TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a second special legislative session, this time with the goal of addressing Florida’s property insurance crisis which has seen many homeowners lose their insurance or see their premiums skyrocket.
The governor’s office made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, calling for the special session to begin on Monday, May 23, and last until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 27.
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The governor’s proclamation points to the instability of the property insurance market in the state, stating that Florida has accounted for 79% of the nation’s homeowners insurance lawsuits.
This has caused several insurers to become insolvent and leave the state, according to the governor’s proclamation.
Prior to the governor’s proclamation, some state lawmakers have gone as far as to say the Florida’s insurance market has collapsed. This has caused many homeowners to turn to Citizen’s Insurance.
Citizens Insurance is state-backed and is supposed to be the insurer of last resort, but it has taken on thousands of extra policies — as many as 7,000 new policies per week, according to the agency.
The governor’s proclamation states there is a need to address the issue ahead of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which is set to begin on June 1. Colorado State University’s forecast is calling for 19 named storms, with nine of them becoming hurricanes and four gaining major hurricane strength.
This special session will begin a little more than a month after the last special session, which saw the legislation pass new congressional districting maps, which were pushed by DeSantis, as well as a law that will sunset six special districts in the state, including the Reedy Creek Improvement District — the special district that allows Walt Disney World to self-govern.
Read the governor’s proclamation below:
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