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Insurer dropping policies on homes
By JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer
MEADOW POINTE -- At least one insurance company has begun dropping homeowners' policies in Meadow Pointe over lack of a fire station. Firetrucks based at the county's nearest station, in Quail Hollow west of Interstate 75, need about 15 minutes to reach homes in the deepest nooks of Meadow Pointe. That's not close enough for Horace Mann, an insurance company favored mostly by area teachers. The company has informed customers that the new fire station under construction on Aronwood Boulevard near the Meadow Pointe entrance won't open for months. Until the county ends its standoff with its contractor, a dispute that began when Nelco Construction Inc. failed to finish the building on time in October, Horace Mann plans to dump policies. "This came up on the radar as of December last year," said Rick Black, a Horace Mann agent in Zephyrhills. "People are getting notices that the company plans to get off these risks if that fire station did not open." Pasco considers the Aronwood site, named Station 26, as key to improving fire protection in the part of the county immediately north of New Tampa. Aside from Meadow Pointe, the station would serve neighborhoods such as Seven Oaks, Northwood, Williamsburg and the Lakes at Northwood. Five firefighters will be based there round-the-clock, serving a fire engine and an advanced rescue truck. County officials predict the station, which is mostly complete, could open this spring. Other companies, while not dropping Wesley Chapel policies, are raising rates to reflect the fire station delays. Insurers typically want guarantees a station is within 5 miles of a home. "If there's not a station within 5 miles, an average $600 policy could jump to $800," said Tom Trask, owner of the Dennis Insurance Agency in Land O'Lakes. "It could be even more than that." But Trask and other agents point out that some homeowners have enjoyed lower rates from insurers' mistaken belief that a nearby Hillsborough County fire station is responsible for Meadow Pointe. "Apparently the companies aren't aware there is no station," said Susan Polito of the Fessler Agency, which runs a Wesley Chapel office. But Polito notes that even absent the fire station issue, the companies she represents, Travelers, Hartford and Mercury, won't write new policies in Pasco. They cite the sinkhole risk and the unprofitably low rates. -- James Thorner covers growth and development issues in Pasco County. He can be reached at (813) 909-4613 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4613. His e-mail address is thorner@sptimes.com.
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