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Citizens Property Insurance Corp. purposefully deprived customers of windstorm mitigation discounts through an arbitrary reinspection program that has cost customers nearly $200 million.

That claim is the basis of a lawsuit seeking class action status filed against the state-backed Citizens.

Customers have complained for years about a Citizens program that promised wind mitigation credits to homeowners who added extra precautions, such as shutters, to their homes to protect against storm damage. Hundreds of thousands of customers spent money adding hurricane proof windows and fortifying their homes, then paid inspectors to certify those changes in order to qualify for the credit. The credits were supposed to last for five years.

But less than five years later, Citizens changed the rules mid-game, embarking on a reinspection campaign, sending out their own inspectors to homes and then revoking credits on technicalities, according to the lawsuit. A judge still has to grant class-action status.

The lawsuit estimates 226,000 customers have lost a total of $190 million in credits since 2010. The average cost per household was around $800, attorneys said.

Topics Lawsuits Florida Property