Florida Coastal Insurance Reform

This legislative session, the Florida Chapters joined forces with the Stronger Safer Coalition, which advocates for reform of Citizens Insurance and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (CAT Fund). Reforming Citizens helps reduce subsidies for coastal development in high risk areas, like barrier islands. The Coalition and Florida Chapters worked to successfully pass SB1770. The new law ends state subsided insurance for new construction or substantial improvements seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line or within the Coastal Barrier Resource System. On May 29th, Governor Rick Scott signed SB 1770 into law. Governor Scott commented, “This legislation will bring much needed reforms to better protect the taxpayers who support Citizens Property Insurance…. Additionally, this law helps protect the environment by removing subsidies for new construction in environmentally sensitive coastal areas.