FL householders face still-rising property insurance coverage premiums; regulators overview hefty fee hikes

FL householders face still-rising property insurance coverage premiums; regulators overview hefty fee hikes

Extra will increase in property-insurance premiums are within the pipeline for Florida householders, whose property-insurance prices already are far above the nationwide common.

The Florida Workplace of Insurance coverage Regulation is evaluating requests from three non-public property insurance coverage corporations to boost their charges: Florida Farm Bureau desires a rise of almost 49 p.c; First Floridian Auto and House desires a 23 p.c improve, and KIN Interinsurance Community requests a 25 p.c hike. 

In the meantime, the State Board of Administration – whose members are Gov. Ron DeSantis, Chief Monetary Officer Jimmy Patronis and Legal professional Basic Ashley Moody – voted final week with out dialogue to approve a brand new formulation governing the premiums insurance coverage corporations pay into the Florida Hurricane Disaster Fund, which helps cowl costly hurricane losses.

The board approved a “projected mixture premium” improve of 12 p.c in that formulation, which a spokeswoman stated might or might not be handed on to policyholders by the insurance coverage corporations.

“The Florida Hurricane Disaster Fund (FHCF) doesn’t present protection for particular person policyholders, so the State Board of Administration (SBA) is unable to supply details about whether or not insurance coverage corporations will move FHCF fee modifications on to policyholders,” stated SBA spokeswoman Emilie Oglesby. “Corporations are allowed to move the price of protection from the FHCF to policyholders, however how that’s carried out can range and is in the end reviewed in a fee submitting with the Workplace of Insurance coverage Regulation (OIR).”

She added the rise is just on the hurricane-catastrophe portion of premiums, which she stated is about 7 p.c of the entire.

Paul Handerhan, president of the Florida-based Federal Affiliation for Insurance coverage Reform, blasted the choice to boost the premium for the FHCF, or “CAT Fund,” amid a disaster that has led a lot of Florida’s insurers to exit of enterprise, cease writing new insurance policies, and/or increase charges, leaving tens of 1000’s of house owners scrambling to seek out reasonably priced protection.

“The Florida Hurricane Disaster Fund simply carried out an mixture 12 p.c fee improve to all its collaborating insurers. … These elevated prices borne by the FHCF collaborating insurers are virtually at all times handed on to the policyholder,” Handerhan informed the Phoenix.

Handerhan stated the rise is unwarranted as a result of the CAT Fund is flush with cash – he stated $16.2 billion – to assist insurers pay claims the subsequent time Florida is hit with a giant hurricane.

“Beginning this September, after Florida’s insurance coverage corporations start to move on their reinsurance prices to their policyholders, there are definitely going to be many policyholders stressing out about find out how to pay these ever-increasing insurance coverage prices,” Handerhan stated. “Not less than the [CAT Fund] workers can sleep soundly at night time understanding their financial institution accounts are flush with money; Florida customers not a lot.”

Whether or not new insurance coverage legal guidelines adopted by the Legislature in particular session in Could will assist offset rising property-insurance charges stays to be seen. Insurance coverage corporations that avail themselves of rescue funds from a $2 billion reinsurance program — utilizing taxpayer funds — should file proposed fee decreases by Thursday.

The Insurance coverage Info Institute, a membership-based trade analysis group, experiences that Florida has one of many highest common prices of property insurance coverage within the nation.