CFO Patronis Proposes Legislation to Fight Back Against Post-Storm Fraud
CAPE CORAL (FLV) – Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced that he will propose fraud-related legislation at a press conference in Cape Coral following Hurricane Ian.
Patronis says the legislation will include the following:
- Cracking down on bad Public Adjusters by curbing their ability to take advantage of Floridians under financial duress
- Combatting Assignment of Benefits (AOB) abuse by eliminating the use of AOBs altogether
- Creating a statewide prosecutor focused solely on property insurance fraud to hold fraudsters accountable to the full extent of the law, and lastly, requesting a $3 million anti-fraud public education campaign
Last year, Patronis advocated for two Anti-Fraud Homeowner Squads, and since then, these squads have already opened 275 cases and arrested 81 individuals for fraud.
Since Hurricane Ian made landfall, the fraud teams have already made contact with more than 7,000 individuals, contractors and businesses to check for licensure, follow up on fraud leads, and open investigations.
“There are bad public adjusters swarming impacted areas, soliciting, and trying to make a quick buck. They are promising to help while betraying the trust of people who have lost everything. This upcoming legislative session, we are going to work to make it less profitable for unscrupulous public adjusters following a disaster,” said Patronis.
Currently, there are 40 fraud officers on the ground in Southwest Florida patrolling communities to look out for unlicensed activity and fraud.
If you suspect fraud, report it immediately by calling the Fraud Hotline at 1-800-378-0445.
Click here to read more information on Patronis’ legislation proposal.
