Two weeks after Hurricane Isaias tore the side off his Navarre Beach home, Kris Williams is doing what the carrier will grade him on. He is documenting his personal property, item by item, while his legal team contacts the insurer. WKRG News 5 told his story on October 23. He moved to Navarre Beach four years ago from the West Coast. This is his first hurricane claim. He is learning the process while he lives inside the damage.
Nearly 55,000 Isaias claims filed statewide, per the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, October 20.
Just over 3,500 closed with payment.
Nearly 8,500 closed without payment.
About 43,000 claims still open.
What the lawyers in the story told homeowners
Attorney Matthew Watkins, whose team is working the Williams claim, gave WKRG the advice his firm gives every homeowner after a storm. File right away, even if the damage looks minimal. Homeowners have one year to report a claim. Waiting gives the carrier room to question whether the storm caused the damage at all. His team is now assessing the structural damage and the cost to rebuild the Williams home.
That advice matches the state count. Nearly 8,500 files already closed without a payment in the first eleven days. Speed closes claims. It does not measure damage.
The deadline that decides the rest of your claim
Florida law gives you one year from landfall to report an Isaias claim. Report by October 9, 2027. If your claim was paid short or closed without payment, you can reopen it or add to it. Reopen or supplement by April 9, 2028. Miss the first date and a new claim is gone. Miss the second and a short payment becomes final.
Kris Williams filed early. That protects him. It does not finish his claim. The carrier’s first scope is rarely complete, and the number that follows that scope is the number most homeowners get stuck with.
What to do while your claim is open
- Photograph everything before cleanup. Every room, every stain, every damaged item. Evidence you throw away is evidence you cannot use.
- Keep a dated written log. Every call, every visit, every document requested, every answer received.
- Get the full scope checked. Compare the carrier’s estimate line by line against your own walkthrough. A missing room means a wrong number.
- Ask for every answer in writing. If a file closes, the carrier has to state why.
How we help, and what it costs you to ask
Policyholder Advocacy Group represents policyholders, not insurance companies. The carrier’s adjuster represents the carrier. We document the full loss, present the claim under the terms and conditions of your policy, and carry the paper fight so you do not have to carry it alone. Nathan Sheppard has worked Florida claims for 17 years, and this firm has represented policyholders since 2012. That is how a file like the Williams claim gets measured in full instead of settled on the first scope.
If your Isaias claim closed without payment, or the first number looks low, start with a Free 21-Point Storm Inspection or call 800.511.2240. Read the statewide count in our Isaias claims by the numbers post, and see how we work Navarre claims.