The Florida Senate

215.559  Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program.--

(1)  There is created a Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program. The Legislature shall annually appropriate $10 million of the moneys authorized for appropriation under s. 215.555(7)(c) from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to the Department of Community Affairs for the purposes set forth in this section.

(2)(a)  Seven million dollars in funds provided in subsection (1) shall be used for programs to improve the wind resistance of residences and mobile homes, including loans, subsidies, grants, demonstration projects, and direct assistance; cooperative programs with local governments and the Federal Government; and other efforts to prevent or reduce losses or reduce the cost of rebuilding after a disaster.

(b)  Three million dollars in funds provided in subsection (1) shall be used to retrofit existing facilities used as public hurricane shelters. The department must prioritize the use of these funds for projects included in the September 1, 2000, version of the Shelter Retrofit Report prepared in accordance with s. 252.385(3), and each annual report thereafter. The department must give funding priority to projects in regional planning council regions that have shelter deficits and to projects that maximize use of state funds.

(3)  By the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the Department of Community Affairs shall develop a low-interest loan program for homeowners and mobile home owners to retrofit their homes with fixtures or apply construction techniques that have been demonstrated to reduce the amount of damage or loss due to a hurricane. Funding for the program shall be used to subsidize or guaranty private-sector loans for this purpose to qualified homeowners by financial institutions chartered by the state or Federal Government. The department may enter into contracts with financial institutions for this purpose. The department shall establish criteria for determining eligibility for the loans and selecting recipients, standards for retrofitting homes or mobile homes, limitations on loan subsidies and loan guaranties, and other terms and conditions of the program, which must be specified in the department's report to the Legislature on January 1, 2006, required by subsection (8). For the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the Department of Community Affairs may use up to $1 million of the funds appropriated pursuant to paragraph (2)(a) to begin the low-interest loan program as a pilot project in one or more counties. The Department of Financial Services, the Office of Financial Regulation, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development shall assist the Department of Community Affairs in establishing the program and pilot project. The department may use up to 2.5 percent of the funds appropriated in any given fiscal year for administering the loan program. The department may adopt rules to implement the program.

(4)  Forty percent of the total appropriation in paragraph (2)(a) shall be used to inspect and improve tie-downs for mobile homes. Within 30 days after the effective date of that appropriation, the department shall contract with a public higher educational institution in this state which has previous experience in administering the programs set forth in this subsection to serve as the administrative entity and fiscal agent pursuant to s. 216.346 for the purpose of administering the programs set forth in this subsection in accordance with established policy and procedures. The administrative entity working with the advisory council set up under subsection (6) shall develop a list of mobile home parks and counties that may be eligible to participate in the tie-down program.

(5)  Of moneys provided to the Department of Community Affairs in paragraph (2)(a), 10 percent shall be allocated to a Type I Center within the State University System dedicated to hurricane research. The Type I Center shall develop a preliminary work plan approved by the advisory council set forth in subsection (6) to eliminate the state and local barriers to upgrading existing mobile homes and communities, research and develop a program for the recycling of existing older mobile homes, and support programs of research and development relating to hurricane loss reduction devices and techniques for site-built residences. The State University System also shall consult with the Department of Community Affairs and assist the department with the report required under subsection (8).

(6)  The Department of Community Affairs shall develop the programs set forth in this section in consultation with an advisory council consisting of a representative designated by the Chief Financial Officer, a representative designated by the Florida Home Builders Association, a representative designated by the Florida Insurance Council, a representative designated by the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners, a representative designated by the Florida Association of Counties, and a representative designated by the Florida Manufactured Housing Association.

(7)  Moneys provided to the Department of Community Affairs under this section are intended to supplement other funding sources of the Department of Community Affairs and may not supplant other funding sources of the Department of Community Affairs.

(8)  On January 1st of each year, the Department of Community Affairs shall provide a full report and accounting of activities under this section and an evaluation of such activities to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

(9)  This section is repealed June 30, 2011.

History.--s. 2, ch. 99-305; s. 1, ch. 2000-140; s. 1, ch. 2001-227; s. 222, ch. 2003-261; s. 10, ch. 2004-283; s. 2, ch. 2005-111.