HD Law Partners Blog

Insurance fraud costs insurance carriers billions of dollars each year and contributes to increased premiums, prolonged investigations, and unnecessary litigation. While most policyholders submit legitimate claims, a small percentage of claims involve intentional misrepresentations, exaggerated damages, or outright fabrication. For insurance companies, identifying and defending against fraudulent claims is essential to protecting policyholders, maintaining financial stability, and ensuring fairness throughout the claims process.

At HD Law Partners, our Tampa insurance defense attorneys represent insurance carriers in complex fraud investigations, coverage disputes, bad faith allegations, and insurance litigation matters throughout Florida. If your company is facing a suspected fraudulent claim, contact our experienced insurance defense team today by calling 813-253-5333 or visit our Contact Us page to schedule a consultation. HD Law Partners is recognized throughout Florida for insurance defense, coverage litigation, and bad faith defense representation.

Considering divorce? Knowing what to expect before you start can save you a lot of time and stress, and talking to a Fort Myers, FL, divorce lawyer early will help you get all the facts straight and plan ahead so the road is as smooth as possible.

First, you need to confirm you meet the state’s residency rules. At least one spouse must have lived in Florida for six months in order for you to file a divorce petition, but the only grounds you need to state is that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” Florida has a no-fault approach, so you do not have to prove there’s been misconduct unless you need to for other reasons. Your case will be filed in the circuit court in the county where you and your spouse last lived together, or it can be filed in the county where either of you now lives if you’re separated.

Even if you’re not yet eligible to file or ready to file, start collecting documents now so you understand exactly what you own and owe together. Make copies of the last three years of joint and individual tax returns, all your recent pay stubs, all bank and credit card statements, your retirement account summaries, and any mortgage statements, car titles, and business records.

If you’re going through a separation or divorce in Tampa, FL, it’s always in your best interest to create a parenting plan that works for your family rather than leave things up to the court. A timesharing parenting plans attorney can make this process smoother by explaining your rights and responsibilities under Florida law and helping you craft a plan the courts will find acceptable.

Florida law spells out exactly what must go into every approved parenting plan, and it’s extensive. Your plan has to describe in detail how you and the other parent are going to split all the everyday tasks of your children’s lives. There must be a specific timesharing schedule that lays out exactly when the child will be with each parent not only on regular weekdays but also on the weekends, holidays, at school breaks, and through the summer.

Your plan must also name who is going to handle the healthcare decisions and school registration, how extracurricular activities will be dealt with, how the parents will communicate, and also list safe and agreed-upon places for exchanges. If you and the other parent can’t agree on all these details, then the court will create a plan for you, and the main concern of the court will not be what best works for you but what’s in the best interests of your child.

Sinkhole claims in Orlando, FL fall under some specific state laws and have unique insurance requirements. If you’re dealing with a sinkhole, call an experienced sinkhole claims attorney to make sure your claim has the best chance of success.

Most standard policies here in Florida will cover things like fire, theft, water damage from burst pipes, and often also windstorms. Usually you get all this on your base policy without any special endorsement, though flood damage usually requires separate flood insurance.

Sinkhole coverage is not automatic. Florida law requires that insurers offer it as an optional endorsement, but it is not mandatory. What is mandatory is something called “Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse (CGCC)” coverage. At first glance, you might think that describes a sinkhole, but actually CGCC is a narrower coverage, and it only complies if four very specific conditions are all met:

Florida attorneys: are you aware that by mid‑2026, every active member of The Florida Bar must complete a 2‑hour Florida Legal Professionalism CLE? This newly emphasized requirement is now mandatory within each 3‑year CLE reporting cycle and many lawyers are just now discovering it.

At HD Law Partners, we stay current on regulatory updates impacting the Florida legal community. While our firm does not provide CLE or compliance services, we believe that staying informed on Florida Bar requirements is part of responsible practice. That’s why we share important updates like this as part of our mission to uphold professionalism, integrity, and service in the legal profession.

If you’re facing legal challenges in Tampa or throughout Florida whether in civil litigation, insurance disputes, or family law matters HD Law Partners is here to help. Reach out at 813‑253‑5333 or contact us online.

As mandated by the Supreme Court of Florida, all active attorneys must now complete a specific 2‑hour Florida Legal Professionalism course during each CLE reporting cycle (every 3 years). This course is distinct from other professionalism credits and is:

When an insurance company denies a valid claim or handles it unfairly, legal action could be your best option. Hiring a Sarasota, FL insurance litigation attorney early will mean you fully understand your rights and the path forward.

A lawyer can help a lot, right from the beginning. Your lawyer will review your policy, the denial, and the evidence to assess if you have a strong case. They’ll explain all your legal options, handle all communications with the insurer, prevent you from saying or signing anything that harms your position, and help you decide if suing is worth the time and cost.

The process really begins when your lawyer sends a demand letter to the insurer outlining the facts, any policy violations, and what you’re requesting in compensation. This letter usually also includes calculations for damages. At that point, the insurer will usually respond with a counteroffer.

You may go into mediation at this point, and often this resolves things. If you can come to a settlement, you’ll save on court fees and have access to your payout more quickly. But even with a mediation, you’ll want the help of a lawyer. Your lawyer will protect you from signing any deals that aren’t in your best interests and will bring experience in negotiation to your side of the table.

Fire damage can easily ruin your home or business, and after a disaster, you expect your insurance company to step up. The process of handling a claim involves multiple steps, from initial acknowledgment to final resolution, and there can be misunderstandings and delays all along the way. A Fort Myers, FL fire claims attorney can help you keep your claim moving and your insurer honest.  

Upon receiving your claim, your Florida insurer should promptly acknowledge that they got it: they have a max of 14 days to do so under Florida law. The insurer has to then assign a claims adjuster, and this adjuster will be your primary point of contact. They’ll gather details about the incident and your coverage. During this phase, the insurer may request access to your property so they can do an on-site inspection, and they’ll likely coordinate with the local fire department, as well.

Next, your claim enters a more detailed investigation phase. The insurer will often hire specialized investigators like fire origin experts and forensic engineers to determine if the fire was accidental, electrical, or due to other causes. This investigation helps them rule out fraud or intentional acts, which could void your coverage, but they are also looking for any evidence that some negligence on your part contributed. Remember that an insurance company is a business, and a business exists to make profit. That gives them a strong incentive to find a way to deny or minimize a claim.

Tampa, FL is a wonderful place to live, but there’s no denying that storms and flooding are fairly frequent. If your property has been damaged, talk with a property & casualty attorney if you’re having any issues with your insurance company. Insurance issues are notoriously difficult to solve in our state, but an experienced lawyer can help.

Possibly the most common claim of all is water damage, and that’s because water damage can come from so many issues. Storms, of course, are always a concern, and storm surges during hurricanes can inundate your property. We also have heavy rainstorms even when there is no hurricane, and don’t forget about issues within the house itself, like a plumbing failure or the malfunction of an appliance.

This is Florida, which means hurricanes and tropical storms are simply a reality of life. These storms bring strong winds that can damage windows, siding, your roof, and even the overall structural integrity of your home. Hurricanes often come with hail as well, and this can cause a huge issue with your roof and require expensive repairs.

Whether you’re building your dream home or have just purchased a home that’s supposed to be brand new, poor construction work or materials that lead to structural defects can turn your dream into a nightmare. Contact a Sarasota, FL structural defects lawyer right away if you’re experiencing issues so we can get started on recovering the compensation you deserve under the law.

Everything starts when you talk to a lawyer. We can help you gather the evidence you need to prove that there are issues and then go through all the hoops that are required before you can bring a lawsuit. These are very important, and a single mess-up can destroy your case. If you don’t give the right notice, at the right time, if you miss a deadline, or you file something incorrectly, you might be left with no options. A lawyer will protect you from all these issues.

Under Florida laws, your first step is to notify the developer of your property or your contractor about the defect. This is known as a Chapter 558 notice, and it needs to describe clearly where your property is located, the nature of each defect discovered, and all known damage that has resulted from this defect. Under the law, the contractor has 30 days to respond and get the property inspected. They have to fix the issue, settle the matter by compensating you, or bring a formal dispute against your claim.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (which covers Florida) recently reversed an important lower Florida court’s decision which awarded an insurance bad faith plaintiff (Bottini) $30 million in a case involving uninsured/underinsured motorist breach of contract claims.

The vehicle involved in the accident at the heart of the claim had been underinsured under the requirements of Florida law; still the plaintiff’s estate demanded that Geico, from which the plaintiff had purchased $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage, render the maximum payment under the policy. Geico refused, indicating that it was still conducting its own investigation to determine whether the insured had been at fault in the accident. As a result, the motorist’s estate filed a civil remedy notice of insurer violation with the Florida Department of Financial Services (a prerequisite to filing a bad faith claim against an insurer).