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FloridaSB 10282026SenateWALLET

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

Sponsored By: Joe Gruters (Republican)

Signed by Governor

AppropriationBanking and InsuranceAppropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General GovernmentFiscal PolicyHouse Calendar

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

11 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 3 costs, 6 mixed.

Private offers can block Citizens home coverage

Citizens must send new personal insurance applications and renewals through its clearinghouse before providing coverage. A comparable authorized-insurer offer at or below the statutory price threshold makes the applicant or renewing policyholder ineligible. The threshold depends on whether the home is a primary residence and whether coverage is new or renewing. Above the threshold, the person keeps the choice between private coverage and Citizens. The usual statutory exceptions do not apply to program offers. Citizens may require a two-business-day selection period for new personal residential applications.

Commercial applicants can receive unmatched coverage offers

Approved surplus-lines insurers can use the clearinghouse to offer commercial coverage that does not match Citizens' coverage. They must clearly label the offer as noncomparable. These offers sit outside the program and are exempt from the cited statutory restriction on program offers. They do not count as comparable offers that trigger the program's Citizens eligibility limits.

Insurance agents gain minimum commission protections

Producing agents must receive at least Citizens' effective commission percentage in effect on January 1, 2026, calculated the same way. The calculation excludes fees, assessments, surcharges, and taxes; agents may voluntarily accept less. Authorized insurers must pay the greater of Citizens' commission or their usual commission for that insurance line. Approved surplus-lines insurers must pay total commissions or equivalent compensation to the surplus-lines agent placing the risk. That compensation is based on gross written premium excluding fees, surcharges, and taxes, with producing-agent compensation protected.

Commercial coverage can cost 15% more

Comparable approved surplus-lines offers block new or continued Citizens commercial coverage when total cost is no more than 15% higher. This applies to both commercial residential and nonresidential risks, subject to the required surplus-lines notice. Total cost includes annual premium and all mandatory fees, taxes, assessments, surcharges, and other charges for the full policy period. Above 15%, applicants and policyholders keep the choice between the private offer and Citizens; the authorized-insurer residential thresholds do not apply. Citizens cannot apply discretionary rate adjustments to risks submitted to the surplus-lines clearinghouse.

Private offers limit Citizens commercial coverage

A comparable authorized-insurer offer blocks Citizens coverage for new and renewing commercial nonresidential risks. For commercial residential risks, comparable offers block new or renewal coverage when they meet the applicable statutory price threshold. Above that threshold, applicants and policyholders keep the choice between the private offer and Citizens. Citizens must determine the residential threshold before sending coverage terms, deductibles, and its fixed indicated total cost to the administrator.

Policyholders get different Citizens nonrenewal notices

Citizens must give 45 days' notice when an authorized insurer's program offer causes nonrenewal. For a disqualifying approved surplus-lines offer, the ordinary statutory nonrenewal notice does not apply. Instead, the clearinghouse administrator must notify the first-named insured in writing within five days after the offer. The notice must explain the reason. Without it, the surplus-lines offer does not make the risk ineligible for Citizens.

Insurance data sharing gains privacy limits

Citizens must share risk and policy information with the surplus-lines administrator to operate the clearinghouse and support risk reviews. For other uses, data must be grouped and stripped of identifying details, except for specific-risk submissions. Insurer-owned or controlled business information qualifies for confidentiality only when private, not otherwise readily available, and covered by the statutory definition. Qualifying information is exempt from public-records disclosure. Disclosure remains allowed with prior written insurer consent, a court order, or a legally authorized government agency's written confidentiality agreement.

Insurers face ratings and state oversight

Eligible surplus-lines insurers need an A- or higher A.M. Best strength rating and an A-VII or higher size category. They also need an administrator recommendation and state verification of program standards; verification is automatic after 30 business days without completion. Florida's insurance office must approve the program within three months after the law's effective date and annually afterward, unless it waives annual review. Review covers standards, procedures, contracts, coverage comparisons, eligibility checks, and data safeguards; changes require written approval. Citizens and commercial administrators must prevent unlawful rebates or inducements, and administrators may collect and remit applicable taxes and service fees.

Commercial applicants face private insurance screening

By January 1, 2027, Citizens must implement separate commercial clearinghouses for authorized insurers and approved surplus-lines insurers. New commercial applications and renewals go to authorized insurers first. Without a qualifying comparable offer within five days, the risk may move to surplus-lines screening before Citizens offers coverage. New commercial applications have an initial five-business-day selection period, and temporary coverage binders last 30–60 days. Changes to terms, deductibles, rating classifications, total cost, or rating factors restart the review period. Submitting an application does not start coverage, and no offer does not mean acceptance.

Insurance agents keep records, face agreement rules

Agents need no insurer appointment for policies written solely through the program, but required agency or servicing agreements still apply. Participating insurers can act through designated managing agents, underwriters, brokers, or surplus-lines agents. Surplus-lines agents with participating-insurer agreements must also contract with each producing agent whose customer gets program coverage. Independent agents own and exclusively control related renewal records and application information while customers stay with their agency, unless rights are sold or surrendered in writing. Contracts cannot limit those rights, and exclusive agents receive parallel ownership protections. Exclusive agents need their insurer's approval of limited servicing agreements; approval is required where it already approved service agreements for other purposes.

Insurers choose participation; Citizens faces funding limits

Insurer participation is voluntary; authorized insurers can join the personal or authorized commercial clearinghouses, while approved surplus-lines insurers join only theirs. Authorized-insurance participants and their agents owe no clearinghouse cost-offset fee. Citizens keeps commercial clearinghouse operations and funding separate and cannot pay for surplus-lines infrastructure or operations. It must pay for its own connecting systems, but commercial clearinghouse duties pause while commercial support is insufficient. Administrators must be selected within 90 days after the law's effective date. The program operates within Citizens with general-agent and surplus-lines-agent powers, without needing an agency license; participants control their own technology.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Joe Gruters

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Banking and Insurance

    Affiliation unavailable

  • Fiscal Policy

    Affiliation unavailable

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 160 • No: 20

House vote • 3/9/2026

House Floor Vote

Yes: 88 • No: 19

Senate vote • 3/4/2026

Senate Floor Vote

Yes: 33 • No: 1

Senate vote • 2/12/2026

Fiscal Policy Vote

Yes: 18 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/4/2026

Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Vote

Yes: 11 • No: 0

Senate vote • 1/13/2026

Banking and Insurance Vote

Yes: 10 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Chapter No. 2026-150

    6/17/2026

  2. Approved by Governor

    6/16/2026

  3. Signed by Officers and presented to Governor

    6/15/2026

  4. Ordered enrolled

    3/17/2026Senate

  5. CS passed; YEAS 88, NAYS 19

    3/9/2026House

  6. Read 3rd time

    3/9/2026House

  7. Added to Third Reading Calendar

    3/9/2026House

  8. Read 2nd time

    3/9/2026House

  9. 1st Reading (Engrossed 1)

    3/5/2026House

  10. Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/9/2026)

    3/5/2026House

  11. Bill referred to House Calendar

    3/5/2026House

  12. In Messages

    3/5/2026House

  13. CS passed as amended; YEAS 33 NAYS 1 -SJ 561

    3/4/2026Senate

  14. Read 3rd time -SJ 561

    3/4/2026Senate

  15. Amendment(s) adopted (241162) -SJ 561

    3/4/2026Senate

  16. Read 2nd time -SJ 556

    3/4/2026Senate

  17. Retained on Special Order Calendar -SJ 463

    2/26/2026Senate

  18. Retained on Special Order Calendar -SJ 437

    2/25/2026Senate

  19. Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/25/26

    2/23/2026Senate

  20. CS/CS by Fiscal Policy read 1st time

    2/18/2026Senate

  21. Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

    2/16/2026Senate

  22. Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

    2/16/2026Senate

  23. CS/CS by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 18 NAYS 0

    2/12/2026Senate

  24. On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/12/26, 9:00 am, 110 Senate Building

    2/9/2026Senate

  25. Now in Fiscal Policy

    2/5/2026Senate

Bill Text

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