U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds unveiled a six-part "Bring Down The Bill" plan to help lower homeowners' insurance premiums in Florida while preserving the 2022–23 tort reforms. The package adds optional binding arbitration, repurposes the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to lower reinsurance costs and surcharges when reserves allow, and would create a public Insurer Scorecard. It also proposes limits on Citizens' expansion and stronger coordination of mitigation and home-hardening programs tied to insurer discounts.
Byron Donalds Unveils 'Bring Down The Bill' — A Six-Part Plan To Cut Florida Homeowners' Insurance Costs
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Florida is grappling with steep homeowners' insurance premiums, and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds has introduced a six-part policy package he says will help lower costs for property owners across the state without undoing recent reforms.
What The Plan Would Do
Dubbed "Bring Down The Bill," the proposal targets insurer transparency, hurricane-catastrophe financing, legal-process reforms, and measures to strengthen homes against storm damage. Donalds says the package is intended to build on — not reverse — the state's insurance reforms passed in 2022 and 2023.
Legal Reforms And Faster Dispute Resolution
The plan would preserve the tort changes in 2022's Senate Bill 2-A and 2023's House Bill 837, while adding an option for binding arbitration so policyholders and insurers can settle disputes more quickly and at lower cost. Donalds' campaign points to a sharp drop in litigation spending after the 2022–23 changes, reporting a fall from $820.5 million to $57.6 million, according to Tampa Free Press reporting.
Changes To The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
Donalds proposes adjusting how the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) is used: reducing policyholder surcharges when the fund has ample reserves and enabling insurers to pool certain reinsurance purchases through the FHCF to seek better pricing.
Transparency: Insurer Scorecard
The package would create a public "Insurer Scorecard" showing each carrier's average premiums, claim approval and denial rates, and average claim-payment times. Supporters say this would help consumers compare carriers based on performance as well as price.
Home-Hardening, Permitting And Construction Costs
To address rising rebuilding costs and storm exposure, the plan calls for permitting reforms, review of building materials, reciprocal contractor licensing, and better coordination of mitigation funding programs (including My Safe Florida Home). Donalds wants grant awards tied more closely to the premium discounts insurers offer to homeowners who complete mitigation upgrades.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
The proposal includes limits on how large Citizens Property Insurance — the state-backed insurer of last resort — can grow, aiming to reduce the risk of statewide post-storm assessments. Donalds' campaign notes that Citizens' active policies fell from a 1.41 million peak to about 293,465 in recent months.
Political Context
Donalds used the rollout to criticize rival David Jolly's proposals, citing a Florida State University study his campaign says shows shifting more insurance risk onto the state could expose residents to tax burdens and post-storm funding shortfalls.
"My Bring Down The Bill Plan will slash insurance costs for Floridians and make life more affordable by protecting successful existing reforms, boosting competition, and attacking remaining costs that drive up premiums," Donalds said.
The announcement also referenced related moves in other states, including a proposed Colorado bill to ease rising homeowners premiums and energy- and housing-related initiatives in Florida and Oregon.
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