Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a pair of bills Wednesday that will annually provide tens of millions of dollars to help combat the effects of rising sea levels across the state.
The bills, which include creation of a Resilient Florida Grant Program in the Department of Environmental Protection to aid local communities, came only a few years after Republican lawmakers began to openly acknowledge the impacts of climate change.
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Rate increases granted ranged from 12 percent to 31 percent.
“The Florida insurance market is one of the most complex in the world, and the property market is currently facing significant challenges as the frequency of claims increases and those claims become more expensive,” Bakofsky said.
He said the challenges are mostly because of increased litigation, exacerbated by higher catastrophe claim losses as a result of multiple hurricanes over the past several years, and rising reinsurance costs as a result of a hardening reinsurance market.
“These developments have presented challenges not only to the property industry, but also to Florida consumers,” he said.
DeSantis fields calls for vetoes: Which ones are loudest?
Last year, DeSantis vetoed five bills and slashed $1 billion from the budget as he braced against economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Florida awaits his first veto this year.
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Ron DeSantis holds a news conference at the Polk County Sheriff s Office, on Monday, April 19, 2021.
By Jim Turner
Updated Earlier today
TALLAHASSEE â Veto season, or at least the annual rite of asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to reject bills, has arrived after the 2021 legislative session.
Groups and individuals are sending emails to the governorâs office urging DeSantis to veto or sign bills, regardless of whether the measures were overwhelmingly backed by the Legislature or eked through.