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By Scott Lawson<\/div><\/div>\n

The governor said he\u2019d welcome a special session to handle any unfinished property insurance or condo safety issues, but he won\u2019t call for one.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2013 If Florida lawmakers hold a special session to deal with the troubled property-insurance market or to put additional requirements on condominium buildings, it won\u2019t come from a directive by Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

DeSantis, appearing Monday in Wellington, said he\u2019d \u201cwelcome\u201d the return of lawmakers to Tallahassee to address either of the topics if a special session is called by legislative leaders.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they can get an agreement, they should do it,\u201d DeSantis replied when asked about calling a special session on either topic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m confident we\u2019re going to see something along those lines at some point within the next year, whether it\u2019s soon, whether it\u2019s closer to the (election), I don\u2019t know,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cI think that they realize that that\u2019ll be something that we can do. So, I\u2019m ready. I\u2019ve got a pen ready. And so, if they do it, we\u2019ll be very receptive to that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lawmakers might be forced to return to Tallahassee for a special session on congressional redistricting. DeSantis has vowed to veto a redistricting plan that lawmakers passed, and new congressional lines need to be in place for the November elections.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But legislative leaders have not signaled they will call a special session on the property-insurance and condominium issues. The governor also has power to call special sessions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Asked about DeSantis\u2019 comments Monday, Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Wilton Simpson, pointed to comments Simpson made to reporters on March 11.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Simpson, R-Trilby, said the Senate had a \u201cpretty good bill\u201d on property insurance and that there\u2019s a chance lawmakers will be called back to Tallahassee as \u201cwe have many companies going out of business.\u201d But those comments followed Simpson saying property insurance changes made in the 2021 session need time to take hold.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, we passed a really good insurance bill, property insurance bill. Part of it is still working through the court system, I believe, but it\u2019s starting to work,\u201d Simpson told reporters. \u201cWe were disappointed we couldn\u2019t get more done this year, but that\u2019s part of the process. So, we decided it\u2019d be better to wait for the next Legislature to take that issue up.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, made similar comments when asked about the insurance situation after the regular legislative session ended March 14.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I would also ask people to remember is that we just passed an incredibly significant reform last session,\u201d Sprowls told reporters. \u201cIt did things like amend the attorney fee statute for the first time, I think, in 100 years.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, lawmakers approved a series of changes that included a new formula to limit fees of attorneys who represent homeowners in lawsuits against insurers and a reduction from three years to two years the time to file claims. They also passed a proposal aimed at preventing roofing contractors from advertising to spur homeowners to file insurance claims, though a federal court has blocked that part of the law on free-speech grounds.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, everybody in the insurance (industry) that you talk to always says reforms take 18 months,\u201d Sprowls said. \u201cWe\u2019re not six months into that. So, it\u2019s frustrating for me as a homeowner. It\u2019s frustrating for a lot of people. But I want to make sure that we\u2019re making the right reforms that are going to have an impact on the marketplace and don\u2019t inadvertently have an adverse impact.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The 2021 law also allows larger rate increases for customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which has seen a huge growth in policies as private insurers have shed customers and raised rates to reduce financial risks.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As of Feb. 28, Citizens had 792,616 policies. That was up more than 200,000 from April 30, 2021, and almost 340,000 from two years ago.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Lawmakers also considered bills during the regular session to place increased requirements on condominium buildings after the collapse of the Champlain Towers South last year in Surfside killed 98 people. The bills dealt with issues such as required inspections and financial reserves to make repairs, but the House and Senate could not agree on a final version.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The House wanted to go further than the Senate on issues such as reserve requirements for condominium associations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sort of like property insurance in that respect, and that sometimes you can work out the differences or remove things and get a product that everybody agrees on. But it wasn\u2019t one of those times,\u201d Sprowls told reporters March 14.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nAuthor: kerrys<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"