Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) will host a “Fixing Problems for Floridians” Fair in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, May 28th, 2024. The event is open to the public and will consist of experts from DFS to assist Floridians with their issues and educate consumers on resources available to them. Florida's Insurance Consumer Advocate Tasha Carter will also be on hand to help insurance policyholders who are dealing with a challenging claims process. Insurance consumers can learn more about ways to reduce their premiums through the My Safe Florida Home program and Workers’ Compensation professionals will also be on hand to help small businesses navigate any issues they have. The Department will also have an Unclaimed Property Portal on hand to assist Floridians in collecting any unclaimed cash they are entitled to.

Today, following recent severe storms that impacted much of the Panhandle and Big Bend, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is reminding Floridians of their rights and vital consumer protections measures following hurricanes and storms. Last year, the CFO fought for legislation to help consumers fight back against bad public adjuster contracts. HB 1185, Consumer Protection, was passed by the legislature in 2023 and signed into law by Governor DeSantis. This legislation created a rescission period of 30 days after the storm or 10 days after the public adjuster contract was signed to allow consumers a way out of a bad public adjuster contract. For more information on post-disaster scams, or insurance help, please contact the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer services at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236) or visit PrepareFL.com.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced he sent a letter late yesterday evening to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Brett Guthrie, who serve as chairs of committees overseeing the U.S. Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), where he stated that the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) Marketplace is allowing fraud to occur against Floridians. The ACA Marketplace has weak protections against bad actors who switch policyholders’ health insurance plans, without consent, to collect commission. Fraudsters will also signup participants in different states using Marketplace, leading to tax penalties against victims because they do not qualify for ACA products.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has started rulemaking to develop new standards and protocols for managing lithium-ion battery fires in devices such as electric vehicles (EVs), scooters and golfcarts.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the appointment of Glenn Ritchie and Benjamin Treuil to the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) Board of Directors. CFO Patronis also reappointed Kimberly Blackburn to the FIGA Board of Directors. FIGA is a nonprofit corporation created by the Florida Legislature in 1970 and services pending claims by or against Florida policyholders of member insurance companies that become insolvent and are ordered liquidated.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of four individuals including, Maria Campos, Isabella Mendez, Madison Martinez, and Krystal Arbona for their role in an alleged Personal Injury Protection (PIP) fraud scheme. The four allegedly had the intention to defraud United Auto Insurance Company, Responsive Insurance, and Infinity Automobile Insurance Company, by exploiting the PIP benefits associated with their auto policies for financial gain.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis activated his Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFAST) which has been deployed to Leon and Gadsden Counties to protect Floridians from storm-related fraud following recent tornados and severe weather. CFO Patronis’ anti-fraud teams work to educate and inform the public on signs of post-storm fraud and ensure contractors are following Florida workers’ compensation law while conducting repairs.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis provided recovery resources as severe weather impacted the Florida Panhandle, the Big Bend, and Northeast Florida with tornadoes, damaging winds, hail and localized flooding. Floridians are encouraged to document any damage and be on the lookout for fraud and scams as they work to recover. Visit PrepareFL.com for recovery tips and resources.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis led a Keeping Policyholder First Insurance Roundtable in Coral Gables with state legislators as well as business and community leaders to highlight the successes made to improve Florida’s property insurance market. CFO Patronis also provided an update on the My Safe Florida Home Program and recent improvements to better support seniors and low-income homeowners. During the roundtable, the CFO urged policyholders to take advantage of home hardening initiatives and asked consumers suspicious of fraud to report it immediately at FraudFreeFlorida.com.

Today, in recognition of National Arson Awareness Week, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis calls on all Floridians to be on the lookout and provide tips on any suspicious activity of potential bad actors who attempt to commit arson-related crimes. Since taking office in 2017, the CFO’s Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations has arrested more than 1,600 individuals for arson related crimes in Florida.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued the following letter to former President Donald J. Trump, informing him of unclaimed property held by the State of Florida that is waiting to be claimed by President Trump, a member of his family, or the Trump organization. Unclaimed property is a financial asset that is unknown or lost or has been left inactive, unclaimed, or abandoned by its owner. The most common types of unclaimed property are dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances, and refunds. Unclaimed property also includes contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions. Unclaimed property assets are held by business or government entities (holders) for a set period of time, usually five years. If the holder is unable to locate, re-establish contact with the owner, and return the asset, it is reported and remitted to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property. To search for unclaimed property or to claim an account, go online to FLTreasureHunt.gov.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis gave remarks at the Florida Capitol during a ceremony unveiling the Bob Milligan Conference Room in the CFO’s Office. Bob Milligan served as Florida Comptroller from January 3, 1995 to January 7, 2003, and honorably served 35-years in the U.S. Marines, ultimately being promoted and retiring as Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. In 1998, General Milligan was responsible for offering a plan to the Constitutional Revision Commission to combine the state Treasurer and Comptroller into one State Cabinet position - the Chief Financial Officer.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis announced that the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), Division of State Fire Marshal is deploying 43 members of Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Force 5 from Jacksonville to the State of Texas where severe flooding has caused life-threatening conditions in the Houston region. Additional emergency personnel are also being deployed by DFS to provide logistical needs.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis issued two proclamations recognizing May 4, 2024 as International Firefighters’ Day and May 5, 2024 as National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day. National Firefighter’s Day highlights the duty and bravery of firefighters around the country who put their lives on the line to protect life and property. National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day honors firefighters and emergency services personnel who have sacrificed their lives to save others.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis applauded Governor Ron DeSantis for signing HB 939, a Consumer Protection Bill. Among other provisions, this legislation mandates cash-app companies like Venmo, PayPal and Zelle create protections so users are not unfairly taxed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for transactions that are unrelated to goods-or-services. The legislation also creates a 10-day recission period during declared disasters where policyholders can get out of bad roofing contracts.

Today, at a press conference in Jacksonville, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis joined Governor Ron DeSantis for the signing of House Bill 989, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) Agency Bill. Among many provisions, this legislation creates the Florida Taxpayer Advocate and bolsters the services provided by the Division of Insurance Consumer Services to support consumers. This legislation also create rules and regulations to prevent fires caused by lithium-ion batteries commonly found in electronic vehicles (EVs) such as scooters, hoverboards, golf carts, and battery-powered cars and designates cryptocurrency as unclaimed property. Lastly, this bill rebrands the fraud and arson investigations unit of the Department from the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) to the newly named Criminal Investigations Division (CID).

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that more than $34 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians during the month of April. Since CFO Patronis took office in 2017, nearly $2.4 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Florida citizens.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis warned Floridians on the potential increase in property insurance premiums and other pitfalls when purchasing solar panels and having them installed on the roof of their home or business. Several states have seen a massive increase in residential solar panel installation, growing by 1,106% in the last five years, with many offering incentives for these installations. However, there are potential hazards to these installations, such as compromised roof integrity, an increase in homeowners insurance, and a difficulty in finding property insurance coverage.

Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announces the arrest of 16 individuals in a workers’ compensation insurance fraud sting operation involving unlicensed contractors in Manatee County. The operation was in collaboration with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis led a Keeping Policyholder First Insurance Roundtable in Clearwater with state legislators as well as business and community leaders to highlight the successes made to improve Florida’s property insurance market.