TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WEAR) -- Next month, Florida lawmakers will meet for a special session to address what they believe to be a property insurance crisis.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says lawsuits over insurance claims are a leading cause for higher rates.
DeSantis says Florida fights around 100,000 claims in court each year -- far more that any other state. He says homeowners are paying the price for it in property insurance rates.
The governor hopes lawmakers take action before storms like Hurricane Sally strike again. Those kinds of disasters mean a flood of insurance claims as homeowners would inevitably hire contractors to repair the damage.
Jordan told Channel 3 when some bad actors take advantage, insurers go bankrupt taking the contractors to court.
"Between what they're paying on the lawsuits, to what they're having to buy the reinsurance rate for when it's past what they budgeted for -- then that's where they come into turmoil and they don't have enough capitol to make it happen," Jordan said.
Jordan says her agency went from shopping from ten companies to around three. It's one reason she says more homeowners are buying Citizens Insurance with lower rates that is ran by the state and subsidized by the taxpayer -- a move she believes strains the system.
"That's our jobs as lawmakers to make sure that you can get affordable insurance in Florida," District 1 Rep. Michelle Salzman said.
Rep. Salzman told Channel 3 she worries what could happen without legislative action.
"People will be kicked out of their homes because you can't have a mortgage without homeowners insurance, and you can't have homeowners insurance if you can't afford it or if you can't get insurance on that home," Salzman said. "So you'll start seeing homes being foreclosed on or being sold and people being homeless or trying to move into smaller housing and more affordable housing."
Shana Alford isn't there just yet, but will still have to adjust.
"At some point, I will move further inland so that it's cheaper," Alford said.
Alford is just one Floridian hoping that lawmakers put and end to the rate increases.
The bottom line is that insurance companies are charging more, going bankrupt or leaving Florida. When they do it forces homeowners to find new companies.
But as Alford told Channel 3, some have strict rules and won't cover just any home -- leaving those homeowners with few options.