News

By Dan Moffett

    Briny Breezes and other mobile home communities that complained for months about their insurance problems appear finally to have gotten through to Tallahassee.
    Citizens Property Insurance has announced that it will begin accepting alternative valuation methods from policyholders in an effort to allow mobile and manufactured home owners to get more coverage.
    “Somebody’s listening,” said Briny Alderman Bobby Jurovaty. “This could be a big help to us.”
    In October, Jurovaty and dozens of his neighbors turned out for an insurance workshop at Briny Breezes that state Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, organized and top Citizens officials attended. Brinyites complained that their policies covered only a small fraction of the replacement cost of their homes.
    In 2010, the legislature changed the rules for coverage of mobile homes. For those built before 1994, Citizens is required only to pay the actual cash value of the loss, leaving many homeowners vulnerable to large out-of-pocket expenses.
    But under the new valuation tools, Citizens will accept MSB and e2Value cost estimators along with the standard 360Value estimator. Simply put, the changes, which can be applied immediately, will help close the gap between windstorm coverage and replacement values for many.
    “It’s critical that Citizens policyholders receive the best coverage to meet their needs at the most affordable rate,” said Freddie Schinz, chairman of Citizens’ Consumer Services Committee. “These additional valuation tools will allow Citizens customers to make sure they are getting the appropriate coverage for their homes and provide them with a simple outline to walk them through the valuation process.”
    Mobile home owners should talk to their agents to ensure that improvements or upgrades to properties are captured by the coverage valuations. The changes also may enable some homeowners to buy liability coverage that until now wasn’t feasible.
For year-round Briny Breezes residents who are living on Social Security or pensions, the new valuation formulas could be especially beneficial.
    “This is important because it will allow us to increase the valuation of our property,” said Paul Stewart, a Briny Breezes board member. “But the problem is the timing. Everybody is heading back up north right now, so I’m going to get a hold of people and let them know.”
    Stewart, who helped organize the October workshop, says he wants to schedule another one to get the word out on the changes at Citizens.  
    “I give credit to Sen. Sachs,” he said. “She was willing to step up to the plate when nobody else was.”
    Citizens has begun sending out hundreds of thousands of postcards to mobile home owners around the state, advising them to call their agents and explore the changes. The cards also will remind owners that they can insure their homes for 25 percent more than their estimated value.
    “We want customers to have the right amount of coverage for their homes,” said Christine Ashburn, Citizens vice president of communications, who came to Briny Breezes in October. “We urge customers to connect with their agents, who are in the best position to determine what’s right for their customers.”