Bill Text: FL S0638 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Residential Property/Evaluation Grant Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-06 - Read 2nd time -SJ 361 [S0638 Detail]

Download: Florida-2011-S0638-Introduced.html

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       Florida Senate - 2011                                     SB 638
       
       
       
       By Senator Simmons
       
       
       
       
       22-00649-11                                            2011638__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to a residential property structural
    3         soundness evaluation grant program; amending s.
    4         627.0629, F.S.; deleting an obsolete Citizens Property
    5         Insurance Corporation residential property structural
    6         soundness evaluation grant program; providing an
    7         effective date.
    8  
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Subsections (8) and (9) of section 627.0629,
   12  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   13         627.0629 Residential property insurance; rate filings.—
   14         (8) EVALUATION OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY STRUCTURAL
   15  SOUNDNESS.—
   16         (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a
   17  program whereby homeowners may obtain an evaluation of the wind
   18  resistance of their homes with respect to preventing damage from
   19  hurricanes, together with a recommendation of reasonable steps
   20  that may be taken to upgrade their homes to better withstand
   21  hurricane force winds.
   22         (b) To the extent that funds are provided for this purpose
   23  in the General Appropriations Act, the Legislature hereby
   24  authorizes the establishment of a program to be administered by
   25  the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation for homeowners
   26  insured in the high-risk account.
   27         (c) The program shall provide grants to homeowners, for the
   28  purpose of providing homeowner applicants with funds to conduct
   29  an evaluation of the integrity of their homes with respect to
   30  withstanding hurricane force winds, recommendations to retrofit
   31  the homes to better withstand damage from such winds, and the
   32  estimated cost to make the recommended retrofits.
   33         (d) The Department of Community Affairs shall establish by
   34  rule standards to govern the quality of the evaluation, the
   35  quality of the recommendations for retrofitting, the eligibility
   36  of the persons conducting the evaluation, and the selection of
   37  applicants under the program. In establishing the rule, the
   38  Department of Community Affairs shall consult with the advisory
   39  committee to minimize the possibility of fraud or abuse in the
   40  evaluation and retrofitting process, and to ensure that funds
   41  spent by homeowners acting on the recommendations achieve
   42  positive results.
   43         (e) The Citizens Property Insurance Corporation shall
   44  identify areas of this state with the greatest wind risk to
   45  residential properties and recommend annually to the Department
   46  of Community Affairs priority target areas for such evaluations
   47  and inclusion with the associated residential construction
   48  mitigation program.
   49         (8)(9) A property insurance rate filing that includes any
   50  adjustments related to premiums paid to the Florida Hurricane
   51  Catastrophe Fund must include a complete calculation of the
   52  insurer’s catastrophe load, and the information in the filing
   53  may not be limited solely to recovery of moneys paid to the
   54  fund.
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.