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Lawmakers preview coming session

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Published  December 31, 2024 5:51pm EST
Politics
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Florida lawmakers preview the upcoming legislative session that is set to begin in March.
    • The cost of home insurance is expected to be a priority of lawmakers.
    • Floridians already pay more than four times the national average, and that's before the 2024 storms are factored in.

TAMPA, Fla. - From the cost of insurance to the cost of living, lawmakers are expecting to focus on economic issues during the March legislative session. 

There is one category Florida would not lead the country in, and that is the cost of home insurance.              

Floridas capital building.

Floridas capital building.

Floridians already pay more than four times the national average, and that's before the 2024 storms are factored in.

READ: New Florida laws take effect Jan. 1: Here’s what to know

Fox 13 News spoke to members of the legislature from each side of the aisle.               

They both agree that homeowners' costs are too high.               

Republican State Rep. Danny Alvarez of Riverview says there are no specific proposals just yet but also says legislators have been traveling the state and listening to constituents' concerns, which is at the top of the mind. 

"(The costs are) getting to be preposterous, to be completely honest with you," Alvarez said. "And everybody recognizes that we don't live in silos. We are citizen legislators. And so everywhere I go, these are the kinds of things that we hear about. Well, while we haven't heard anything specifically that we're going to do."

Alvarez said, "I could foresee issues like that being what we're going to be talking about, especially because I'm not the only one echoing that sentiment." 

Orlando Democratic State Rep. Anna Eskamani hopes a bipartisan bill that would create a public wind insurance plan will be brought back to the table, along with additional consumer protections.               

Florida's capital building.

Florida's capital building.

With the state being hit by four major hurricanes over the last four years, insurance has increased by more than half. 

READ: ATF agent shot outside bowling alley may be permanently paralyzed, court documents show

"There's a lot of work to be done when it comes to addressing housing and just daily affordability for our families," said Eskamani. "And I feel very confident there'll be bipartisan support for at least that issue. Well, the solutions be the same is going to be the debate." 

Alvarez also says there will be a fight to save the citrus industry in the state, which has been a core of Florida's economy for a century.               

There has been talk of low or no-interest loans for orange growers to return to their feet after bouts of citrus greening.               

There is also talk of changing representation on county commissions and requiring each member to represent a district instead of the entire county.               

Eskamani says attempts will also be made to help longtime owners of condos stay in their homes while new safety guidelines are met.               

She will also push a bill to help small businesses make ends meet while public construction projects cause disruptions for them.

The regular session begins in March.

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