Forum Selection Clauses: Another Way Insurance Companies Stack the Deck Against Florida Consumers

Floridians are already struggling with some of the highest insurance premiums in the nation. Many families have seen their rates double or even triple over the last several years. Yet while politicians in Tallahassee continue claiming they have "fixed" the insurance market, insurance companies continue finding new ways to make it harder for consumers to challenge unfair claim decisions.

One of those methods is the increasing use of forum selection clauses.

Most people have never heard the term. That's because it is buried deep inside lengthy insurance contracts that few policyholders ever read and even fewer fully understand.

A forum selection clause is a contract provision that dictates where a lawsuit or legal dispute must be filed. In practice, this means an insurance company can attempt to force a Florida homeowner to pursue a dispute in a distant court or under a legal system that is more favorable to the insurer than the policyholder.

Think about that for a moment.

A homeowner in Jacksonville, Pensacola, Orlando, or Miami pays premiums for years. A hurricane strikes. A claim is denied or underpaid. The homeowner wants to challenge the decision. Instead of having their case heard locally, they may find themselves fighting procedural battles over where the dispute can even be filed.

The average Florida family cannot afford endless jurisdictional fights. Large insurance companies can.

That is precisely the problem.

Insurance contracts are not negotiated between equal parties. Consumers do not sit across the table from insurance executives and negotiate policy language. These are take-it-or-leave-it contracts. The insurance company writes the rules. The homeowner simply needs coverage and signs on the dotted line.

When lawmakers remove consumer protections, eliminate prevailing attorney fee provisions, impose mandatory arbitration, or allow contractual provisions that make it more difficult to seek relief, the result is always the same: less accountability for insurance companies and fewer options for consumers.

The insurance industry often argues that reducing consumer rights lowers litigation costs. If that were true, Floridians should have seen significant premium reductions after the Legislature passed sweeping insurance reform measures beginning in 2022.

Instead, many homeowners continue to experience unaffordable premiums and shrinking coverage options.

The question every Floridian should ask is simple:

If consumers have fewer rights than they had four years ago, why are they still paying more?

As Florida's Chief Financial Officer, I will fight for transparency in insurance contracts and oppose efforts that restrict a consumer's ability to seek justice. Policyholders should not need a law degree to understand where they can bring a dispute. They should not be forced into systems designed to benefit billion-dollar insurance companies.

Insurance should be a promise.

When you pay your premiums, you are paying for protection and peace of mind, not signing away your rights.

Florida deserves an insurance system built on accountability, integrity, and fairness.

That is why I am running for Chief Financial Officer.