Tampa public adjuster weighs-in on property insurance special session

Tampa public adjuster weighs-in on property insurance special session

Insurance Reform Special Session Updates
Public adjuster talks property insurance special session (baynews9.com)
Lawmakers to tackle Florida's property insurance crisis (baynews9.com)

As legislators attempt to reform and bailout the Florida property insurance market, ask yourself this:
Is the policyholder, property owner being put first?


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Florida State Regulators & Insurance Lobbyists Continue to put Florida Policyholders at Risk

Florida State Regulators & Insurance Lobbyists Continue to put Florida Policyholders at Risk

In 2011, investigative reporter, Ms. Paige St. John of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting that produced multiple news articles examining Florida’s murky property insurance system vital to Florida’s property owners.  Ms. St. John provided helpful data for consumers to evaluate their insurance company’s (and the industry) reliability, sustainability, and ultimately uncovered how State regulators and insurance company lobbyists oftentimes put the best interests of Florida’s insurance consumers at risk, while at the same time “big insurance” continues to roll the dice and gamble to cash in.  This is a recurring theme that takes place at the same time each year as politicians report to Tallahassee, FL to fulfill their promises while seemingly ignoring their obligations.

 

This year, the mayhem began on January 7, 2020 when Florida’s Senate Banking and Insurance Committee introduced legislation via House Bill (HB 1137) that is “all about consumer protection.”  The proposed language written in the Bill is being championed by Florida CFO, Mr. Jimmy Patronis who is a native Floridian born and raised in Panama City where Hurricane Michael roared ashore in October 2018.


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Policyholder Asks Public Adjuster to Take a Closer Look at Their Pittsburgh Water Damage Claim

Policyholder Asks Public Adjuster to Take a Closer Look at Their Pittsburgh Water Damage Claim

Our public adjuster offices settle many claims each month. Here is one written up by our Pittsburgh Public Adjuster, Mr. Zach Flora. It’s a good lesson about digging into the details and taking charge of your claim. On August 25th a Pittsburgh family of 3 were away enjoying a fun filled family vacation when they received a call from a neighbor that quickly turned their sunshine to clouds. The neighbor called with the horrible news that their garage door was mysteriously open and water was pouring out onto the driveway. 


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Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims – A Public Adjuster Shares Some Commonsense Advice

Hurricane Michael Insurance Claims – A Public Adjuster Shares Some Commonsense Advice

Based on damage reports from our public adjuster staff who have set up an office in Panama City, there is no doubt this event will create insurance claim disputes unlike we’ve seen before. But first we want to commend the continued brave activities of the first responders and quick activities of the city officials. To deal with these perils it behooves property owners to keep their eye on the ball or in this case the money. High percentage hurricane deductibles are being applied and many folks may be surprised that despite their wind or hurricane coverage, they may be out of pocket for mitigation and replacement costs.


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Hurricane Harvey Insurance Claims – Some Common Sense Advice from an Experienced Adjuster

Hurricane Harvey Insurance Claims – Some Common Sense Advice from an Experienced Adjuster

Our hearts go out to all the folks in Texas and Louisiana affected by Hurricane Harvey and the brave first responders risking their safety to assist others. Based on damage reports and our own public adjuster staff who are monitoring the situation, there is no doubt this event will rival Katrina and create insurance claim disputes unlike we’ve seen before. And if property damage wasn’t enough, the loss of power added misery to the mix.  To deal with these perils it behooves property owners to keep their eye on the ball or in this case the money. High percentage hurricane deductibles are being applied and many folks may be surprised that despite their wind or hurricane coverage, they may be out of pocket for the mitigation and replacement costs due to lack of flood coverage or exclusions for water - sewer back-up. 


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Policyholder Question – Is Executor Entitled to Insurance Settlement from Hurricane Matthew?

Policyholder Question – Is Executor Entitled to Insurance Settlement from Hurricane Matthew?

The following is an insurance claim question we answered for a policyholder through the United Policyholders Ask an Expert Forum.

Q. I have been the legal guardian for my mother-in-law. She has recently passed away and I am the PR for her estate, approved and documented by the local courts. I also don't live here full time, but I've had to be here regularly for several years in order to maintain the property which is an asset of the estate. Now I am undertaking the remediation and reconstruction after damage from Hurricane Matthew. Am I entitled to all that the owner would be, such as ALE, etc?


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Policyholder Question – What do I do when the insurance company won’t honor the roof damage estimates they told me to get and only want to pay for a partial repair?

Policyholder Question – What do I do when the insurance company won’t honor the roof damage estimates they told me to get and only want to pay for a partial repair?

Thank you to our Orlando Public Adjuster Brad Barrett for answering the following question:

Q. I had damage to my roof during a storm. Shingles blown off as well as some hail. Insurance told me to get 3 estimates which I did and then sent their adjuster out and he wrote me a check.  The 3 estimates said I had wind and hail damage and so did the check from carrier but the estimates said I needed the whole roof replaced and the carrier said I only needed the 1 corner repaired where shingles blew off. What should I do?


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Windstorm Insurance Conference 2016 - Overview of a Very Successful Event

Windstorm Insurance Conference 2016 - Overview of a Very Successful Event

The 2016 Windstorm Insurance Conference is in the history books.  A final count determined over 1,050 claims professionals were in attendance in Orlando, Florida.  Registrations exceeded a lot of folk’s expectations this year given the lack of a major Cat event in the southeast. But this year’s success goes to show that the Windstorm Insurance Network, Inc. has evolved into much more than a regional conference. Super Storm Sandy is a reminder that there are shared experiences with other parts of the country and as the old saying goes, “knowledge and information is power.” The WIND Conference is in my opinion the place to go to enable professionals to enhance their skills and knowledge about property insurance matters. 


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Our Most Popular Property Insurance Claim Posts of 2015

Our Most Popular Property Insurance Claim Posts of 2015

This is the time of year to reflect on our activities and share some of our most popular blogs. We started the year with Winter Storm Juno and the record snow and ice that brought ice dams and pipe bursts. Will we see a repeat in 2016? While we are now 10 years without a hurricane impacting Florida, we did experience severe flooding in the Tampa Bay area and then saw torrential rains bring record floods to South Carolina. And of course our property insurance claim tips to educate policyholders and adjusters always proved popular. Of course, the year would not be complete without the legislative controversy that included Assignment of Benefits issues and exposing some of the poor claims handling practices still in vogue. We’re looking forward to providing you more claim tips and coverage of the insurance industry in 2016. If there is an insurance claim issue you’d like us to write about or if you have a property claim related question, just let us know. A healthy and claim free Happy New Year to all.

Assignment of Benefits in Florida – The Beat Goes On


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Support United Policyholders

Support United Policyholders
One group we would like all our professional colleagues to be aware of is United Policyholders, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and advocate for property insurance policyholders. Whenever there is a major weather or disaster event, like the recent California wild fires, they are there to answer questions and lend a hand with disaster recovery assistance. We are proud to be a Platinum Sponsor and welcome the opportunity to be part of the expert panel that helps to answer policyholder questions. We urge all of our colleagues to consider helping this organization, so they can do more to educate and protect policyholders. 
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"On Property" Insurance Claim Tips Blog

Tips and advice about how to properly file and protect your property damage insurance claim and get a fair settlement. We invite all readers to ask questions about their claim so our public adjusters can post answers for others to benefit. Insurance claim expert guest bloggers welcome to submit posts via our contact form.

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Local Office

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.
Licensed Public Insurance Adjusters & Loss Consultants
Offices: Tampa, Orlando, Palm City, Ft. Myers, Florida; Dallas, TX; Pittsburgh, PA

Executive Office
4300 W. Cypress St.
Suite 780
Tampa, FL 33607
Phone: 813.287.8090
Toll Free: 800.321.4488

Licensed in Florida # W840088 &
Texas #1399706 plus 16 other states
and the Virgin Islands