Manufactured Home Advocates Back Bean, Hooper Insurance Bill

Backers of manufactured homes are behind a bill filed in both chambers -- Senate Bill 378 by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, and House Bill 573, by Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater -- that would require coverage from Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Mobile and manufactured home owners should be spared the injustice of disparate assessment on the value of their homes, stated James Ayotte, executive director of the Florida Manufactured Housing Association, in a release supporting the bill along with the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida.

The legislation would require Citizens to provide its policyholders with adequate coverage for mobile homes and their related structures, including screened or glass enclosures, carports, patios, awnings, decks and storage room areas.

The purpose of this bill is to do right by Floridas mobile or manufactured home owners by allowing those insured by Citizens to be covered for the full market value of their homes, Bean stated in a release. By passing this important fix, we would revert Citizens action to exclude coverage for these structures that ultimately should be accounted for in the calculation for the homes actual value for replacement in the event of a loss. If this fix is not made soon, we would allow for this exclusion in coverage to continue to negatively impact the sale and resale of a home, and primarily the ability for a potential buyer to obtain the financing needed to make a purchase.