Phil Ammann
Florida officials are calling for a $125,000 study to consider dropping state’s system of no-fault Personal Injury Protection auto insurance.
The Department of Financial Services is looking for a vendor to produce the report by June, LobbyTools reports. A draft report would be due Aug. 26, with a final report by Sept. 2.
In March 2012, legislation was introduced to eliminate as much as $1 billion in fraud, as well as cut no-fault car insurance bills. However, Florida’s top insurers have pushed through premium hikes up to 40 percent since early 2015.
The goals of the report would be to study a “potential impact to Floridians if the personal injury protection coverage requirements were repealed and replaced with varying levels of bodily injury coverage, or if the current requirements to purchase auto insurance were completely repealed.”
Findings of the study could give lawmakers enough information to consider replacing PIP with bodily injury liability insurance, something done in most other states.
LobbyTools notes that more than 90 percent of Florida drivers already have that coverage.
Delray Beach Republican Rep. Bill Hager says he plans to reintroduce legislation repealing PIP in 2017.
Taking into account “the cycle of change of this magnitude,” Hager believes it may take “a year or two” to get passed.
Sen. Jeff Brandes also sponsored legislation to repeal PIP by 2019, but it gained little traction last Session. The St. Petersburg Republican says conversation has begun and needs to continue over the summer.
