Fla. Gov. Signs Hurricane Insurance Bills
By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jun 1, 8:41 PM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush, who said he recently looked at his homeowners policy and didn't understand it, signed a bill Wednesday that requires insurers to explain their coverage in plain English.
Bush, who lives in the governor's mansion but still has a house in Miami, complained that the wording on his homeowner's policy was barely comprehensible. "That isn't English," he said.
Bush kicked off the formal start of hurricane season by signing several storm-related bills. One requires that insurers clearly explain what damage is covered by hurricane policies. Another makes it easier for utilities to borrow money to cover losses from storm damage.
Bush previously signed a bill creating a 12-day sales tax holiday on hurricane supplies such as generators, batteries and flashlights.
The legislation is aimed at encouraging Floridians to prepare earlier and more carefully for hurricanes, which usually form later in the summer. Florida was pummeled by four major hurricanes last season.
"Now we're all a little more sensitized to hurricanes and hurricane seasons," Bush said before signing the bills.
The insurance bill requires that companies clearly state the deductible amount, lets people choose their deductible percentage, prohibits insurers from dropping customers for at least 90 days after a storm, and requires that the claims process begin within 14 days after the insurer is notified.
The bill also makes it easier for insurance companies to tap into the state's backup fund to pay claims if they're hit with a third storm in the same season. And it reverses a recent court decision that said insurers had to pay the full policy amount to repair a house, even if some of the damage was caused by something such as wind that was not covered in the policy.
Sam Miller, a spokesman for the Florida Insurance Council, said some of the reforms might take a few months to implement, but an industry Web site is available to give consumers more information about their policies.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in May predicted seven to nine storms would become hurricanes.
Fla. Gov. Signs Hurricane Insurance Bills
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May 15, 2005
Here's Another Name For The Big, Bad Wind
STEVE OTTO
You can tell it's getting close to the start of the hurricane season.
Usually nobody pays that much attention, since hurricanes generally don't get cranked up and headed our way until later in the summer.
They send out those hurricane survival guides, and we stick them into some drawer, often underneath the pizza coupons, and forget about them. Nobody goes out and buys batteries or extra water until the TV guy says the hurricane is about two blocks away.
That's about the time the entire neighborhood charges over to Home Depot and asks the clerk if he happens to have an extra 30 sheets of plywood and a generator.
All of that has changed since last year's pounding. With thousands of homes still wearing blue plastic tarps and people still not moved back into flattened homes, everyone is paying attention.
Apparently nobody is more interested in the impending season than the insurance companies, which are already laying the groundwork for just how much protection they are going to give you.
Most of you probably didn't realize until you moved here that if a hurricane flooded your house, nobody was going to pay unless you had the added flood insurance.
Big Blow
Maybe you thought there was wind, and if it was strong enough, it blew your windows out. But it turns out there is wind damage - and then there is WIND damage.
Our insurance company sent us an urgent message this week, advising us that the Florida Legislature has passed a bill establishing an annual hurricane deductible.
That sounded like a reasonable enough idea - I mean, paying a deductible every time a storm roared in was not a good thing - until I made the mistake of trying to figure out just what they planned on covering.
Apparently, what gets covered depends on what hit you, and figuring out what hit might be a little dicey.
The insurance company pointed out it would only pay for hurricane losses, minus the deductible, if indeed it was a hurricane that blew my house down.
Of course, if it happened to be a windstorm and not a hurricane that destroyed your house, then that counts as a different deductible.
More Wind
I think my favorite paragraph read: ``If there was a windstorm loss for a prior windstorm or windstorms during the calendar year, we may apply a deductible to the subsequent windstorm that is (a.) greater of the remaining amount of the hurricane deductible or (b.) the amount of the deductible that applies to all other perils.''
The next paragraph is equally obscure, but you see what I mean. We're not just talking big wind here, but plenty of hot air.
It was signed by our local agent, Heidi Ducktable.
Also, if your house happens to get blown down by a tornado resulting from a hurricane, then the insurance company says it will put you into the windstorm victim category.
Of course, it is only a hurricane if it has been declared to be one by the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service, or if Channel 8 weather guy Steve Jerve puts on a Mae West jacket while telling you which direction his computer gizmos say it is headed.
Otherwise, if your house blows down and they say it wasn't a hurricane or a windstorm, you are going to have to convince the adjuster that it was the Big Bad Wolf.
This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/colum ... RLQ8E.html
Here's Another Name For The Big, Bad Wind
STEVE OTTO
You can tell it's getting close to the start of the hurricane season.
Usually nobody pays that much attention, since hurricanes generally don't get cranked up and headed our way until later in the summer.
They send out those hurricane survival guides, and we stick them into some drawer, often underneath the pizza coupons, and forget about them. Nobody goes out and buys batteries or extra water until the TV guy says the hurricane is about two blocks away.
That's about the time the entire neighborhood charges over to Home Depot and asks the clerk if he happens to have an extra 30 sheets of plywood and a generator.
All of that has changed since last year's pounding. With thousands of homes still wearing blue plastic tarps and people still not moved back into flattened homes, everyone is paying attention.
Apparently nobody is more interested in the impending season than the insurance companies, which are already laying the groundwork for just how much protection they are going to give you.
Most of you probably didn't realize until you moved here that if a hurricane flooded your house, nobody was going to pay unless you had the added flood insurance.
Big Blow
Maybe you thought there was wind, and if it was strong enough, it blew your windows out. But it turns out there is wind damage - and then there is WIND damage.
Our insurance company sent us an urgent message this week, advising us that the Florida Legislature has passed a bill establishing an annual hurricane deductible.
That sounded like a reasonable enough idea - I mean, paying a deductible every time a storm roared in was not a good thing - until I made the mistake of trying to figure out just what they planned on covering.
Apparently, what gets covered depends on what hit you, and figuring out what hit might be a little dicey.
The insurance company pointed out it would only pay for hurricane losses, minus the deductible, if indeed it was a hurricane that blew my house down.
Of course, if it happened to be a windstorm and not a hurricane that destroyed your house, then that counts as a different deductible.
More Wind
I think my favorite paragraph read: ``If there was a windstorm loss for a prior windstorm or windstorms during the calendar year, we may apply a deductible to the subsequent windstorm that is (a.) greater of the remaining amount of the hurricane deductible or (b.) the amount of the deductible that applies to all other perils.''
The next paragraph is equally obscure, but you see what I mean. We're not just talking big wind here, but plenty of hot air.
It was signed by our local agent, Heidi Ducktable.
Also, if your house happens to get blown down by a tornado resulting from a hurricane, then the insurance company says it will put you into the windstorm victim category.
Of course, it is only a hurricane if it has been declared to be one by the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service, or if Channel 8 weather guy Steve Jerve puts on a Mae West jacket while telling you which direction his computer gizmos say it is headed.
Otherwise, if your house blows down and they say it wasn't a hurricane or a windstorm, you are going to have to convince the adjuster that it was the Big Bad Wolf.
This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/colum ... RLQ8E.html
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ok - so a hurricane is coming to my house and the roof is blown off as it advances - guess that isn't covered by hurricane coverage, right? only if what part of the wind field of the hurricane is here will hurricane coverage kick in? what if a tornado within the eywall of the hurricane takes off my roof or blows down my house? hurricane or wind coverage? and if the eyewall floods my house becuase the roof blew off then i better have flood ins. if any of that water was blown in and breeches the foundation, right? so tell me what does hurricane ins. actually cover or does it cover anything really? this is getting so convolutedly ridiculous! sounds like the ins. co.'s have us over a barrel. seems everything is in their court and our court is simply empty!
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jlauderdal
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Re: Fla. Gov. Signs Hurricane Insurance Bills
tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Fla. Gov. Signs Hurricane Insurance Bills
By DAVID ROYSE, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jun 1, 8:41 PM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush, who said he recently looked at his homeowners policy and didn't understand it, signed a bill Wednesday that requires insurers to explain their coverage in plain English.
Bush, who lives in the governor's mansion but still has a house in Miami, complained that the wording on his homeowner's policy was barely comprehensible. "That isn't English," he said.
Bush kicked off the formal start of hurricane season by signing several storm-related bills. One requires that insurers clearly explain what damage is covered by hurricane policies. Another makes it easier for utilities to borrow money to cover losses from storm damage.
Bush previously signed a bill creating a 12-day sales tax holiday on hurricane supplies such as generators, batteries and flashlights.
The legislation is aimed at encouraging Floridians to prepare earlier and more carefully for hurricanes, which usually form later in the summer. Florida was pummeled by four major hurricanes last season.
"Now we're all a little more sensitized to hurricanes and hurricane seasons," Bush said before signing the bills.
The insurance bill requires that companies clearly state the deductible amount, lets people choose their deductible percentage, prohibits insurers from dropping customers for at least 90 days after a storm, and requires that the claims process begin within 14 days after the insurer is notified.
The bill also makes it easier for insurance companies to tap into the state's backup fund to pay claims if they're hit with a third storm in the same season. And it reverses a recent court decision that said insurers had to pay the full policy amount to repair a house, even if some of the damage was caused by something such as wind that was not covered in the policy.
Sam Miller, a spokesman for the Florida Insurance Council, said some of the reforms might take a few months to implement, but an industry Web site is available to give consumers more information about their policies.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in May predicted seven to nine storms would become hurricanes.
can imagine GW Bush getting a florida insurance bill considering how he handles the english language..yikes. I suggest after the new format is agreed upon that they send a sample to GW to test out the effectiveness of the new law.
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