Hurricanes can cause widespread damage in a matter of hours, but the insurance claim process can continue for months. The Morgan Law Group helps Florida homeowners, condominium owners, businesses, and other property owners when hurricane insurance claims are delayed, denied, or underpaid.
After a hurricane, insurance disputes may involve the cause of the damage, repair costs, deductibles, exclusions, documentation, roof conditions, wind versus flood damage, or whether all covered damage was included in the insurance company’s estimate.
A Florida hurricane damage lawyer can review the insurance policy, claim documents, estimates, inspections, and coverage decisions to determine whether additional insurance benefits may be available.
Property owners can also find additional information through The Morgan Law Group’s Hurricane Center, Florida Resource Center, and Property Damage Resource Center.
If your hurricane insurance claim has been delayed, denied, or underpaid, The Morgan Law Group can help you understand your options.
Insurance companies have adjusters, engineers, contractors, consultants, and attorneys evaluating hurricane claims. Policyholders should understand that they can also seek help when the insurer’s decision does not reflect the full extent of their covered loss.
An insurer may deny coverage based on exclusions, pre-existing conditions, wear and tear, late notice, flood exclusions, or disagreements about what actually caused the damage.
An insurance estimate may leave out damaged areas, underestimate repair costs, use incorrect materials, or fail to account for the complete scope of hurricane damage.
Repeated inspections, document requests, changing adjusters, engineering reviews, and unresolved coverage questions can significantly delay recovery.
Additional damage and repair costs sometimes become apparent after the initial adjustment. Depending on the circumstances and deadlines, additional benefits may still be available.
Learn more about why hurricane insurance claims are denied and how property insurance claims can be underpaid.
A single hurricane can produce several different types of property damage. Determining which damage is covered and what caused the loss can become one of the most important parts of the insurance claim.
High winds can lift shingles, damage roofing systems, loosen flashing, expose underlayment, and create openings that allow water into the property.
Hurricane winds can damage windows, doors, siding, exterior structures, fences, mechanical systems, and other components of a property.
Rain entering through storm-created openings can damage ceilings, walls, flooring, insulation, electrical systems, furniture, and personal property.
Severe storms can damage walls, framing, garages, balconies, roofing systems, foundations, and other structural components.
Businesses may experience building damage, damaged inventory, equipment losses, interrupted operations, and other hurricane-related losses.
Condominium claims may involve individual unit coverage, association policies, common elements, windows, balconies, interior damage, and multiple insurers.
Hurricanes can produce wind, wind-driven rain, storm surge, and flooding during the same event. Determining what caused the damage can significantly affect which insurance policy applies.
| Type of Damage | Potential Insurance Issue |
|---|---|
| Hurricane wind | Wind damage may fall within a property insurance policy’s windstorm coverage, subject to policy terms, exclusions, limits, and deductibles. |
| Wind-driven rain | Coverage may depend on whether the storm created an opening in the property that allowed rain to enter. |
| Storm surge | Storm surge is generally treated as flooding and may require separate flood insurance coverage. |
| Rising water | Flood damage from rising surface water is commonly excluded from standard homeowners insurance and may instead fall under a flood policy. |
| Wind and water combined | When multiple causes contribute to the same loss, determining when and how the damage occurred can become a major insurance dispute. |
For more information, read Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Flood Damage? and our Complete Guide to Storm Damage Insurance Claims.
The actions you take immediately after a storm can affect both the condition of your property and your insurance claim. Focus on safety first, then begin documenting and preserving evidence of the loss.
Photograph and record video of the damaged property before significant cleanup or permanent repairs begin.
Take reasonable emergency measures to protect the property when they can be completed safely.
Notify the insurance company promptly and keep organized records throughout the claim process.
Compare the insurer’s estimate and coverage decision with the actual condition of the property and the cost of repairs.
See our guide on how to document storm damage for an insurance claim for additional information.
Florida law establishes important requirements for reporting property insurance claims and for how residential property insurers handle claims after receiving notice.
An initial or reopened property insurance claim generally must be reported within one year after the date of loss.
A supplemental property insurance claim generally must be reported within 18 months after the date of loss.
Florida law generally requires residential property insurers to review and acknowledge communications concerning a claim within seven calendar days, subject to applicable exceptions.
A residential property insurer generally must pay or deny an initial, reopened, or supplemental property claim, or a portion of the claim, within 60 days after receiving notice, subject to circumstances allowed by Florida law.
Deadlines can depend on the type of claim, policy language, date of loss, and specific circumstances. Property owners should not assume they have unlimited time to report hurricane damage.
Learn more in How Long Does an Insurance Company Have to Pay a Claim in Florida?
Hurricane deductibles can be substantially higher than the standard deductible that applies to many other types of property damage.
Instead of a fixed dollar amount, a Florida hurricane deductible may be calculated as a percentage of the insured value of the property. That can result in a significant out-of-pocket amount before insurance benefits become payable.
The deductible that applies depends on the insurance policy and circumstances surrounding the storm. Property owners should review the declarations page and applicable hurricane or windstorm provisions rather than assuming the same deductible applies to every loss.
Deductible disputes can also become important when the insurer questions whether the loss resulted from hurricane winds, flooding, another cause, or damage that existed before the storm.
If your insurance payment does not reflect the full extent of your hurricane damage, you may have options to challenge the claim decision.
Hurricane insurance claims can involve complicated questions about coverage, causation, property condition, repair costs, and the evidence used by the insurance company.
If an insurer denies a claim, the written denial should be reviewed together with the policy and available evidence. If a claim is underpaid, the insurance estimate should be compared with the actual scope and reasonable cost of repairs.
Hurricane losses can affect residential, commercial, coastal, and investment properties differently. The insurance issues can also vary depending on how the property is owned and insured.
Homeowners may face claims involving roofs, exterior damage, interior water damage, personal property, structural repairs, and additional living expenses.
Condominium losses can involve individual unit policies, association coverage, common elements, windows, balconies, and interior damage.
Businesses may face building damage, damaged equipment, inventory losses, repair expenses, and interruptions to normal operations.
Investment property owners may experience building damage along with lost rental income and other hurricane-related expenses.
Coastal losses may involve difficult questions about hurricane wind, storm surge, flooding, wind-driven rain, and multiple policies.
High-rise hurricane claims can involve windows, balconies, exterior systems, water intrusion, common areas, and interior unit damage.
The Morgan Law Group represents property owners throughout Florida. These existing local resources provide additional information for several of the state’s major hurricane-exposed markets.
Miami-Dade properties face hurricane wind, wind-driven rain, storm surge, flooding, roof damage, and complex insurance coverage disputes.
Miami Hurricane Claim ResourcesBroward County homeowners and businesses may face hurricane coverage disputes involving coastal exposure, roofs, windows, and water intrusion.
Fort Lauderdale Hurricane ResourcesPalm Beach County property owners should understand how hurricane deductibles, wind coverage, and storm damage may affect their insurance claims.
West Palm Beach Hurricane ResourcesTampa Bay properties can face hurricane winds, roof damage, water intrusion, and storm surge risks during major Gulf Coast storms.
Tampa Hurricane ResourcesSouthwest Florida hurricane claims frequently involve roof damage, coastal exposure, water intrusion, and named-storm deductibles.
Naples Hurricane ResourcesFlorida Panhandle property owners may face hurricane wind damage, roof losses, water intrusion, and insurance disputes after Gulf storms.
Pensacola Hurricane ResourcesExplore additional statewide information through the Florida Resource Center and the Florida Danger Index.
Hurricane insurance disputes can involve large property losses, multiple causes of damage, engineers and adjusters, complicated estimates, policy exclusions, and strict insurance claim requirements.
We review insurance policies, endorsements, exclusions, deductibles, coverage limits, and insurer correspondence relevant to the hurricane claim.
We examine the scope of the claimed loss and the evidence used by the insurance company when evaluating hurricane damage.
We help policyholders facing denied, delayed, partially denied, or underpaid hurricane insurance claims.
We advocate for property owners when an insurer’s interpretation of the policy or damage prevents a fair resolution of the claim.
Learn more about hurricane insurance coverage, storm damage, claim documentation, and insurance disputes.
Answers to common questions Florida property owners have after hurricane damage.
A Florida hurricane damage lawyer represents policyholders in disputes involving hurricane-related property insurance claims. An attorney may review the insurance policy, evaluate the insurer’s coverage decision and estimate, examine evidence concerning the cause and extent of damage, and pursue additional insurance benefits when a claim has been improperly denied or underpaid.
Under current Florida law, an initial or reopened property insurance claim generally must be reported within one year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim generally must be reported within 18 months after the date of loss. Property owners should report hurricane damage as soon as reasonably possible.
Florida law generally requires a residential property insurer to pay or deny an initial, reopened, or supplemental property insurance claim, or a portion of the claim, within 60 days after receiving notice, although statutory exceptions may apply.
Homeowners insurance may cover hurricane-related losses such as wind damage and certain water damage caused by rain entering through a storm-created opening, depending on the policy. Flooding and storm surge are generally treated separately and may require flood insurance.
Wind-versus-water disputes are common after hurricanes. The timing, location, and physical evidence of the damage can be important when determining whether wind, flooding, or multiple causes contributed to the loss.
Potentially. If an insurer’s payment does not account for all covered damage or the reasonable cost of repairs, the policyholder may be able to provide additional documentation, request further evaluation, submit a supplemental claim, or pursue other available remedies.
A previously closed property claim may sometimes be reopened when additional costs or damage related to the original loss become known. Florida imposes deadlines on reopened and supplemental claims, so property owners should act promptly.
Not every hurricane claim requires an attorney. Legal assistance may become important when a claim is denied, substantially underpaid, repeatedly delayed, involves a wind-versus-flood dispute, or presents complicated coverage or causation issues.
If your home, condominium, or business was damaged by a hurricane and the insurance claim is not being handled properly, contact The Morgan Law Group to discuss your situation.
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