Tami Torres is program administrator of the My Safe Florida Home program, which has mounted a new publicity initiative to let Florida homeowners know they're eligible to receive free wind inspections. The inspectors can let homeowners know whether they're eligible for discounts on their property insurance, and make recommendations for improvements to harden homes and make them eligible for additional discounts. In coastal areas of the state, homeowners even may be eligible for a $5,000 grant to help with the cost of hardening their homes. Torres spoke with Sentinel staff writer Anika Myers Palm.

Question: Even though you're trying to get more people through this publicity initiative now, has the drumbeat of calls seeking wind inspections from My Safe Florida Home remained steady?

Answer: On April 23, 2007 [when we relented], what we found was fewer people were applying.

Florida House panel criticizes 2007 homeowner insurance law

In a rare political mea culpa, state legislators said Monday there are deep flaws in the sweeping property insurance law they passed almost unanimously last year to help lower homeowner insurance rates.

The House Insurance Committee held a hearing Monday aimed at building support to reverse last year's legislation.

Among other changes, the 2007 legislation expanded the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund by $12 billion to offer insurers cheaper reinsurance, or backup coverage, and rescinded rate hikes of 21 percent and 56 percent for Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the public property insurer that has become the state's largest.

The legislative package helped lower homeowner rates by a statewide average of about 15 percent. But House insurance committee members say in hindsight, the savings won't be worth the financial risk if a major hurricane strikes, wipes out state funds and leaves almost all Florida homeowners to foot the bill.

Pa. begins campaign for long-term care planning

Rendell on Wednesday announced an effort to encourage adults to start thinking about long-term care insurance.

It can be purchased to cover services such as nursing home care, home health care and assisted living.

The governor is sending letters about the "Own Your Future" campaign this week to nearly 2 million residents between the ages of 45 and 65.

Acting Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario says long-term care insurance isn't for everyone.

But he says it can help middle-income residents whose savings and other assets are too high for them to qualify for Medicaid.

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