As the third-largest state in the United States, Florida is no stranger to natural disasters. Having seen its fair share of hurricanes and flood damage, it’s no surprise that the property insurance market in Florida has been unstable for some time.

But with recent reforms passed by the legislature, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon for Floridians looking for more affordable coverage. In this article, we’ll review Matthew Scarfone’s report from iii.org titled “Some Potential Sunshine for Florida’s Property Insurance Market” and explore how these new laws could bring stability to an otherwise turbulent market.

Main Points:

  • Florida has the third-largest population in America and sees a higher-than-average volume of natural disasters.
  • Legal system abuse, such as one-way attorney fees and bad faith claims, have contributed to an unstable insurance market.
  • Assignment of Benefits (AOBs) agreements were abused, which allowed contractors to inflate costs for insurers.
  • Courts awarded attorneys excessive fees with discretion; bad faith cases compounded an insurer’s exposure.
  • According to the Office of Insurance Regulators, 79% of all homeowner insurance litigation nationwide happened in Florida, despite accounting for only 9% of all homeowners insurance claims.
  • The Florida Legislature passed multiple pieces of reform to tackle AOBs, bad faith claims and excessive fees, encouraging transparency and efficiency in the claims process.
  • These reforms might lower volume of property insurance litigation while providing more access to affordable coverage.

Assignment of Benefits (AOBs)

One of the legal system abuses impacting Florida’s homeowners insurance is the Assignment of Benefits (AOBs) agreement. An AOB allows a contractor to take control of the homeowner’s insurance claim and inflate the cost for the insurer. This often results in litigation, costing both the contractor and the insurer considerable amounts of money, which ultimately impacts all homeowners’ insurance premiums.

Excessive Fees

Due to the discretion of courts in Florida, attorneys could be awarded excessive fees resulting from insurance litigation, which compounded an insurer’s exposure. This led to the insurance company having to pay out more significant settlements than originally intended, further increasing insurance costs. Insurance companies have no choice but to factor these high fees into their premiums, ultimately affecting homeowners’ insurance costs in Florida.

Bad Faith Claims

Bad faith claims are another legal system abuse that affects the homeowners’ insurance market in Florida. A bad faith claim arises when an insurance company fails to defend or settle claims against its policyholders. In Florida, the legal system surrounding bad faith claims places an emphasis on “totality of circumstances” and “reasonable basis” rather than justifiable evidence. This creates a broader and more subjective legal standard, making insurers more vulnerable to this type of litigation.

Florida Insurance Market Reform

In 2022, Florida’s Legislature passed multiple pieces of reform aimed at tackling these legal system abuses. The focus was to encourage transparency and efficiency in the claims process. The legislation also required AOBs to contain mandatory provisions, including a written estimate of costs, payment structure, and a specific notification process. Additionally, the reform adopted a clear policyholder’s obligation to mitigate damages in bad faith cases, encouraging insurers and policyholders to find a resolution without litigation.

Hope for Homeowners Looking for Affordable Coverage

The Florida insurance market has long been a tumultuous space with skyrocketing premiums and excessive litigation. However, recent legal reforms seek to remedy this issue by promoting greater accessibility to affordable coverage while reducing the volume of property insurance litigation. Such measures could bring the much-needed stability that homeowners have been desperately seeking. By curbing legal system abuse, homeowners may finally see a reprieve from excessively high premiums. Of course, as with any optimistic outlook, only time will tell if these newly implemented laws will bring about the desired outcomes. Nevertheless, this offers a glimmer of hope for those who have been struggling to maintain their homes amidst the ongoing financial woes.

In conclusion, while it remains uncertain whether or not the reform initiatives taken by Florida’s Legislature will ultimately lead to a stable and affordable property insurance market, there is reason for optimism that such reforms can provide meaningful relief for Floridians struggling with high premiums caused by AOBs, bad faith claims and excessive fees.

If successful, the reforms could potentially create a more competitive marketplace for homeowners’ insurance in the Sunshine State. In any case, it is clear that the Florida insurance market has taken a significant step in the right direction. With these changes, Floridians may finally see some sunshine when it comes to their property insurance premiums.

The reforms passed by the Florida legislature have the potential to bring stability and affordability to an otherwise turbulent property insurance market.

By encouraging transparency, efficiency, and mitigating damages in bad faith cases, these new laws might reduce litigation volume while providing more access to affordable coverage for homeowners in Florida.

Read our Hurricane Season Preparation Guide.

Going forward, it will be important to monitor how well these measures are working; if successful, they could provide a model of reform that other states can follow when tackling similar issues with their own property insurance markets.