Whittel & Melton Hernando County Storm and Hurricane Insurance Claim Attorneys – FL Trial Lawyers Spring Hill, Brooksville 352-666-6666

The year 2020 is one of the most active storm seasons ever in the waters around the State of Florida, the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea.

Storm Deductible Confusion?!

In Florida, property insurance policies typically have two deductibles: a standard deductible for most losses and a hurricane deductible. The standard deductible, also known as the “Other Perils” deductible, applies to pretty much anything covered by the policy, such as fire, pipe bursts, appliance-related water damage claims, or windstorms.

The hurricane deductible only applies to named hurricanes. The last major hurricane to hit Florida was Hurricane Michael in the panhandle on October 10, 2018. More recent hurricanes include Hurricane Sally on September 16, 2020, and Hurricane Zeta on October 28, 2020, which affected the western portions of the Florida panhandle.

Hurricane deductibles are typically 2 or 3 percent of the insurance limit for the home. Which means it can be significantly higher than the standard deductible for all other claims.

In November 2020, the Eta storm started as a Tropical Storm in South Florida counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County. However, it later changed course and moved west into the Gulf of Mexico, where it was reclassified as a hurricane for a short period of time before heading back across Florida as a Tropical Storm toward the Nature Coast.

Don’t Get Fooled by Your Insurance Company!

First, an insurer may hastily apply a hurricane deductible to your claim, even when it should not apply because a Tropical Storm is not a hurricane.

Second (and this is really the most important!), insurers in Florida have often advised their customers after a storm that unless they are absolutely certain that their damage exceeds their hurricane deductible, they should not file a claim.

There are many reasons why this is terrible advice and poor business practice by insurance companies. As the policyholder, it is not your responsibility to know the exact amount of damage you have in the weeks following a severe storm. You may also discover that the storm caused much more damage than you initially thought or could see in the days following the hurricane.

Many Floridians have been misled by insurers and later found out that it was too late to make a claim.

If you believe you have Hurricane or Tropical Storm damage from any of these strong weather systems that brought havoc to Florida, please call us and we can assist you.

Call us today at 352-666-6666.