Citizens board members said they were taking homeowners into account when they opted not to remove the 10-percent cap for new customers. That would have caused rates to skyrocket for those who join Citizens in 2013.

There was also a lot of heat from local lawmakers, who didn’t mince words when they heard about the proposed cap removal.

South Florida lawmakers slammed the plan, with Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami calling it a “blatant circumvention of state law” and Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, blasting it as “nothing short of immoral.”

Citizens also opted against limiting the maximum claim on a water damage event to $15,000. Insurance agents, consumer groups and public adjusters came out against the plan, saying it would lead homeowners into bankruptcy after a water catastrophe such as a broken pipe.

Hector Chinea, an insurance professional from Miami, told the board to consider the impact of the $15,000 on low-income and elderly homeowners.

“If your 90-year-old grandmother or mother were at the end of their life, and they had a water loss, and Citizens came out and denied it or limited it to $15,000, how would you feel?” he asked.

Fasano, the state senator from New Port Richey who has been one of Citizens’ most vocal critics, said “Tallahassee has no clue what it’s doing to homeowners.”

“I’m frustrated, I’m disgusted,” he said. “Shame on Citizens’ board for even pushing this at an economic time when homeowners are barely getting by.”

Toluse Olorunnipa can be reached at tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com and on Twitter @ToluseO