Office of Insurance Regulation Extends Emergency Order Period
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has amended its Hurricane Helene emergency order and adopted a new emergency order in response to Hurricane Milton. The orders extend applicable grace periods until December 10, 2024.
Hurricane Helene
OIR adopted Emergency Order 400385-24 after Hurricane Helene. The order tolled the time period for policyholders in affected counties to take actions related to their policies, including pay premiums, until November 26, 2024. The emergency order also precluded insurers from canceling or nonrenewing policies until November 26, 2024, except in very limited circumstances. The affected counties include: Alachua, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Franklin, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla.
On October 16, OIR amended the emergency order to extend the applicable grace periods from November 26, 2024, to December 10, 2024.
Hurricane Milton
The amended Hurricane Helene order aligns with the grace periods adopted in new Emergency Order 400386-24 related to Hurricane Milton. The Hurricane Milton order contains the same extensions of time and prohibitions on cancellation and nonrenewal as the amended Hurricane Helene order, but for a different set of affected counties. Counties subject to the Hurricane Milton order include: Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia.
Both emergency orders toll the review period for pending rate filings and defer the effective dates of “use and file” rate filings that otherwise would have become effective during the tolling period.