What You Need to Know About Florida SB 76 as a Roofing Contractor

By OneClick Code.  

How Senate Bill 76 has evolved and what it means for your roofing practice. 

Senate Bill 76 is the latest attempt to stabilize the rising insurance premiums and insurance litigation. The Florida Statute requires every party to a lawsuit to provide notice to the court of all other lawsuits involving the same property insurance policy and for the same property. The bill has been a talking point for roofing contractors wondering exactly what the implications are for them. Keep reading to learn more about the bill and what you can expect from it in the future.  

SB 76 as it was enacted 

If you are like me and have been hearing about SB 76 but didn't understand the entirety of what it would really mean for contractors, then you must watch this video. Episode 55 from The Roofing Success Podcast does a great job of explaining the bill and ways to work around it in order to still be profitable as a roofing contractor. Jim Ahlin, interviews Winston Taitt, Sharon Freeman and Patrick Carr about the bill, how it came about and what it looked like when it was enacted. However, after this episode aired, new developments in the bill have come to the table. Keep reading to learn more.  

SB 76 today 

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law on June 11, 2021, making it effective on July 1, 2021. SB 76 creates Florida Statute § 489.147 to prohibit a contractor from encouraging a consumer with written marketing material to make an insurance claim.  

Contractors are no longer permitted to make such solicitations by way of door hangers, business cards, magnets, flyers, pamphlets and emails. Contractors will also be prohibited from: 

• Offering (either in writing or by way of in-person solicitation) the homeowner anything of value in exchange for the homeowner allowing the contractor to inspect the roof or for making an insurance claim. 

• Offering or accepting a referral fee for services for which insurance proceeds are payable. 

• Advising a homeowner regarding the terms of a property insurance policy. 

• Providing a homeowner with an agreement for services to be rendered that does not include a detailed written estimate and a notice that the contractor cannot engage in the solicitation restrictions imposed by the statute. 

SB 76 tomorrow 

The full impact of the new legislation remains to be seen, but insurance carriers should prepare now to update claims handling protocols in accordance with the new law. The intent of these statutory changes is to reduce litigation and entice insurance carriers to return to Florida. 

“Florida’s property insurance market has been in crisis for years,” Representative Bob Rommel told FlGov.com. “Besides weather events, bad actors have been targeting homeowners and insurance companies...We need to ensure that consumers have the ability to obtain affordable insurance policies from private companies and not just Citizens, which was originally set up as the insurer of last resort. SB 76 will stabilize the market and should attract new insurance carriers to Florida.” 

However, this legislation regulates contractors rather than insurers. The form that this bill is in now, will most likely see change as the years progress. 

Learn more about OneClick Code in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.oneclickcode.com.  

Original article source: OneClick Code