Florida's Chief Financial Officer wants the Legislature to crack down on property insurance fraud in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Under state law, public adjuster fees are limited to 20%, but when the governor declares a state of emergency for a natural disaster, like Ian, the fees are limited to 10% of the insurance claim payment.
Patronis also wants to eliminate the practice of “AOB” entirely, saying “bad actors use tools like AOBs to take advantage of Florida consumers in their most vulnerable moments, preying on our citizens for too long.” “Assignment of benefits,” or “AOB” has been a contentious issue for years in the Legislature. It is a practice in which homeowners sign over insurance claims to contractors, who then seek payments directly from insurance companies, often spawning a flood of lawsuits about claims and payments. Insurance companies blame the high cost of property insurance in Florida on abusive AOB practices. Patronis said his office has two “Anti-Fraud Homeowner Squads” following up on thousands of leads and tips on fraud since Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28, pummeling the state with a crushing storm surge, obliterating wind speeds and torrential rainfall, leaving a swath of devastation from the southwestern coast across the I-4 corridor. “In the wake of Hurricane Ian, we need to build on the efforts from the recent special [legislative] session and continue to reduce frivolous litigation, stop predatory public adjusters and tackle AOB abuse once and for all,” he said.In aby Patronis’ office, incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo didn’t specifically endorse the legislative ideas but commended the CFO for “working hard to fight fraud and protect consumers.” Other Republican legislators, including House Majority Leader Michal Grant and state Sen. Joe Gruters, who is chair of the Republican Party of Florida, said they would support legislation to curb property insurance fraud. USA Today Network-Florida government accountability reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. Twitter: @DouglasSoule
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Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis wants Legislature to rein in property insurance fraud following IanFlorida's CFO wants a crackdown on “predatory” public adjusters, “Assignment of Benefits” abuse, tp to curb property insurance fraud.
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