Letter: Commission can’t promise lower home insurance rates

Letter: Commission can’t promise lower home insurance rates

Randy Covington
St Johns, FL

Dear Editor:

I recently read an article about the Public Protection Classification (PPC), provided by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). It was revealed that State Farm has decided that it is smarter for them to use their own actual loss experience, rather than to rely solely on the ISO guide, to determine ratings for homeowners shopping for insurance.

There has been a lot of talk from the county commission that we need to build another fire station in St Johns County; even though nothing of substance has been offered to justify the construction and ongoing operating expense if we do — except the promise that the area’s ISO rating will improve; therefore, home insurance rates will come down.

I say, the game is up. Even if the ISO rating improves, the largest home insurance carrier in Florida is saying that they won’t defer to the score — if their own loss experience indicates a higher risk. Expect other carriers to be watching State Farm and probably following suit.

I keep making an issue of this because I have heard blistering criticism from residents of Palencia who say that they now have to pay higher county fire service fees while their home insurance rates have yet to be revisited — a year after construction of the firehouse there. Does the county commission have any obligation to follow-up on the promises made but not yet kept?

The same “improved ISO rating” justification that was made for Chief Hall to build the Palencia Fire Station is being used by the current county commission for Chief Shank.

Had the county commission made a case that taking federal grant money to build a new fire station was fiscally sound, they would have had my support. Unfortunately, it seems clear to me that they, and the state legislature, are so addicted to federal money that they are willing to destroy the quality of life for the next 20 generations to get their hands on it.