Florida Senate - 2009             CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 20-A
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 186694                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: AD/2R          .                                
             01/14/2009 10:43 AM       .                                
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       The Conference Committee on CS for SB 20-A recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Conference Committee Amendment (with title
    2  amendment)
    3         
    4         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    5  and insert:
    6         Section 1. Subsection (8) of section 215.5586, Florida
    7  Statutes, is amended to read:
    8         215.5586 My Safe Florida Home Program.—There is established
    9  within the Department of Financial Services the My Safe Florida
   10  Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal
   11  accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership
   12  for the program, consistent with this section. This section does
   13  not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the
   14  state in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of
   15  residential property in this state. Implementation of this
   16  program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. It is
   17  the intent of the Legislature that the My Safe Florida Home
   18  Program provide inspections for at least 400,000 site-built,
   19  single-family, residential properties and provide grants to at
   20  least 35,000 applicants before June 30, 2009. The program shall
   21  develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach
   22  for hurricane damage mitigation that shall include the
   23  following:
   24         (8) NO-INTEREST LOANS.—The department shall implement a no
   25  interest loan program by October 1, 2008, contingent upon the
   26  selection of a qualified vendor and execution of a contract
   27  acceptable to the department and the vendor. The department
   28  shall enter into partnerships with the private sector to provide
   29  loans to owners of site-built, single-family, residential
   30  property to pay for mitigation measures listed in subsection
   31  (2). A loan eligible for interest payments pursuant to this
   32  subsection may be for a term of up to 3 years and cover up to
   33  $5,000 in mitigation measures. The department shall pay the
   34  creditor the market rate of interest using funds appropriated
   35  for the My Safe Florida Home Program. In no case shall the
   36  department pay more than the interest rate set by s. 687.03. To
   37  be eligible for a loan, a loan applicant must first obtain a
   38  home inspection and report that specifies what improvements are
   39  needed to reduce the property's vulnerability to windstorm
   40  damage pursuant to this section and meet loan underwriting
   41  requirements set by the lender. The department shall set aside
   42  $10 million from funds appropriated for the My Safe Florida Home
   43  Program to implement this subsection. The department may adopt
   44  rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this
   45  subsection which may include eligibility criteria.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
   47         
   48  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   49         And the title is amended as follows:
   50         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   51  and insert:
   52                        A bill to be entitled                      
   53  An act relating to the My Safe Florida Home Program; amending s.
   54  215.5586, F.S.; deleting a requirement that the Department of
   55  Financial Services set aside a portion of program funds for the
   56  purpose of implementing certain hurricane mitigation measures;
   57  providing an effective date.