60 Minutes Found Altered Damage Reports. Your Estimate May Not Be What the Inspector Wrote. In September 2024, CBS’s 60 Minutes aired “After the Hurricane,” a year-long investigation into Hurricane Ian insurance claims. Licensed field adjusters alleged that insurers materially changed their damage reports after inspections, cutting estimates drastically while leaving the field adjuster’s name ...
Read MoreAuthor: Libby Tucker
Florida Hurricane Claim Denials: The Pattern Behind Every Storm
It Is Not One Storm. It Is Every Storm. After every Florida hurricane, the same numbers appear. Helene: 32% of claims closed without payment. Milton: 35%, or 129,348 claims paid nothing. Michael: 14% unpaid, with nearly one in four commercial claims closed with zero. Different storms, different years, same outcome for tens of thousands of ...
Read MoreHurricane Michael Claims: What 158,991 Panhandle Claims Teach You
158,991 Claims on a Category 5. Eight Years Later, the Lessons Still Apply. Hurricane Michael slammed into Mexico Beach on October 10, 2018 as a Category 5, the first Cat 5 to hit the Florida Panhandle on record. Bay County alone filed 95,184 claims, 60% of the statewide total. OIR’s final data call tells the ...
Read MoreWhat Milton’s 129,348 Unpaid Claims Mean for Your Hurricane Isaias Claim
343,789 Claims. 129,348 Paid Nothing. The Largest Denial Wave in Recent Florida History. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on October 9, 2024 as a Category 3, less than two weeks after Helene. Florida owners filed 343,789 claims across all lines. OIR’s accounting of what happened next is stark. The Numbers 343,789 total claims ...
Read MoreHurricane Helene Claims Data: 32% Closed Without Payment in Florida
127,066 Claims. $2.39 Billion in Losses. Nearly a Third Paid Nothing. Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend on September 26, 2024 as a Category 4. Pinellas County alone filed 44,885 claims. When the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation tallied the results, the numbers told a familiar story. The Numbers 127,066 total claims filed in Florida ...
Read MoreTree on Roof Insurance Claim in Florida: Photo Everything Before Cleanup
After the Storm: Photograph Everything Before You Touch Anything The single most important thing a property owner can do after a hurricane is also the simplest: photograph and video everything before cleanup begins. Before the chainsaws start. Before the tarps go up. Before a single branch moves. Florida law itself says so. The Homeowner Claims ...
Read MoreWhy Good Lawyers Are Turning Down Small Insurance Claims in Florida Now
Why Good Lawyers Are Turning Down Small Insurance Claims in Florida Now For decades, Florida property owners had a powerful backstop: if the insurance company refused to pay fairly, an attorney would take the case on contingency. The insurer knew this. That leverage is mostly gone now, and owners need to understand what replaced it. ...
Read MoreWhat Does a Public Adjuster Cost in Florida? The Law Sets the Answer
What Does a Public Adjuster Cost in Florida? The Law Sets the Answer The number one question property owners ask before calling: what does this cost? In Florida, the answer is not a sales pitch. It is written into state law. The Fee Caps (Florida Statute 626.854) 20% maximum on most claims. This is the ...
Read MoreHurricane Isaias HOA and Condo Claims: Who Files What in Florida
HOA and Condo Association Claims After Hurricane Isaias: Who Claims What Hurricane Isaias damaged roofs, clubhouses, fences, and common areas across Panhandle communities. For HOAs and condo associations, the first question is always: who claims what? The association, the unit owners, or both? Getting this wrong costs communities serious money. The Split: Common Elements vs. ...
Read MoreHurricane Damage to Storage Facilities: The Overlooked Multi-Million-Dollar Claims
Hurricane Damage to Storage Facilities: The Overlooked Multi-Million-Dollar Claims Storage facilities concentrate enormous value under light metal roofs. When Hurricane Isaias hit the Panhandle with 105 mph winds, every storage facility in Walton, Okaloosa, and Bay counties took a hit. These claims are large, complex, and routinely underpaid. How Wind Damages Storage Facilities Roof panel ...
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