As I’ve often said, surviving the storm is rarely the hardest part. The real fight begins in the aftermath — navigating the complex, red-tape-filled insurance claim process that too often leaves policyholders dazed in their most vulnerable moments of need.

For those seeking practical insights and guidance after Hurricane Helene or Milton, I encourage you to watch “Hurricane Milton: Resolving Claim Disputes” webinar hosted on September 17, 2025. It was an honor to join this discussion and share the virtual stage with an exceptional group of professionals deeply committed to helping Floridians rebuild stronger.

Expert Panelists included:

Amy Bach, Esq. – Executive Director, United Policyholders
Cecile Latimore – Director, Customer Experience & Advocacy, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
Leslie Webb – Liaison, Research & Regulation Unit, Bureau of Insurance Assistance, Division of Consumer Services
Michael A. Cassel, Esq., LL.M. – Cassel & Cassel, P.A.
Rick Tutwiler, CPIA, P.C.L.S. – Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.

The collaboration and expertise shared during this session underscored a fundamental truth — recovery is not just about rebuilding structures, it’s about rebuilding trust and fairness within our insurance ecosystem.

A Season That Felt Like a Heavyweight Bout

For many Florida homeowners, the 2024 hurricane season felt less like a weather event and more like a fight they never signed up for.

Beginning with Hurricane Debby’s deluge, and followed in rapid succession by Hurricane Helene (September) and Hurricane Milton (October), Floridians endured a devastating one-two punch — a literal and figurative haymaker to an already beleaguered insurance market.

These storms left policyholders staggering, forced to contend with catastrophic losses, delayed or denied claims, and endless frustration. The aftershocks are still being felt today — not only in damaged homes but in the trickle-down effects across Florida’s real estate markets, where pending transactions have been disrupted and lawsuits are intensifying, as recently highlighted by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. South Tampa mansion sale sparks lawsuit over unpermitted work - Tampa Bay Business Journal

Are We Near the Knockout?

While Florida may have avoided a total TKO, the fear of a knockout blow remains — rising rates, record premiums, and widespread non-renewals have become the new norm.

And yet, this irony persists: even as policyholders face mounting financial strain, many insurance companies are reporting record profits, launching Wall Street IPOs, and awarding multi-million-dollar executive bonuses. Meanwhile, whistleblowers attempting to expose bad-faith practices find themselves silenced through lawsuits and intimidation — often by the very entities claiming “legislative victory” for consumers.

To make matters worse, the NFIP shutdown has forced thousands into the private flood market, inflating costs while slowing home sales. Agents report that many homeowners are now canceling excess flood policies, leaving them dangerously underinsured as storm activity increases.

The Uneven Road to Recovery

What began as an emergency response has evolved into a long-term test of resilience and accountability. Wealthier homeowners, with access to cash and resources, rebuild quickly. But countless working families — including renters and those displaced — remain in limbo. Just yesterday, I spoke with a well-known family still moving from rental to rental months after a major fire loss in January. Their insurer’s mishandling of the claim has delayed reconstruction and upended their children’s school year — a sobering reminder that even the affluent are not immune from insurer neglect.

The broader concern remains the “recovery gap” — where those with means bounce back, and those without fall further behind. Add to that what many experts describe as a “coverage collapse” fueled by flawed data and ignored regulatory oversight, and you have a recipe for systemic failure.

A Simple Prescription: Put Policyholders First

Perhaps the solution isn’t as complex as it seems. If we truly want to stabilize the market, we must return to basics:

✅ Put the policyholder first.
✅ Empower all professionals in the claim process — adjusters, engineers, contractors, and attorneys — to do their jobs objectively and ethically.
✅ Let the policyholder decide how best to use those resources.

When the policyholder’s best interest is the guiding principle, everything else falls into place.

Quote for Reflection: “The Patience of the Poor”

“When you’re poor in America, you’re not free. And when you’re poor you learn to have patience. You lose choices when you’re poor. You don’t get to pick where your kids go to school. You don’t pick where you live, and you don’t pick your doctor.”
— Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time

* This article was edited with Chat GPT