As numerous clients are in various stages of repairs their Hurricane Ian damaged properties, we would like to share one success story that underscores the invaluable role experienced public adjusters can play contributing to the stability of Florida's challenging insurance market. First, let’s look at an example of what has brought policyholders, claim professionals, state officials, and insurance executives to this point of frustration.

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On September 16, 2020, Hurricane Sally caused severe damage all along the Emerald Coast and greater Pensacola regions. The effects of Sally were not quite as extensive as what the Mariner endured with Hurricane Ivan in 2004, though Sally’s impact did pack a windy punch rendering the building uninhabitable for quite some time. 

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One can never be completely prepared for disaster or other societal impacts a disaster can bring to a region. In our firm’s experience, those who are best prepared have formerly endured the claim process and call their public adjusters right away. The Historic 2021 Winter Outbreak wreaked havoc in Texas bringing snow, sleet, and freezing rain along with extreme cold temperatures that lasted for several days. It was one of the most impactful winter events in recent history that culminated with multiday power outages, loss of heat and countless broken pipes leading to the costliest weather disaster for the State of Texas.

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As we approach the winter season, we are all starting to turn on our heat, bundle up, pull out those space heaters for our drafty basements and turn on the heated blanket at night. While all the above are effective ways to stay warm during the winter months, it’s important to note that all of these methods of warmth are major contributors to the origin of commercial or residential house fires.

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ISV, LLC is a prominent property development company based in Windermere, Florida with a 9-year growing real estate portfolio.  Sadly, ISV’s owner learned that two of his residential multi-family dwelling structures in Sanford, Florida suffered extensive fire damage on May 11, 2021. Following a cause and origin investigation, fire officials were unable to determine the area of origin.  Despite ISV’s timely claim reporting and C&O Report submission, the claim adjuster assigned by ISV’s insurance company notified the claim was still being investigated by the carrier, informing: “the process could very well take several months to finalize.”

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The complexities of a property insurance claim are many. This is even more true with the variables that exist in claims for country clubs and resorts. Owners and managers are not only tasked with navigating a building damage claim and policy coverage issues, but they also have the monumental task of addressing, assessing, and seeking compensation for damages to business personal property, maintenance equipment, golf carts, golf course and grounds, supplies, saleable goods Inventory, food & beverage stock, debris removal, and costs incurred for engineers, architects, and auditors. Moreover, owners will be tasked with addressing and projecting intangible damages for items like business interruption, extra expense, lost sales revenue, and lost membership dues. For business managers not familiar with the insurance claims process this is a daunting task that takes away large chunks of time from their primary responsibilities to efficiently operate the business.

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Statistics show that 5% of structural fires or one in twenty are caused by cigarettes. On the late morning of May 21, 2020, an apartment landlord in the Pittsburgh area found out what it was like to become part of that statistic. Once the smoke cleared, he turned to his insurance company for help, where he quickly realized they weren’t the “good neighbor” they made themselves out to be. Then he turned to a trusted insurance claim adjuster also known as a public adjuster.

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Following a major commercial fire at a Ybor City nightclub in Tampa, Fl. the property owners made a quick decision to hire what turned out to be an unqualified Public Adjuster.  That adjuster decided to bring in a restoration company that he was friends with and together they made many mistakes with the claim. The insurance company offered $85,000 on the claim that obviously required a greater sum to put the property back to pre-loss condition. Client frustration built up and subsequently both companies were fired. But the damage was done, and the claim was a mess. In fact, the damage became worse!

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Hurricane Irma made landfall over southern Florida on September 10^th 2017 as a Category 3 storm packing winds of more than 110 miles per hour.  It overwhelmed the entire state for nearly two days with heavy rains greater than 2 inches and fierce winds causing extensive damage to a luxury home located on Highland Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida. 

The insurance company’s initial offer was well below the Hurricane Deductible of $90,000 resulting in no payment being made to the insured as they felt the damages did not warrant a settlement and further contended damages were pre-existing.  The insured’s hired Tutwiler and Associates public adjusters, Rick Tutwiler and Kevin Leisure, to represent them.

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During a heavy overnight rainstorm in June 2020 a large amount of water gathered on the rear portion of a commercial structure in Tampa, FL.  Due to the extreme weight of the water the rear portion of the roof failed causing a severe collapse.  This created an opening in the structure which allowed large amounts of water to enter the building.  Structural damage was present along with damages to the entire roof system, interior walls, flooring, and finishes.  Additionally, a large amount of business personal property had sustained damage.  Recognizing the severity of the damage and potential claim issues the client retained, Public Adjuster Scott Luginski.  Scott wasted no time to review the policy, assess and discuss coverage with the carrier and quickly obtain a six-figure advance payment for the policyholder.  Scott was then able to manage the entire claim (allowing the policyholder to resume daily business activities), meet with the insurance company personnel numerous times (including adjusters, consultants and experts) and pinpoint all damages to provide an accurate scope of work necessary to return the structure to pre-loss conditions.  Ultimately, Scott was able to obtain a settlement exceeding $420,000.

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