| Email Article to Friend Print Article | ||
If a million of them are compelled by their insurers to get shutters, the industry would leap to an annual business of $5 billion.
Mouret says the shutter industry is ill-prepared to make that sort of transition. “Where it is really difficult is installers. Installers are the first thing we’re going to run out of.’’ Mouret says it takes at least two years of experience to learn the trade. As it stands, there aren’t enough installers in the state to meet the demand created when tens of thousands of homeowners all need shutters by the 2009 deadline in order to keep their insurance. ..There is a danger that unqualified installers will fill the void. Experienced installers will be in such demand that prices will go up...“We’ll all be out stealing each other’s installers. It’s a reflection of the degree to which we need them,’’ Mouret said. The same demand will likely drive up the cost of materials. Delays can be expected. When news of the new state law becomes more widely known and policy holders all want shutters, it is doubtful the industry can meet the deadline for everyone. The delay between ordering and receiving shutters now tends to run a few weeks to a couple of months, Mouret said. A sudden demand could push that back to a year. For people who wait until next summer, that could mean cancellation of their policies. On the other hand, the state may be compelled to give homeowners more time. “My guess is (Citizens) will delay it,’’ Mouret said. Homeowners, especially those in the coastal region, need to be aware of the new requirements. “It doesn’t warrant a panic, but I think it’s a wake-up call,’’ Mouret said. Written By BRENT BATTEN (Contact) ...The Associated Press contributed to this story. Originally published 3:59 p.m., Saturday, October 20, 2007 Brent Batten: Calm before the storm (shutters)For someone who’s about to see a spike in business, Claes Mouret doesn’t sound all that happy. “The hurricane season ends on Nov. 30 -- you can relax then,” said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and Public Affairs Officer for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “October is a particularly vulnerable month for South Florida.” Mouret, owner of AllSafe Shutters, is tempering his delight that the state is forcing thousands of more people to buy his product with the knowledge that the move is likely to create havoc in the industry. What has Mouret looking ahead is a new state law that requires coastal homeowners insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for $750,000 or more to have hurricane shutters by Jan. 1, 2009. Citizens, the state-run insurer of last resort, has about 1.3 million policy holders, many in the coastal area where private insurers are loath to do business. Citizens’ move alone could compel thousands of high-end homeowners to shell out $5,000 or more on shutters. Private insurers could follow suit, much the same way airlines tend to raise and lower fares in response to what others are doing, Mouret predicted. The problem, as Mouret sees it, is the industry’s inability to cope with a massive, simultaneous demand for shutters. Last year in Florida, hurricane shutters were a $400 million industry.Even after a surge in demand for hurricane shutters after Hurricane Wilma in 2005, only about 15 percent of homes in the state have storm shutters, Mouret said. With close to 4 million single-family homes in the state, that means 3.4 million don’t have shutters.
|
