United Policyholders has sent a letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis calling on him to oppose the current pending legislation founds in SB 76 and HB 305. Here is part of the letter written by Amy Bach to Governor DeSantis:
We concede that there are challenges for insurers, property owners and public officials in the property insurance sales and claims arenas in Florida, but SB76 and companion HB305 will aggravate – not solve them. If these bills are enacted, your legacy as Governor will include blessing and codifying confusing math and reduced coverage for roof repairs via charts buried in policy fine print, and making it harder for people to get professional help when an insurer is not living up to its end of the bargain.
These bills go in the opposite direction of what’s needed. What’s needed is that we preserve the essential value of property insurance as a source of repair funds for people who take personal responsibility by paying premiums to protect their assets. Other states look to Florida as a leader in promoting resiliency while balancing the interests of insurers, property owners, and the real estate and construction. We urge you to oppose SB76 and HB305.
For those not familiar with United Policyholders, this is a small part of what they do, as stated on their website:
UP was co-founded in 1991 by Amy Bach, a consumer advocate and attorney, and Ina Delong, a 22 year insurance professional. The spark for UP was an urban area wildfire that destroyed 3,000 homes in Northern California. In the aftermath of the disaster, the residents struggled with serious and unexpected gaps in their insurance coverage and a claim process that was often adversarial. UP was formed to help level the playing field between insurers and insureds. Donations, foundation grants and volunteer labor support the organization’s work. Our 200+ strong volunteer corps includes disaster survivors, lawyers, insurance professionals, financial planners, CPAs, construction experts, patient advocates and retired judges. No insurance companies underwrite or fund our programs.
Our work is divided into three programs:
Roadmap to Recovery™ provides tools and resources for solving insurance problems after an accident, loss, illness or other adverse event.
Roadmap to Preparedness promotes disaster preparedness and insurance literacy through outreach and education in partnership with civic, faith based, business and other non-profit associations.
Advocacy and Action advances pro-consumer laws and public policy related to insurance matters.
UP speaks for a diverse range of policyholders from low income drivers to flood victims to international energy companies to domestic manufacturers. We have filed more than 400 “friend of the court” briefs in state and federal cases and in U.S. Supreme Court matters. We host a dynamic library of publications, sample documents, links and reports.
Elected officials, academics and journalists throughout the U.S. routinely seek United Policyholders’ input. Since 2009, UP has been selected to be an official consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Hopefully, others will also write the Governor and Florida’s elected leaders opposing this historic bill harming policyholders.
Thought For The Day
We need elected officials who overcome partisan politics to really help people.
—Ed O’Neill
