Q. I serve on a COA Board and we recently had a fire. Our property manager is telling us the contractor will handle everything, while some of us want to talk to a public adjuster. What is your perspective? A. By law in Florida, your contractor cannot act as the adjuster. He cannot negotiate on the behalf…
The 2019 Windstorm Conference held at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort hotel was a new milestone on several fronts. This year was the 20th anniversary of an organization that was founded based on the realization that claims professionals from all different professional disciplines can meet, exchange and debate ideas, and help to formulate best practices to help insured…
It’s been just over three (3) months since Hurricane Michael decimated Panama City, Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe causing billions of dollars in damage in just those areas alone. Michael was the strongest hurricane to ever strike the Florida Panhandle, reaching back to the beginning of even fragmentary historical records in 1851. Let’s not…
As Hurricane Michael damage recovery moves into the new year, we continue get deluged with property insurance claim questions from frustrated policyholders. Right now, we seem to be at the stage where policyholders have received settlement offers they feel are too low to fix their damage or where property owners feel their insurance company is…
Happy New Year to all our readers! Before the holiday season gets past us, I want to commend Florida Public Adjuster, Michael Platts who embodies the spirit of holiday giving. For several years, Mike has donated to Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa. This year, after being alerted that the they were in need of gifts for young teens,…
A lot of properties that experienced Hurricane Michael losses are starting to have Law & Ordinance issues. Law & Ordinance kicks in when the Florida and local building code requirements impact what will be required in order to obtain a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) in order to reoccupy the damaged structure. It is a separate…
This is about the time in the insurance claims settlement cycle that we start getting calls from property owners living in condos, who are looking for help following property damage to their building that impacted their unit. This often takes the form of damage to the unit owner’s property, including their personal property as well…
The Windstorm Insurance Network (WIND), an association that brings together both insurance defense and policyholder advocate professionals to connect, learn, and engage on important topics in the property/windstorm insurance claims industry, once again stepped up to assist with Hurricane Michael relief efforts. Below is the information related to the donation as posted by WIND. I’m proud of…
The effects of Hurricane Michaels wind and rain damage are still readily apparent in the Panama City area. Roofing crews and blue tarps are still visible wherever you travel. But what may not be so obvious, are storm related damages that may have resulted to electrical and mechanical systems in your home or business. From…
Your property or business suffered damage during Hurricane Michael. You promptly filed a claim or had a public insurance adjuster document and file the claim for you. A check from the insurance company appears in the mail. Great! How easy could it be? But wait, there’s a catch…..on the back of your check there is…