Blog

When passing the most sweeping insurance reform bills in history—Senate Bill ("SB") 76 in 2021 and SB 2A in 2022 which severely limited policyholders' rights—insurance companies and Florida legislators blamed the need for such harsh regulation on “out of control” claim litigation, i.e., lawsuits ...

If you have an open homeowner's insurance claim from Hurricane Ian or another loss and your insurance company goes bankrupt, the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) will likely be responsible to pay your claim, but you need to know what to do to file a timely claim with FIGA so you can ...

“These people knew my walls were broken and crumbling, and they put me through hell,” our client, Kestra Brown, said in this watershed Washington Post article, revealing the aggressive tactics United Property and Casualty (UPC) took to deny and underpay claims before collapsing when Hurricane Ian...

With the recent collapse of numerous insurance companies in Florida (St. Johns, Avatar, Southern Fidelity, United P&C, etc.), particularly in the wake of Hurricane Ian, we've been fielding a lot of questions from our clients and policyholders wondering what happens now?  Who is going to pay my cl...

With sales of eBikes in Florida and the United States soaring and little to no regulation on required safety equipment, licensure, or traffic operations, medical experts are seeing more traumatic injuries resulting from eBike crashes, particular in teen riders, as well as fatalities.  It is becom...

You purchased insurance in order to protect your home against wind.  You paid insurance premiums for this very reason.  Insurance works when the insurance company honors its promise by paying you promptly and fairly. Insurance does not work when the company delays or wrongfully denies your claim....

As hurricane season unfolds, it is important for Pensacola homeowners to know what coverage you have in place before a storm forms in the Gulf of Mexico. When storms are heading towards land, most insurance companies stop selling new policies or won't allow coverage increases — or both.  That's w...

The best time to prepare for a hurricane in Pensacola is before a hurricane ever forms in the Gulf of Mexico. It is vital to document the condition of your home, understand your insurance coverages and limits, protect your property as best you can, and have an emergency plan and kit in place.  He...

As summer unfolds, we are likely to see tropical storms develop along the coast that can bring hot moist air, as well as heavy winds and rain.  These conditions can also cause tornados to develop, like the tornados that formed and struck west Pensacola and Pensacola Beach on June 16, 2023 and the...

On June 14, 2023, the Florida First District Court of Appeal (“DCA”) ruled in favor of our client, Joseph Silvia, and against Castle Key Insurance Company, finding Castle Key's attempt to avoid having a jury determine how much it owed on the claim—by invoking appraisal too late—failed under the l...

As insurance attorneys who have been helping policyholders with their hurricane claims for decades, we get this question a lot, currently from south Floridians whose homes are still damaged from Hurricane Ian: What if I have unrepaired damage from a prior hurricane and another hurricane strikes...

The Florida Legislature was busy in 2021 and 2022, passing the most sweeping insurance reform bills in history which severely limited policyholders' rights.  Believing insurance litigation—not internal insurance company mismanagement—to be the cause of the current insurance crisis in Florida (col...

Statistics reported in April—Distracted Driving Awareness Month—show distracted driving has become an increasingly common and fatal hazard.  According to the 2023 Travelers Risk Index 70% of survey respondents reported they feel distracted driving is more of a problem now than it was a few years ...

Many of us in Escambia and Santa Rosa County have used rideshare companies like Uber® or Lyft® to hitch a quick, affordable ride for a number of reasons: to avoid driving in traffic, the difficulty in finding parking, or to avoid driving after having had a few drinks.  The ease and convenience of...

What you do immediately after an auto accident can have a dramatic impact on your legal rights and your ability to recover losses and damages after the accident, this includes an accident where you were driving, riding in, or collided with a vehicle being operated under a rideshare service such a...

In February, United Property and Casualty Insurance Co. (“UPC”) was declared insolvent and went into receivership.  This left thousands of Florida homeowners—many still with damage from Hurricane Ian—scrambling to find insurance coverage.  Most turned to Florida's insurer of last resort, Citizens...

If you were in an accident caused by an Uber® or Lyft® driver, you have the right to sue the Uber driver for your injuries and losses.  Every driver on Florida roads has an obligation to drive safely and will be liable for any injuries caused by his or her negligent driving, whether driving for a...

In any dispute there are, at least, two sides to the story.  In an insurance dispute, it is typically the policyholders claiming their insurance company failed to pay their claim timely or in full.  In response, the insurance company will often raise defenses that they claim justify their delay o...

Wonder what the real cause is behind the “insurance crisis” in Florida?  Insurance companies not paying claims could be the primary reason.  A recent article out of the Washington Post shows insurance companies with Hurricane Ian claims have been taking damages estimates prepared by their field a...

As drivers in Florida, we are all aware of the increased number of Uber® and Lyft® drivers there are on the roads.  It would be difficult to find someone who hasn't used their services.  Millions of drivers nationwide have become Uber or Lyft drivers to generate flexible full-time or part-time in...

An insurance company has to live up to the terms of the policy which includes paying for damages to covered property. It is a breach of the agreement for the insurance company to try to escape paying for the claim by using alternative facts, contending the property was damaged before the storm ...

As Floridians, many of us have gone through the process of filing an insurance claim for hurricane damage. This means many of you have seen your insurance company attempt to undervalue your claim by saying the damage was not caused by the massive amounts of wind and rain that were dumped on your ...

We know there are hundreds of homeowners in south Florida right now who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.  As insurance attorneys who have been helping homeowners with hurricane claims for decades, we know, often the most stressful part of going through a hurricane is dealing with ...

For those of you who suffered damage from Hurricane Ian, you may have been displaced from your home as a result.  Destructive winds and rainwater can wreak havoc and often leave a home uninhabitable, forcing you and your family to live somewhere else until your home is repaired or otherwise resto...

In recent years, Uber® and Lyft® have become dominant players in the transportation business by providing commuters with affordable, on-demand access to rideshare services.  However, with the influx of rideshare drivers on the road—both those transporting customers or driving between fares—our ro...