Florida Senate - 2022 CS for CS for SB 578 By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Banking and Insurance; and Senator Hooper 578-02644-22 2022578c2 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Hurricane Loss Mitigation 3 Program; amending s. 215.559, F.S.; revising the use 4 of certain funds from the Florida Hurricane 5 Catastrophe Fund to also include construction of 6 certain facilities; revising the title of a certain 7 annual report; deleting construction relating to 8 Citizens Property Insurance Corporation coverage 9 rates; delaying the future repeal of the Hurricane 10 Loss Mitigation Program; providing an effective date. 11 12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13 14 Section 1.Paragraph (b) of subsection (1), paragraph (b) 15 of subsection (2), and subsection (7) of section 215.559, 16 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 17 215.559Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program.A Hurricane Loss 18 Mitigation Program is established in the Division of Emergency 19 Management. 20 (1)The Legislature shall annually appropriate $10 million 21 of the moneys authorized for appropriation under s. 22 215.555(7)(c) from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to the 23 division for the purposes set forth in this section. Of the 24 amount: 25 (b)Three million dollars in funds shall be used to 26 construct or retrofit existing facilities used as public 27 hurricane shelters. Each year the division shall prioritize the 28 use of these funds for projects included in the annual report of 29 the Shelter Development Retrofit Report prepared in accordance 30 with s. 252.385(3). The division must give funding priority to 31 projects in regional planning council regions that have shelter 32 deficits and to projects that maximize the use of state funds. 33 (2) 34 (b)1.The Manufactured Housing and Mobile Home Mitigation 35 and Enhancement Program is established. The program shall 36 require the mitigation of damage to or the enhancement of homes 37 for the areas of concern raised by the Department of Highway 38 Safety and Motor Vehicles in the 2004-2005 Hurricane Reports on 39 the effects of the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes on manufactured and 40 mobile homes in this state. The mitigation or enhancement must 41 include, but need not be limited to, problems associated with 42 weakened trusses, studs, and other structural components caused 43 by wood rot or termite damage; site-built additions; or tie-down 44 systems and may also address any other issues deemed appropriate 45 by Tallahassee Community College, the Federation of Manufactured 46 Home Owners of Florida, Inc., the Florida Manufactured Housing 47 Association, and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor 48 Vehicles. The program shall include an education and outreach 49 component to ensure that owners of manufactured and mobile homes 50 are aware of the benefits of participation. 51 2.The program shall be a grant program that ensures that 52 entire manufactured home communities and mobile home parks may 53 be improved wherever practicable. The moneys appropriated for 54 this program shall be distributed directly to Tallahassee 55 Community College for the uses set forth under this subsection. 56 3.Upon evidence of completion of the program, the Citizens 57 Property Insurance Corporation shall grant, on a pro rata basis, 58 actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate 59 differentials or appropriate reductions in deductibles for the 60 properties of owners of manufactured homes or mobile homes on 61 which fixtures or construction techniques that have been 62 demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss in a windstorm have 63 been installed or implemented. The discount on the premium must 64 be applied to subsequent renewal premium amounts. Premiums of 65 the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation must reflect the 66 location of the home and the fact that the home has been 67 installed in compliance with building codes adopted after 68 Hurricane Andrew. Rates resulting from the completion of the 69 Manufactured Housing and Mobile Home Mitigation and Enhancement 70 Program are not considered competitive rates for the purposes of 71 s. 627.351(6)(d)1. and 2. 72 4.On or before January 1 of each year, Tallahassee 73 Community College shall provide a report of activities under 74 this subsection to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 75 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report must 76 set forth the number of homes that have taken advantage of the 77 program, the types of enhancements and improvements made to the 78 manufactured or mobile homes and attachments to such homes, and 79 whether there has been an increase in availability of insurance 80 products to owners of manufactured or mobile homes. 81 82 Tallahassee Community College shall develop the programs set 83 forth in this subsection in consultation with the Federation of 84 Manufactured Home Owners of Florida, Inc., the Florida 85 Manufactured Housing Association, and the Department of Highway 86 Safety and Motor Vehicles. The moneys appropriated for the 87 programs set forth in this subsection shall be distributed 88 directly to Tallahassee Community College to be used as set 89 forth in this subsection. 90 (7)This section is repealed June 30, 2032 2022. 91 Section 2.This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.