April 23, 2009

AIF strongly urges all its members to contact Senate and House leadership regarding two important property insurance bills that will be considered this legislative session. In order to reduce the risk associated with Florida’s Cat Fund and Citizen’s Property Insurance Corporation, AIF strongly supports SB 1950 by Senator Garrett Richter (R-Naples) and HB 1495 by Representative Bryan Nelson (R-Apopka).  Both bills are headed to the floor shortly so your help is critical.

The failure of the Cat Fund to fully meet its obligations in the event of a hurricane or series of hurricanes will result in delays or non-payment of claims for homeowners and business owners.  The expansion of the Cat Fund and the growth of Citizens have placed the state of Florida in great financial peril.

What is at Stake for Florida Employers?

• The state’s insistence on paying for hurricane losses after the fact requires that storm losses be paid in the form of taxes (assessments) on virtually all lines of insurance.  This includes auto, personal and professional liability, etc.
• Florida’s property owners (residential and commercial) will become responsible for paying off the state’s enormous exposure in the event of a bad storm or series of storms, rather than spreading the risk world-wide.
• Employers would have to pay 40% of all taxes (assessments) to pay for hurricane damages.

We urge you to contact the legislators on the attached document via phone or e-mail and send them a message urging their support of these two bills.  Sample letters – one for the Senate and one for the House – are attached for your convenience as well.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jose L. Gonzalez, AIF’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, at
(850) 224-7173.