ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The property insurance debate at the Capitol of Florida is affecting a vast amount of people in the state.
Florida lawmakers met in Tallahassee Monday to address the ongoing property insurance crisis during a special session.
News4JAX spoke to St. Johns County homeowners who said property insurance has become a nightmare.
As insurance rates continue to spike, some residents are looking for ways to cut back.
Glen Clermont said he’s installing a new roof on his home to keep insurance costs down.
“It’s frustrating that it keeps going up. Hopefully, they’re going to do something about it,” Clermont said.
Other residents, like Jessica Bradley, are dealing with issues much worse than higher rates. Bradley is a mother of two children who lived in a condo until Hurricane Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole ripped through the area and made her condo unlivable -- a situation she called a “nightmare.”
“It’s just awful,” Bradley said. “We’ve been to three different rentals, bouncing around. We’ve had to move two times now, and we have our current rental until Dec. 23,” Bradley said.
It’s been months since Bradley was displaced from her condo, and she’s still waiting on her insurance company, Frontline, to pay.
“I’m getting the runaround. My biggest problem with them right now is I’m covered for loss of use. It’s in my policy, and I haven’t received any check as far as an advance. I’m a single mother of two children depending solely on me. [The insurance company] has not helped me in any way,” Bradley said.
Bradley is just one person that the new legislation could help as it’s designed to make insurance companies process claims quicker.
News4JAX reached out to Frontline and is waiting to hear back from the company.