9 tips about insurance after Hurricane Milton

ORLANDO, Fla. — People are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Milton, including those with damage to their homes and cars.

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Do you have questions about storm insurance?

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is providing answers to common hurricane insurance questions.

We’ve gathered the following nine tips from the Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Consumer Services:

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1. If you’ve never filed an insurance claim before, follow these steps:

Contact the carrier or agent who sold you your insurance policy directly.
Also, you can find claims contact information on your insurance policy front page.
You can also search for your company’s contact info at https://companysearch.myfloridacfo.gov/.
You can reach the consumer assistance staff at https://myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/storm/resources or 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).

2. If you want to know if you have insurance, contact your insurance agent or company.

Did you pay for coverage? Flood, hurricane/wind insurance, and auto insurance are usually included in separate policies.

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Cocoa Beach storm damage Residents in Cocoa Beach will have to clean up what Hurricane Milton left behind. (WFTV staff)

3. Allow your insurance company to inspect your damage before you contact someone to help do repairs.

4. If your house got flooded and had wind damage, and you have both types of insurance policies, file claims with each of them.

5. If the storm damaged your car, file a normal claim with your auto insurance company.

6. Normal homeowners’ insurance policies usually do not cover flood damage, but contact your insurance company with questions.

Read: Attorney General warning residents of disaster-related scams after Hurricane Milton

7. Public adjusters are insurance professionals you can hire to help you with your claim.

8. If someone does not show their Florida license, pressures you to do something, or asks for money upfront, beware of fraud. Do not sign anything. You can report fraud by calling DFS’s Insurance Fraud Hotline at 1-800-378-0445.

9. If you have signed a contract and made a mistake before speaking with your insurance company, you could cancel the contract.

Roofing contracts may be canceled within 10 days from the date the contract is entered into or the date of commencement, whichever is shorter.
Public adjuster contracts may be canceled within 30 days after the date of loss, or 10 days after the date on which the contract is executed, whichever is longer.

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