CS/HB 767 revises Florida’s residential property insurance laws to increase consumer access to information and clarify certain coverage and claims practices. The bill requires the Office of Insurance Regulation to create and maintain a comprehensive online resource center with plain-language educational materials, insurer contact information, market data, mitigation credit information, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation take-out and clearinghouse information, and step-by-step claims guidance. It also requires insurers to notify policyholders about that resource center when offering or renewing residential property coverage.
The bill further changes how homeowners’ coverage amounts and claims are handled by prohibiting insurers from including the value of land when setting coverage amounts or adjusting claims for a dwelling or other structure, while preserving existing treatment for certain shoreline or water-adjacent properties. It also expands required hurricane mitigation discount notices so policyholders are told whether an insurer offers enhanced discounts for roof systems with secondary water resistance, and it updates the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights to conform to the new law and preserve existing claims-process disclosures.
Impact
The bill amends sections 627.0621, 627.7011, 627.711, and 627.7142, Florida Statutes. Its main legal effect is to impose new consumer-facing disclosure and website obligations on the Office of Insurance Regulation and residential property insurers, while also limiting insurers’ ability to factor land value into dwelling coverage calculations and claim adjustments. It also makes certain rate-filing information and county rating examples expressly not trade secrets for public-records purposes, increasing transparency around residential property rate regulation.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support at every recorded stage, including subcommittee, committee, and full House passage with no recorded nays. That pattern suggests the bill was broadly viewed as a consumer-protection and transparency measure rather than a controversial overhaul of insurance law. No committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate indicating significant opposition.
Contention
No formal opposition is reflected in the voting record, but the most likely points of policy sensitivity are the bill’s transparency requirements and its treatment of insurer data as non-confidential, especially the provisions declaring certain rate-filing information and county rating examples not to be trade secrets. Another possible area of concern is the restriction on including land value in coverage and claim calculations, which could affect insurer underwriting and claims practices. The bill also places new notice obligations on insurers, though the unanimous votes indicate these issues did not generate visible legislative conflict in the available record.