TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier held a call with insurance company executives today and urged them to be ready to meet Floridians’ needs immediately following Hurricane Michael.

 

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “I put Florida’s insurance industry on notice that I expect that they will be ready to serve Florida families after Hurricane Michael. We’ll do everything possible to protect residents throughout the entire post-storm process. Sen. Marco Rubio has already reached out to me to partner once again on emergency insurance villages to directly help with filing claims. Recovery must be easy and fast so that Floridians can get back to normal as quickly as possible.”

 

Commissioner David Altmaier said: “As Hurricane Michael remains on a path toward Florida as an extremely dangerous storm, CFO Patronis and I reminded the insurance industry of the expectation that every available resource will be used to assist policyholders. It’s no secret flooding and wind damage are two destructive forces for property, but they can also leave homeowners and residents vulnerable and impaired. Ensuring an expeditious path to recovery exists for Floridians will remain our top priority.”

 

Thirty-five insurance companies, which account for large portion of the market in the potential impacted areas, were invited to participate in the call. Topics included: post-storm claims reporting, the availability of insurance adjusters, and homeowners’ abilities to file claims when traditional communication lines are down.

 

CFO Patronis confirmed that there are more than 232,600 licensed individuals who are available to adjust hurricane damage claims in Florida. Insurance companies can appoint (contract with) these adjusters to ensure adequate post-storm availability. CFO Patronis stressed that insurance companies must be prepared and have an appropriate number of adjusters on staff to meet consumers’ post-storm needs.

 

Following the full impact of Hurricane Michael, insurance companies will be required to report daily claims information. Consumers who have questions about policy coverages or need help filing a claim can call CFO Patronis’ free Insurance Consumer Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236).