Florida Senate - 2005                        SENATOR AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for CS for SB 1488
                        Barcode 631892
                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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       05/05/2005 08:21 PM         .                    
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11  Senator Aronberg moved the following amendment:
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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         On page 56, lines 19-23, delete those lines
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16  and insert:  
17         Section 14.  Effective July 1, 2005, subsections (1)
18  and (7) of section 627.7015, Florida Statutes, are amended,
19  and subsection (2) of that section is republished, to read:
20         627.7015  Alternative procedure for resolution of
21  disputed property insurance claims.--
22         (1)  PURPOSE AND SCOPE.--This section sets forth a
23  nonadversarial alternative dispute resolution procedure for a
24  mediated claim resolution conference prompted by the need for
25  effective, fair, and timely handling of property insurance
26  claims. There is a particular need for an informal,
27  nonthreatening forum for helping parties who elect this
28  procedure to resolve their claims disputes because most
29  homeowner's insurance policies obligate insureds to
30  participate in a potentially expensive and time-consuming
31  adversarial appraisal process prior to litigation. The
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    2:03 PM   05/04/05                             s1488c2c-27-j01

Florida Senate - 2005 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for CS for SB 1488 Barcode 631892 1 procedure set forth in this section is designed to bring the 2 parties together for a mediated claims settlement conference 3 without any of the trappings or drawbacks of an adversarial 4 process. Before resorting to these procedures, insureds and 5 insurers are encouraged to resolve claims as quickly and 6 fairly as possible. This section is available with respect to 7 claims under personal lines and commercial policies for all 8 claimants and insurers prior to commencing the appraisal 9 process, or commencing litigation. If requested by the 10 insured, participation by legal counsel shall be permitted. 11 Mediation under this section is also available to litigants 12 referred to the department by a county court or circuit court. 13 This section does not apply to commercial coverages, to 14 private passenger motor vehicle insurance coverages, or to 15 disputes relating to liability coverages in policies of 16 property insurance. 17 18 19 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 20 And the title is amended as follows: 21 On page 4, line 2, after the second semicolon, 22 23 insert: 24 providing for claims under commercial insurance 25 policies to be subject to the alternative 26 dispute resolution procedure; 27 28 29 30 31 2 2:03 PM 05/04/05 s1488c2c-27-j01