Florida Lawmakers Address Insurance Crisis
Florida lawmakers will convene in a special legislative session in January to address the state’s property insurance crisis. A law was passed in May 2006 that included a provision mandating additional rate hikes for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. customers in March 2007. Homeowners and businesses now face double-digit premium rate increases unless lawmakers repeal the provision. The legislature plans to work out a new law based on recommendations from the governor’s Casualty Insurance Reform Committee.
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DIF Law Helps Reduce Builder Costs
The Florida Impact Fee Act is new legislation that imposes requirements for local governments that want to enforce or change development impact fees (DIF). DIF may be charged by local government to pay for the cost of additional public services, such as water and sewer systems, roads, schools, libraries, and parks and recreation

facilities, madenecessary by the presence of new residents in the area. Under the Act, builders/developers can demand a review of how current impact fees are used and calculated. The law, which became effective in June 2006, is expected to result in significant reduction in DIF for builders/developers and reduce their project costs.
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Eminent Domain Measures Passed
In 2006, the Florida Legislature passed measures dealing with eminent domain and regulatory takings which declared that the public benefits of economic development, including increased tax revenues and employment, do not constitute a “public use.” HJR 1569, which passed with 69 percent of the vote, requires a three-fifths majority in both legislative houses to grant exceptions to a state constitutional prohibition on eminent domain for private use. The law took effect January 2, 2007.
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