DeSantis sets dates for session on property insurance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that lawmakers will return to the Capitol in late May for a special legislative session to address the state's rising property insurance rates.

The Republican set the session for May 23 to May 27 and has tasked the GOP-controlled statehouse with considering legislation on property insurance, reinsurance and building code changes.

In his proclamation, DeSantis wrote that it is necessary to stabilize the insurance market ahead of hurricane season. He also cited various problems with the state's market, including high rates of litigation that drive up premiums and insurance companies recently becoming insolvent.

There have been growing calls for the governor to convoke a special session on property insurance to deal with spiking rates and other issues in the market. Lawmakers failed to pass property insurance bills during the regular legislative session, which ended in March.

The Legislature had a contentious special session last week on congressional redistricting, passing a map drawn by DeSantis' administration that has already sparked a legal challenge.

Lawmakers also passed a bill last week to dissolve a private government that Walt Disney World controls on its property in the state. DeSantis signed the bill into law on Friday.

The move punishes the entertainment giant for opposing a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade as well as lessons that are not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate. The law, which critics call “Don't Say Gay," was signed in late March by the governor.