Roof Deductibles, School Board Salary Cuts, Condo Inspections Fail To Survive Session

Tallahassee, FL – Some of Florida’s proposed bills failed to make it through the 2022 Legislative Session as lawmakers now set their sights on finishing the budget. Here’s a look at some of the bills and measures that ended up failing in the state Capitol. Property Insurance/Roof Deductibles By Saturday (March 12), lawmakers had withdrawn SB 1728 and indefinitely postponed its reading. The bill, introduced by Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton), would have sought to impose a deductible on roofs. It would have also tried to make it easier for private companies to take policies out of Citizens Property Insurance. The bill was filed as insurance rates across the state skyrocketed in addition to the cancellation of more than 100,000 insurance policies and the bankruptcy of one insurance company; indicators lawmakers used to claim Florida’s insurance market was in dire straits. House Speaker Chris Sprowls was reluctant to accept the measure, saying there was another insurance reform he wanted to see passed before lawmakers take on another large reform. As the bill moved through the Capitol, some Florida residents were delivered a rather grim message from their insurance companies: replace your roof, or lose your coverage. School Board Salary Cuts Governor Ron DeSantis was on the war path after a number of school districts defied his executive order to ban mask mandates in schools. In response, DeSantis looked to the state’s lawmakers to dish out a punishment by preventing the 12 districts—including Volusia County—from receiving $200 million in school recognition funds. There was another amendment that would have eliminated salaries for school board members, but that measure failed to pass. Now HB 1467 instead establishes term limits for school board members and outlines procedures for the selection of library materials. Condo Law The collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside led lawmakers to draft legislation and amendments to state laws regarding condominium buildings, inspections and repairs. But after both chambers and both sides of the aisle failed to come to an agreement, the bill ended up dead in the water. The proposal sought to close a loophole that allowed condo associations to avoid putting money into reserves. It would have also required companies to inspect aging condo buildings and mandate that condo boards conduct studies to determine how much they need to save for necessary repairs. Instead, the state’s current condo laws will remain in place, meaning inspections of older buildings are not required, and condo companies do not have to set aside money for repairs. Data Privacy A bill that would have required businesses to get approval from customers before selling, sharing or transferring their data failed with opposition from the Senate.  HB 9 passed through the house with resounding support on March 2, with support from Sprowls. However, the bill ran into trouble once it made its way into the Senate. There, senators argued that the bill could affect a business’ bottom line. It would have also required annual reports from the Attorney General and changes to data retention rules. The bill was officially withdrawn from consideration on Saturday. It would have become effective January 3, 2023 if it had passed.