Florida panel advances DFS agency package with technical fixes for My Safe Florida Home and unclaimed property
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Summary
The State Administration Budget Subcommittee reported HB1221 favorably after passing two amendments that revise unclaimed property retention, rename a program, and align statutes with the state’s new PALM accounting system. Sponsors said the bill clarifies My Safe Florida Home application and inspection timelines.
The State Administration Budget Subcommittee on Thursday voted to report House Bill 1221, the Department of Financial Services agency package, favorably after adopting two amendments that its sponsor said modernize program administration and clarify consumer protections.
Representative LaMarca, the bill sponsor, told the committee the package “streamlines the administration and implementation of the My Safe Florida Home program,” updates unclaimed‑property provisions and renames that portion to an “abandoned property program.” LaMarca said the bill clarifies eligible homes, permits homeowners to submit a subsequent initial inspection application if the original inspection is older than 24 months and the homeowner has not received a grant, and reiterates an 18‑month timetable to finish work and apply for a final inspection after grant approval.
The committee adopted amendment barcode 137601, which Representative LaMarca described as a revenue estimating conference amendment that removes a requirement for DFS to retain an amount projected by the Revenue Estimating Conference for prompt payment of claims and administrative costs and instead restores the existing $15,000,000 cap DFS may retain for programs. The panel then approved amendment barcode 340435, a technical and conforming change to remove references to the legacy FLARE accounting system and align statutes to the state’s new PALM (Planning, Accounting, and Ledger Management) system, which DFS plans to bring online in early 2027.
During public testimony, Hannah Christensen from the CFO’s office and Michael O’Brien of the Firefighters of Palm Beach signaled support for the amended bill.
The clerk conducted a roll call and members recorded affirmative responses; the committee recorded HB1221 as reported favorably and advanced the bill to the next stage.
The bill’s sponsor said additional refinements remain possible as the package moves through the process. No formal opposing testimony was recorded in the committee transcript.