• A home inspector licensed under s. 468.8314; who has completed at least 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training which includes hurricane mitigation techniques and compliance with the uniform mitigation verification form and completion of a proficiency exam. Thereafter, licensed home inspectors must complete at least 2 hours of continuing education each year, related to mitigation inspection and the uniform mitigation form;
• A building code inspector licensed under s. 468.607;
• A general, building, or residential contractor licensed under s. 489.111;
• A professional engineer licensed under s. 471.015;
• A professional architect licensed under s. 481.213;
• Or any other individual or entity recognized by the insurer as possessing the necessary qualifications to properly complete a general inspection of a residential structure insured with a homeowners insurance policy.

A person who is authorized to sign a mitigation verification form must inspect the structures referenced personally, not through employees or other persons, and must certify or attest to personal inspection of the structures referenced by the form. However, licensees under s. 471.015 or s. 489.111 may authorize a direct employee, who is not an independent contractor, and who possesses the required skill, knowledge and experience to conduct an inspection. Insurers have the right to request and obtain information from the authorized mitigation inspector, regarding any authorized employee’s qualifications prior to accepting a mitigation verification form performed by an employee that is not licensed under s. 471.015 or s. 489.111.

At the insurer’s expense, they may require that any uniform mitigation verification form provided by an authorized mitigation inspector or inspection company be independently verified by an inspector, inspection company or an independent third-party quality assurance provider which does possess a quality assurance program prior to accepting the uniform mitigation verification form as valid.

The original inspection form was approved by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) on December 6, 2011. The form has gone through several workshops where all concerned parties could provide input about the form and revisions were made to the form. The current Uniform Wind Mitigation Verification Inspection Form was approved by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) on December 6, 2011, to be effective February 1, 2012. As of that date, all mitigation inspectors must use this form and all insurers must accept this form. The current verification form is valid for up to five (5) years as long as no material changes have been made to the structure or no inaccuracies are found on the form.

REFERENCE:

Florida Statute 627.711