REPORTER: TONIGHT AN I-TEAM INVESTIGATION INTO A LITTLE KNOWN FACT ABOUT THOUSANDS OF HOMES IN DUVAL COUNTY TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MAP

IT UNVEILS A STARTLING REALITY ON HOW MUCH MORE MONEY PEOPLE ARE PAYING TO INSURE THEIR HOMES FOR A FIRE IF YOU LIVE IN YELLOW OR RED, YOU'RE PAYING DOUBLE WHAT THESE AREAS IN GREEN ARE PAYING FOR INSURANCE AND YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN REALIZE IT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ADDITIONAL $32 MILLION IN PREMIUMS FOR THOUSANDS OF DUVAL HOMEOWNERS, RENTERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS WE HAVE BEEN DIGGING INTO THIS FOR THREE MONTHS AND IS HERE TO SHOW US WHY SO MANY OF YOU ARE PAYING MORE REPORTER: NOW A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT HOMES AND BUSINESSES ARE RATED BY THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY BASED ON HOW FAR THEY ARE FROM FIRE STATIONS AS WELL AS FIRE HYDRANTS

IF YOU'RE TOO FAR, THAT'S CONSIDERED ADDITIONAL RISK AND YOU WILL BE CHARGED MORE IF YOU LOOK AT ALL HOMES ON MAP HERE, THEY ARE RATED FROM PC 1 TO 10 WITH 10 CONSIDERED THE WORST IF YOU LOOK AT THE HOMES SPECIFICALLY IN THE YELLOW AREAS, THEY ARE RATED EIGHT WHICH IS DEFINITELY NOT GOOD AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO FAR FROM A FIRE HYDRANT RED MEANS HOMES AND BUSINESSES ARE TOO FAR FROM A FIRE HYDRANT AND THE CLOSEST FIRE STATION YOU WILL PAY A LOT MORE IN INSURANCE

WE WILL BREAK DOWN THE HIGHER RATES NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD BY ZIP CODE STARTING ON THE SOUTH SIDE WITH 32256 I JUST WENT THROUGH RENEWING MY HOME INSURANCE AND I WAS TOLD OUR RATES ARE HIGHER BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCE TED CRINGES EVERY TIME HE OPENS A LETTER FROM HIS INSURANCE CARRIER THAT WENT FROM $1,437 A YEAR TO $1,663 A YEAR MORE MONEY OUT OF HIS PARK ON GATEWAY ON THE SOUTH SIDE

TED IS THANKFUL HE COULD EVEN GET INSURANCE MORE HAVE TOLD ME WE'RE NOT GOING TO QUOTE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO FAR FROM THE FIRE STATION HE HAD NO IDEA WHEN HE RETIRED HERE THAT INSURANCE COMPANIES INCREASE RATES FOR COMPANIES MORE THAN FIVE MILES FROM THE CLOSEST FIRE STATION THE NEAREST STATION TO TED'S HOME IS 44 OFF MEADOWS ROAD IS 95

IT'S 57 MILES AWAY THAT EXTRA 7 PUTS HIM IN A PC

10 RATING, THE WORST COSTING TED AND HIS NEIGHBORS A LOT OF MONEY THEY ARE HIGHER THAN FOLKS THAT LIVE IN DEER CREEK AND DEER WOOD AND THE OTHER AREAS AROUND DEER IT'S NOT JUST A PROBLEM IN HAMPTON PARK ANYONE WHO LIVES NEARBY IN SPY GLASS, CAMELLIA AT DEER WOOD

HACIENDA CLUB AND SWEET WATER ARE LIKELY PAYING MORE WE LOOKED AT A COUPLE HOUSES IN PC 10 AND TOOK THE IDENTICAL HOUSE AND MOVED TO AREAS IN THE SAME SUBDIVISION THAT'S NOT THE HIGHER RISK TO MAKE AS MUCH AS A THOUSAND DOLLARS, $1,200 DIFFERENCE A 2600 SQUARE FOOT HOME IN 2005 WORTH $350,000 IN A PC 10 AREA WOULD COST $3,074 A YEAR TO INSURE

MOVE THAT EXACT HOUSE TO AN AREA IN GREEN LIKE DEER WOOD AND WOULD COST 50% LESS $1,565 TO INSURE THAT'S A DIFFERENCE OF MORE THAN $1,500 A YEAR THIS IS NOT JUST A PROBLEM ON THE SOUTH SIDE FOR THOSE THAT LIVE IN 32256 THERE'S A LOT OF RED AND YELLOW HERE FOR EXAMPLE HERE ON THE NORTH SIDE IN 32218, YOU CAN SEE THESE HOMES HERE IN YELLOW ARE JUST TOO FAR FROM A FIRE HYDRANT

MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA THEY ARE BEING CHARGED MORE THAT'S SURPRISING AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY WHY IS THAT? WELL THE THEORIES THE FARTHER YOU ARE AWAY FROM A FIRE HYDRANT, THE LONGER IT WOULD TAKE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE NO, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THIS MOM NEVER KNEW TO ASK ABOUT DISTANCE SHE SELECTED HER HOME ON THE NORTH SIDE FOR THE SAME REASON THIS MOTHER DID ON WEST SIDE

THE SCHOOLS MOSTLY FOR THE KIDS REBECCA BROWN LIVES NEAR MIDDLE WORLD THE OAKLY VILLAGE AREA IN 32244 AN AREA DESIGNATED A PRESS CLASS 10 DID YOU KNOW PEOPLE THAT LIVE SPECIFICALLY IN THIS AREA PAY MORE THAN OTHERS? REALLY? YES

HOW MUCH MORE CAN BE $1,200 TO $1,500 MORE WOW I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW TO ASK WHEN SHE BOUGHT HER HOME

ALL THOSE HIGHER PREMIUMS ADD UP FOR DUVAL COUNTY RESIDENTS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES THERE ARE MORE THAN 15,000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN THE YELLOW AREAS BEING CHARGED HIGHER RATES BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO FAR FROM A FIRE HYDRANT AND ANOTHER 8,000 HOMES IN RED MORE THAN FIVE MILES FROM A FIRE STATION THAT TOTALS SOME $32 MILLION IN HIGHER COST EVERY YEAR THIS IS A PROBLEM, AND IT CERTAINLY GOT ON MY RADAR JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCILMAN, REPRESENTED THE SOUTH SIDE

THE ONLY SOLUTION IN HIS DISTRICT IS TO BUILD A FIRE STATION CLOSER TO WHERE THEY LIVE NOT ONLY WILL IT BRING DOWN THE INSURANCE RATES BUT HELP FIRE RESCUE GET TO CALLS FASTER A RECENT I-TEAM INVESTIGATION REVEALS IT TAKES LONGER TO RESPOND TO CALLS ON THE SOUTH SIDE THINGS DON'T EVER SEEM TO RUN QUICKLY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING THESE DECISIONS AND GETTING THE MONEY AND CAPITOL IMPROVEMENT THAT'S THE BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR THOSE PAYING AS MUCH AS THEY ARE AND WORRYING ABOUT THE SAFETY? PERHAPS WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON A PERMANENT FIRE HOUSE

MAYBE EVEN PUT A TEMPORARY FIRE HOUSE THEY SAY THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE WE ASK FIRE CHIEF KURT WILSON ABOUT THE OPTION WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST AND WHAT WORKS WELL WE TAKE A MOBILE HOME IT WORKED BACK IN THE LATE' 80S

WE PUT A MOBILE HOME AND AN ENGINE AND RESCUE AND WAITED FOR A FIRE STATION TO BE BUILT WE ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT A FOUR MONTH BUILD OUT GETTING A BUILDING OUT BACK TO BACK THE FIRE ENGINE IN THAT WOULD BE THE QUICKEST ALTERNATIVE TO A REGULAR FIRE STATION CHIEF WILSON SAYS THAT TAKES MONEY AND THE CITY COUNCIL'S FULL APPROVAL

IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING AND A LOT OF BUREAUCRACY IN GOVERNMENT ALL THE APARTMENTS AND RETAIL, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, PROPERTY OWNERS AND TAXPAYERS AND WE DESERVE TO HAVE A FIRE STATION NEARBY WE TALKED WITH A MAN WHO LIVES IN 32234 AND WORKING HARD TO GET A FIRE STATION TO BRING DOWN THE INSURANCE RATES TOM, IT'S NOT INEXPENSIVE CERTAINLY TO BUILD A FIRE STATION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $7 MILLION TO BUILD IT, TO STAFF IT AND FOR ALL THE EQUIPMENT

IF YOU LOOK AT THE SEVEN MILLION COMPARED TO THE 32 MILLION THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE PAYING, THAT'S A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS IS STARTLING INFORMATION TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, JEN HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WERE PAYING MORE FOR THEIR INSURANCE LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT FIRE STATIONS HOW ABOUT MORE FIRE HYDRANTS

WOULDN'T THAT HELP? JFRD HAS BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH JA WHO PUTS IN THE FIRE HYDRANTS AND PUT MORE IN THE YELLOW AREAS, TOM, AND THEY HAD TANKER TRUCKS TO MOVE THEM AROUND THAT MAKES THEM PORTABLE FIRE HYDRANTS THIS WHOLE MAP IS GOING TO CHANGE ALL THAT YELLOW IS GOING TO CHANGE IF YOU LIVE IN THE YELLOW AREAS, OKAY YOU NEED TO CALL YOUR INSURANCE AGENT, TELL THEM THAT YOU WANT TO GET ANOTHER QUOTE NOW AGAIN THIS HAPPENS NEXT MONTH SO IT'S IN APRIL

YOUR INSURANCE MAY NOT REVIEW UNTIL NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER STILL MAKE THE CALL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 15,000 PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET A MUCH LOWER RATE AND SAVE THEM A LOT OF MONEY THE THING TO DO IS CALL AND ASK FOR THE LOWER RATE? ABSOLUTELY JEN

THANK YOU WELL IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE CHANGE IS HAPPENING NEXT MONTH DO NOT APPLY TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN RED WHO ARE DESIGNATED PC 10 SO PEOPLE WHO LIVE OR OWN BUSINESSES WILL CONTINUE TO BE CHARGED A HIGHER ENTER RATE LOOK FOR YOUR STORY ON THE HOME PAGE YOU WILL FIND AN INTERACTIVE MAP TO ZOOM IN ON YOUR ZIP CODE AND NEIGHBORHOOD TO SEE WHAT ZONE APPLIES TO ALL

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