Category Archives: Homeowners Insurance
Hurricane Irma’s Devastation: Homeowners’ Insurance Bad Faith?
In late May, Coastal Breeze News featured an important article discussing when homeowners have tried for long enough to settle their Hurricane Irma claims with their insurance carriers, and whether there has been insurance bad faith. Below, we discuss this issue in greater detail. Florida Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights Florida has what’s known… Read More »
Resolving Hurricane Insurance Claim Confusion In Florida
Sadly, many Florida homeowners and condominium associations are being given the same disappointing answer from their insurance companies after suffering significant damage from Hurricane Irma: the insurance company thinks that patchwork repairs are enough to fix the problem, while contractors indicate that a complete replacement is necessary. Unfortunately, these battles are now preventing many… Read More »
Too Many Hurricane Irma Insurance Claims Remain Grossly Underpaid Or Not Paid At All
According to the Palm Beach Post, with Florida only one and a half months away from the next hurricane season, less than 57 percent of Hurricane Irma insurance claims have been closed with insurance payments, leaving many home and business owners at a loss, wondering if they will ever hear back on their insurance… Read More »
Homeowners Associations, Insurance, And Leaky Windows After Florida Hurricanes
When it comes to figuring out whether a homeowners’ association is liable for damage, it largely depends upon a) what caused the damage and b) the declaration of condominium. Take, for example, windows in Florida homeowners’ associations that started leaking after Hurricane Irma: As a general rule, any damage done by a hurricane falls… Read More »
Florida Legislature Tackling Hurricane Issues
Following the significant damage that Hurricane Irma inflicted on the state of Florida, storm damage and recovery is a major priority on the Florida legislature’s agenda this year. The session opened on January 9th, with the Florida House focusing on storm preparations and recovery, and the Senate on economic damage. According to the National… Read More »
Flood Claims Likely Biggest Headache For Florida Hurricane Victims
When it comes to hurricane claims, the last thing that any Floridian wants to hear is that their claim has been denied. And yet that is the case for many in our state, especially when it comes to flood claims. In fact, according to statements made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in… Read More »
Eleventh Circuit Upholds Strict Standard For Finding Insurance Bad Faith Behavior
The U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals (covering Florida) recently made a decision helpful to insurance companies fighting insurance bad faith claims. Specifically, the court held that no reasonable jury could find that an insurer’s failure to disclose information about additional insurance in its statutory insurance disclosure rose to the level of bad faith…. Read More »
Florida Braces Itself For 17 More Weeks Of Hurricane Season
You may not realize that, even as of early February, Florida still technically has 17 weeks left of hurricane season, with more and more potential property damage looming. As a result, emergency management officials in Sarasota and surrounding areas are scrambling to put lessons learned after Irma into practice to get ahead of more… Read More »
Florida Businesses Still Heavily Impacted By Hurricane Irma, Months Later
Even three months later, Hurricane Irma and corresponding hurricane insurance claim denials here in Florida are affecting businesses and negatively impacting tourism. While the Florida Keys in particular typically attract more than three million visitors a year—especially right around after Christmas is over—many of the big resorts remain closed after Hurricane Irma. And when… Read More »
Calculating Damage For Hurricanes In Florida
Florida, like Texas and Puerto Rico, has been through a busy hurricane season that has been extremely difficult on residents: just as of September, there were five major hurricanes ranked at category three or higher in strength, 13 named storms, and eight hurricanes total in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma caused multi-billion-dollar losses, which includes… Read More »
