On June 2 Governor Scott signed HB 715 Eligibility for Coverage by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation by Rep. Raschein. This bill removes the prohibition of certain improvements to major structures from being eligible for Citizens Property Insurance coverage. The bill also revises provisions regarding coverage for major structures that have undergone specified changes after a date certain.
In addition, Governor Scott vetoed HB1087 by Rep. Bileca because it goes against the goal of shrinking Citizens. This bill undermines progress in growing the number of property insurance options and reducing assessment risks for Florida families. My primary concern is the provision that prevents a policyholder from receiving more than one take-out offer every six months from a private insurer. This provision is inherently unfair to Citizens policyholders in that it limits policyholders’ private market options, which means they may miss an opportunity to move to a better property insurance alternative. The second issue with this legislation is in regards to the provision that creates a process where a policyholder returns to Citizens even though they are currently insured by a private market insurer. This perpetuates reliance on Citizens, which increases the potential for burdensome assessments on Florida families. The veto letter is below.
For entire veto letter: .pdf | Governor Rick Scott