At a Nov. 19 organizational meeting at the state Capitol, State Representative Jim Mooney raised his right hand to be sworn in alongside fellow Florida House members. After a resounding victory on Election Night, Mooney, a former Islamorada councilman who was first elected in 2020, begins his third term in office.
The fact that constituents trusted me makes me very proud. In a recent interview, Mooney told the Keys Weekly, “It makes you feel good that they believe in you and feel you’re effective.”
Mooney, who represents a district that includes the Keys and south Miami-Dade, stated that he believes he has been successful in advancing legislation. He hopes the Legislature will keep addressing the escalating issues facing the state and the Florida Keys when it meets again in 2025. Officially, a 60-day session starts on March 4, 2025.
Mooney stated that we must take action regarding insurance. Until I’m dead, voted out, or termed out, I won’t stop. I hope it gets termed out.
Mooney expressed his hope that the Legislature would at least repeal the requirement that policyholders of Citizens Property Insurance who have windstorm policies also have flood insurance. Homes located in a special flood hazard region are now subject to the new criteria that was authorized in December 2022. In an effort to combat the rapidly rising charges, the proposal was a component of a wider Senate Bill 2A that also abolished one-way attorney fees and benefit assignment.
You don’t need flood insurance if your house is on stilts and the only thing below it is a parking pad, he added. Homeowners would be able to keep their money instantly.
The state Office of Insurance Regulation received multiple rate submissions from Citizens earlier this year, including 14% hikes for personal lines policies for homeowners, condo owners, dwelling units, and mobile homes. Citizens, an insurer with over 20,000 policies in the Keys, offers coverage to honest property owners who are unable to find an insurance on the private market.
According to Citizens officials, the premium rates are still significantly lower than those of other private insurance providers. Officials from Citizens admitted at the hearing that in order to stay competitive with the private insurance market, its rates would need to rise by about 53.9%. At a rate hearing in Tallahassee on August 1, Mel Montagne, president of Fair Insurance Rates of Monroe (FIRM), informed state insurance regulators that 2022 and 2023 would be less active storm seasons in the Keys, resulting in even greater profits for citizens. Montagne’s remarks coincided with FIRM’s resistance to yet another rate increase for Monroe County Citizens policyholders.
OIR has not made a decision regarding filings for Citizens rates.
In their remarks to their respective houses on November 19, Senate President Ben Albritton and new House Speaker Danny Perez touched on the topic of property insurance. Perez, a lawyer who practices in parts of Miami-Dade, did not go into detail about the problems Floridians face, such as property insurance. However, he did emphasize that citizens should be aware that the insurance companies do not write our state’s laws.
Equal opportunity is something that Floridians desire. “They want to think that the deck won’t be stacked against them if they follow the rules,” Perez added.
As Floridians have paid for their insurance over the years, Albritton stated in his speech to senators that he wants insurance companies to fulfill their end of the agreement.
Albritton, a citrus farmer from Wauchula, stated, “I want to make sure that impacted Floridians and insurance companies hear me loud and clear. We are watching.” In order to increase competition and stabilize rates, we implemented the reforms that insurance firms requested.
State Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez, who represents the Florida Keys and south Miami-Dade, begins her third year of a four-year term. Rodriguez stated that she is encouraged by both Albritton and Perez.
She told Keys Weekly that both men and their leadership teams will be good for the Florida Keys and will offer reasonable conservative views.
She also thinks there is still more to be done on the property insurance issue.
She noted that even if the state has addressed insurance reform in previous sessions, we still need to figure out how to draw insurers to Florida and help all Floridians who are struggling with this cost.
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