252.372 Imposition and collection of surcharge.—In order to provide funds for emergency management, preparedness, and assistance, an annual surcharge of $2 per policy shall be imposed on every homeowners, mobile home owners, tenant homeowners, and condominium unit owners policy, and an annual $4 surcharge shall be imposed on every commercial fire, commercial multiple peril, and business owner’s property insurance policy, issued or renewed on or after May 1, 1993. The surcharge shall be paid by the policyholder to the insurer. The insurer shall collect the surcharge and remit it to the Department of Revenue, which shall collect, administer, audit, and enforce the surcharge pursuant to s. 624.5092. The surcharge is not to be considered premiums of the insurer; however, nonpayment of the surcharge by the insured may be a valid reason for cancellation of the policy. For those policies in which the surplus lines tax and the service fee are collected and remitted to the Surplus Lines Service Office, as created under s. 626.921, the surcharge must be remitted to the service office at the same time as the surplus lines tax is remitted. All penalties for failure to remit the surplus lines tax and service fee are applicable for those surcharges required to be remitted to the service office. The service office shall deposit all surcharges that it collects into the Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Assistance Trust Fund at least monthly. All proceeds of the surcharge shall be deposited in the Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Assistance Trust Fund and may not be used to supplant existing funding.
