Rick Scott introduces bill to give homeowners tax deduction on insurance premiums

Video above: Sarasota flooding from Hurricane Debby

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would provide homeowners a tax deduction on home insurance premiums.

Scott said the Homeowners Premium Tax Reduction Act would provide a tax deduction of up to $10,000 for premiums paid annually for homeowners insurance at a primary residence.

In a prepared statement, Scott said becoming a homeowner is out of reach for families, blaming the Biden-Harris Administration for property insurance costs, interest rates and inflation.

"I hear heartbreaking stories from families throughout my state that they are struggling to pay their bills and they can't wait much longer for relief from the skyrocketing costs," Scott said. "I watched my mom struggle to make ends meet when I was growing up in public housing -- working hard to put food on the table and a roof over our heads."

Scott noted that while the property insurance business is handled at the state level, he feels the federal government can still help lower costs. Scott is running for re-election this year.

"I urge my colleagues to give full support to this commonsense proposal that will allow families to keep more of their hard-earned dollars and a roof over their heads while we fight to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington," Scott said.

Scott's announcement comes at a time when many homeowners, especially in Sarasota and Manatee counties, are evaluating damage from significant flooding due to Hurricane Debby.

Homeowners in Florida pay significantly more for property insurance than homeowners in other states. A report from Insurify found that Florida homeowners can expect to pay about five times more per year than the national average, at about $12,000 in 2024, up 7% from 2023.

Experts blame Florida's property insurance crisis on increased climate change-fueled natural disasters, the increased costs of replacing a home, and the cost of litigation for insurance companies.

"We had too many lawsuits going on in the state for reasons that may not have justified a lawsuit," Florida's Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky told News Channel 8 in a previous interview. "Anytime there is a lawsuit in a claim, that affects how much money is in the pool for everybody to get their claims paid."

Consumer Federation of America wants lawmakers to take more action in Tallahassee. It also wants insurance companies to help policyholders.

"We want them to reject excessive rate increases and we want them to promote efforts to try to reduce risks, like providing grants to consumers," Michael DeLong said.

DeLong wants insurance companies to provide discounts to policyholders who undertake mitigation measures. He also says climate change is causing rates to go up. However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a bill to make climate change less of a focus, even deleting the phrase out of some existing laws.

This story includes reporting from Ty Russell and Nicole Rogers.