State Sen. Maria Sachs
September is the height of hurricane season and as much as we don’t want to admit it—we’re vulnerable.
Not only does the threat of severe weather impact us from a health and safety standpoint, but it also affects our homes and businesses as well.
With that in mind, State Sen. Maria Sachs who represents Delray Beach is hosting a series of workshops this month designed to give residents and business owners an overview of the property insurance marketplace in South Florida.
Sen. Sachs has arranged for a group of experts to visit Delray, Boca, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale to answer questions, dispense information and help citizen’s access services.
The Delray Beach workshop will be held 2 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Delray Beach Public Library, 100 West Atlantic Ave.
“The workshops are purely information,” says Sachs. “The goal is to provide as much information as possible and to answer questions that business owners and homeowners might have.”
If you can’t make the Delray workshop you can catch the event in Boca Raton, 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the new Downtown Library, 400 NW 2nd Avenue.
“The workshops are being held because it has come to the attention of the Senator that there is great public interest in this subject area,” says Joshua Freeman, chief of staff to the Senator. “The workshops are open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend whichever session is most convenient for them and they are encouraged to bring their property insurance policy with them, in order to have their specific questions answered.”
The workshops will feature several representatives from state agencies and consumer advocacy groups. The panelists will include representatives from the Office of Insurance Regulation, Department of Financial Services, Florida Association for Insurance Reform, and Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.
Each panelist will introduce themselves and describe their role and their agency’s role. After the introductions, there will be a chance for the public to ask questions of the representative they believe will best be able to help them.
Property insurance in Florida has been a hot button issue for the past decade, with dramatic increases in cost coming as a result of hurricanes in 2004-2005.
The issue has been front burner for local and statewide business groups because the high cost of insurance is viewed as a drag on business already in the state and a hindrance to attracting new business to Florida.
Residents have also complained and realtor groups have expressed concern that the costs have made home ownership costs prohibitive for many.
Local governments have also made property insurance reform a priority over the years.
Efforts to create a national disaster fund to spread risk have failed in Congress.
