All insurance companies doing business in Florida need to be operating under
the same rules and guidelines.
The law that allows Florida only companies should be abolished. Why are
unregulated companies even allowed in the state?
Insurance companies are a risk business and should be made to accept their
risk the same as any other company has to do, without bailouts from
state money.
Transparency: All insurance policies and disclosures need to be in
understandable layman terms.
Flood vs.
wind/rain and other catastrophes, so everyone is “on the same page” and
there are no ongoing disputes as to who pays out what.
“Cherry-picking” policies has to stop. If a company is to write policies in
Florida, they must take all or nothing, not choose only the lucrative areas
for a higher profit and lower risk.
Older homes should not be penalized because of their age.
Upgrades to these
homes should allow for substantial decreases in premiums, not a token
reduction as has been the case.
A House built in 2000 will have the same
replacement cost as a house built in 1920 if destroyed beyond repair.
Older
homes should be grandfathered in and insured without penalty. Penalizing
them because they are old is unfair. 85% of Florida’s home are built before
hurricane codes.
Homeowners rates should not be connected to their credit rating in any way.
All of Citizens and all insurance company records should be open to the
public and easily obtainable through a main data base.
A consumer advocate should be involved in the process of reviewing rate
hikes, by all insurance carriers.
Florida law states that no policy can be cancelled except for non-payment.
So, insurance companies call it “non-renewal” to get around the law.
Policies must be renewable and remain with the original insurer unless for
non-payment, ONLY.
The “matching grant” program is not a feasible solution for many. People who
cannot afford insurance in the first place, cannot afford to spend money
for mitigation and upgrading either. Loans to pay insurance is still not the answer because it
requires repayment form the homeowner, with INTEREST they can’t afford.
Poor funding for the program.
Clearly define discounts for mitigation.
Approved contractors are limited. Work should be performed by any licensed
contractor. Personal mitigation should be certified by the county and
accepted by the state.
The citizens of Florida should not shoulder the burden of risk. Insurance
companies are in the risk business, let them accept their risk.
The use of “Computer Modeling” to set rates for the future has proven to be
incorrect and needs to be stopped.
Condos, mobile homes, rental and non-homesteaded homes should not be have to pay a higher
premium.
There should be an equitable replacement value, based on each area’s actual
building costs, not an arbitrary figure the insurance company comes up with
across the board.
Agents should be held legally responsible for full disclosure and
information given to policyholders.
There needs to be a watchdog panel to be sure agents are not overcharging or
putting in incorrect information on quotes to increase their commission.
Possibly have commissions as a flat rate and not based on a percentage of
the premium.
Continuing education classes should be mandatory to get their license
renewed.
Policyholders need to be notified if they are being put into an unregulated
or take-out company and full disclosure of any risks or changes in coverage.
Many of these companies give less coverage and charge a higher premium.
Consumers need to be educated by the state as to their rights and methods to
decrease their premiums.
A National Catastrophic Fund
Those with the power to act, need to look at the “trickle down” effect of
all this. The whole state is going to feel the “trickle down”, some already
and some in the future, but the whole economy of this state is going to
suffer.
