SESSION WATCH
Died SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. SB 1716

Dispute Resolutions Involving Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
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SPONSOR
Martin
FILED BY
Jonathan Martin — District 33, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
Upon becoming a law
DIED IN
Banking and Insurance

Filed under Insurance.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Dispute Resolutions Involving Citizens Property Insurance Corporation; Deleting provisions relating to the authorization of dispute resolution of claim determinations in proceedings before the Division of Administrative Hearings, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Repeals Citizens' authority to send claim disputes to administrative hearings.

The corporation loses its authority to adopt policy forms that route disputes over a claim's coverage, scope, or value to a proceeding before the Division of Administrative Hearings.

Losing that authority also erases the special rules that went with it: fee-shifting exposure under sections 57.105 and 768.79, modified offer-of-judgment timing, and a ban on the office approving a maximum attorney-fee rate.

The corporation's separate authority to contract with the Division to run these proceedings is also repealed, a provision that was otherwise set to expire on its own on July 1, 2026.

Because this act takes effect as soon as it becomes law, it could end that contracting authority earlier than the existing July 1, 2026 expiration date would have.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Repeals authority to send disputes to administrative hearings majors. 627.351

AIThe corporation may no longer adopt policy forms that route disputes over a claim's coverage, or its scope and value, to a proceeding before the Division of Administrative Hearings; the entire paragraph authorizing that option is deleted.

“the corporation may adopt policy forms that provide for the resolution of disputes regarding its claim determinations” bill text, line 16 →
§ 2 Fee-shifting framework tied to that option disappears moderates. 627.351

AIWith the option itself gone, so is the rule that subjected those proceedings to the fee-shifting and sanctions statutes as if filed in court, the modified offer-of-judgment timing, and the ban on the office approving a maximum hourly attorney-fee rate.

“are subject to ss. 57.105 and 768.79 as if filed in the courts of this state and are not considered chapter 120 administrative proceedings” bill text, line 23 →
§ 3 Corporation's DOAH contracting authority repealed technicals. 627.351

AIThe corporation's separate authority to contract with the Division of Administrative Hearings to conduct these proceedings is deleted outright, rather than left to expire on its own scheduled date.

“The corporation may contract with the division to conduct proceedings to resolve disputes regarding its claim determinations” bill text, line 36 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Banking and Insurance
1/22/2026
Introduced
1/16/2026
Referred to Banking and Insurance; Appropriations Committee on...
1/9/2026
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 627.351
+0 / −243