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Florida lawmakers to tackle rising home insurance costs in May

workers rebuilding a house
Valerie Crowder
/
WFSU Public Media
Contractors replace a roof on a Panama City resident's home almost one year after Hurricane Michael devastated the region.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially called for state lawmakers to return to Tallahassee next month to address the rising cost of homeowners’ insurance.

Lawmakers failed to pass measures to reduce property insurance costs during this year’s regular 60-day legislative session. They also didn’t address the issue last week when they met to pass the governor’s congressional map.

This year's second special lawmaking session is scheduled to begin on May 23 and could last through May 27. That's days before the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1.

In a proclamation DeSantis issued on Tuesday, he attributed the rising cost of property insurance to “thousands of frivolous lawsuits” filed against insurance companies.

He also wrote that lawmakers would consider changes to the state's building codes to reduce insurance costs.

Valerie Crowder is a freelance journalist based in Tallahassee, Fl. She's the former ATC host/government reporter for WFSU News. Her reporting on local government and politics has received state and regional award recognition. She has also contributed stories to NPR newscasts.