Florida Senate - 2012                                    SB 1814
       
       
       
       By Senator Smith
       
       
       
       
       29-01265-12                                           20121814__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to a uniform home grading scale;
    3         repealing s. 215.55865, F.S., relating to the required
    4         adoption by the Financial Services Commission of a
    5         uniform home grading scale to grade the ability of a
    6         home to withstand the wind load from certain tropical
    7         storms or hurricanes; amending s. 215.5586, F.S., to
    8         conform; providing an effective date.
    9  
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Section 215.55865, Florida Statutes, is
   13  repealed.
   14         Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
   15  215.5586, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         215.5586 My Safe Florida Home Program.—There is established
   17  within the Department of Financial Services the My Safe Florida
   18  Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal
   19  accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership
   20  for the program, consistent with this section. This section does
   21  not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the
   22  state in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of
   23  residential property in this state. Implementation of this
   24  program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. It is
   25  the intent of the Legislature that the My Safe Florida Home
   26  Program provide trained and certified inspectors to perform
   27  inspections for owners of site-built, single-family, residential
   28  properties and grants to eligible applicants as funding allows.
   29  The program shall develop and implement a comprehensive and
   30  coordinated approach for hurricane damage mitigation that may
   31  include the following:
   32         (1) HURRICANE MITIGATION INSPECTIONS.—
   33         (a) Certified inspectors to provide home-retrofit
   34  inspections of site-built, single-family, residential property
   35  may be offered to determine what mitigation measures are needed,
   36  what insurance premium discounts may be available, and what
   37  improvements to existing residential properties are needed to
   38  reduce the property’s vulnerability to hurricane damage. The
   39  Department of Financial Services shall contract with wind
   40  certification entities to provide hurricane mitigation
   41  inspections. The inspections provided to homeowners, at a
   42  minimum, must include:
   43         1. A home inspection and report that summarizes the results
   44  and identifies recommended improvements a homeowner may take to
   45  mitigate hurricane damage.
   46         2. A range of cost estimates regarding the recommended
   47  mitigation improvements.
   48         3. Insurer-specific information regarding premium discounts
   49  correlated to the current mitigation features and the
   50  recommended mitigation improvements identified by the
   51  inspection.
   52         4. A hurricane resistance rating scale specifying the
   53  home’s current as well as projected wind resistance
   54  capabilities. As soon as practical, the rating scale must be the
   55  uniform home grading scale adopted by the Financial Services
   56  Commission pursuant to s. 215.55865.
   57         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.