CFO Jimmy Patronis: 9 Months Since Hurricane Michael, We Must Continue to Step Up for Storm Victims
7/12/2019
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis released the following statement on the 9-month anniversary of Hurricane Michael making landfall in the Florida Panhandle:
“Nine months ago today, Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a massive Category 5 storm, changing these communities and my hometown of Panama City forever. While we’ve made great strides in recovery, there is still so much more work to be done. There are currently more than 21,000 open insurance claims related to this storm and I’m continuing to call on insurance companies to step up for their policyholders and work to close out these remaining claims immediately. Claim delays only open the door for fraud and costly litigation that hampers storm recovery.
“If consumers are having issues with their Hurricane Michael claims, please do not hesitate to call my Insurance Consumer Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO and allow my insurance specialist to go to work for you at no charge. To date, we have already recovered $23.7 million on behalf of Hurricane Michael victims. We must work together in every way we can to continue to rebuild the Panhandle and make these people and businesses whole again.
"These communities are now dealing with a very real mental health crisis that is tragically impacting our kids. We must address this issue collaboratively, and I fully support First Lady Casey DeSantis making this a priority. Nine months later, we are still in this together and we will always be #850Strong!”
“Nine months ago today, Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a massive Category 5 storm, changing these communities and my hometown of Panama City forever. While we’ve made great strides in recovery, there is still so much more work to be done. There are currently more than 21,000 open insurance claims related to this storm and I’m continuing to call on insurance companies to step up for their policyholders and work to close out these remaining claims immediately. Claim delays only open the door for fraud and costly litigation that hampers storm recovery.
“If consumers are having issues with their Hurricane Michael claims, please do not hesitate to call my Insurance Consumer Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO and allow my insurance specialist to go to work for you at no charge. To date, we have already recovered $23.7 million on behalf of Hurricane Michael victims. We must work together in every way we can to continue to rebuild the Panhandle and make these people and businesses whole again.
"These communities are now dealing with a very real mental health crisis that is tragically impacting our kids. We must address this issue collaboratively, and I fully support First Lady Casey DeSantis making this a priority. Nine months later, we are still in this together and we will always be #850Strong!”