HB 837, the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program, sponsored by State Rep. Matt Willhite (D-District 86), was recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program was created to act as a specialized, state-funded mitigation program aimed at minimizing damages caused by hurricanes. The program began as an active response to the devastation brought by Hurricane Andrew, specifically to the insurance market in the State of Florida.
This legislation extends the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program for another 10 years and annually appropriates $10 million from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. It revises the use of funds to include construction of public hurricane shelters in addition to retrofitting existing ones, provides local government support to improve the wind resistance of homes, and dedicates funds toward hurricane research at Florida International University. Finally, it transfers the administration of the Mobile Home Tie-Down Program, which replaces the anchoring systems for older homes, to Gulf State College.
“HB 837 is a crucial policy initiative that funds and extends Florida’s Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program,” Willhite said. “In addition to funding the HLMP for another 10 years, an additional allocation of $7 million in non-recurring funds was appropriated toward the Mobile Home Tie-Down Program to reduce the approximately 122 communities on the waitlist. With an affordable housing crisis looming over the entire state, I am proud that these funds will help inspect and improve tie-downs for the safety of our residents.”
This is the 23rd bill in Willhite’s legislative career that has been signed into law.
