the extent that funds are provided for this purpose
22in the General Appropriations Act, the Legislature hereby
23authorizes the establishment of a program to be administered by
24the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation for homeowners
25insured in the high-risk account.
26     (c)  The program shall provide grants to homeowners, for
27the purpose of providing homeowner applicants with funds to
28conduct an evaluation of the integrity of their homes with
29respect to withstanding hurricane force winds, recommendations
30to retrofit the homes to better withstand damage from such
31winds, and the estimated cost to make the recommended retrofits.
32     (d)  The Department of Community Affairs shall establish by
33rule standards to govern the quality of the evaluation, the
34quality of the recommendations for retrofitting, the eligibility
35of the persons conducting the evaluation, and the selection of
36applicants under the program. In establishing the rule, the
37Department of Community Affairs shall consult with the advisory
38committee to minimize the possibility of fraud or abuse in the
39evaluation and retrofitting process, and to ensure that funds
40spent by homeowners acting on the recommendations achieve
41positive results.
42     (e)  The Citizens Property Insurance Corporation shall
43identify areas of this state with the greatest wind risk to
44residential properties and recommend annually to the Department
45of Community Affairs priority target areas for such evaluations
46and inclusion with the associated residential construction
47mitigation program.
48     (8)(9)  A property insurance rate filing that includes any
49adjustments related to premiums paid to the Florida Hurricane
50Catastrophe Fund must include a complete calculation of the
51insurer's catastrophe load, and the information in the filing
52may not be limited solely to recovery of moneys paid to the
53fund.
54     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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