Fair Insurance Rates of Monroe updates county on advocacy, mitigation and outreach
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Summary
FIRM presented a fiscal-year report on work to compare insurance rates, support homeowners on flood and wind issues, and pursue policy changes for Citizens Property Insurance and flood insurance rules. The group said its work has produced significant premium savings and listed legislative and technical priorities.
Fair Insurance Rates of Monroe (FIRM) presented an annual update to the board on Wednesday, summarizing consumer advocacy, mitigation outreach and legislative efforts to address high property-insurance costs in the Keys.
FIRM’s president, Mel Montagney, said the organization compares local windstorm and flood premiums to other hurricane-prone Florida counties, consults NOAA and the National Weather Service on scientific justification for rate differences, analyzes premiums versus claims data, and supports residents through appeals and grant-application assistance. Montagney told commissioners FIRM’s efforts have produced hundreds of millions in aggregate premium savings for local policyholders through prior advocacy and rate challenges.
Topics and priorities outlined Montagney and his presentation touched on several areas: ongoing appeals of FEMA flood maps (FIRM said it submitted appeals years ago and has not yet received a final decision), advocacy with state regulators and Citizens Property Insurance, efforts to secure a representative from Monroe County on the Citizens board (a county representative was recently appointed), and a proposal to pursue a Citizens “Habitat” rating category to provide rate relief for some homes.
Legislative and program work FIRM described recent work revisiting federal and state flood-insurance rules, supporting condo mortgage/repair options in the Legislature, and planning an outreach forum with the Citizens CEO. Montagney said the group won changes in prior sessions, helped with disaster relief reforms and hosts local mitigation-education activities, including a published Monroe County property-insurance user’s guide and a new website (firmkeys.org).
Board takeaway Commissioners thanked FIRM for the update and encouraged continued engagement with Citizens and state officials. FIRM said it plans additional educational forums, technical work on mitigation credit forms tailored to Monroe County, and continued appeals of flood maps and other technical pleadings on behalf of county residents.
