WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The damage from Hurricane Helene will soon result in a wave of insurance claims from areas damaged by the storm's winds and flooding.
"Tallahassee dodged a bullet, but unfortunately, the Big Bend took another hit," CFO Jimmy Patronis said.
Patronis spent Friday at the emergency command center in Perry, Florida, near where the storm made landfall Thursday night.
Before the hurricane hit Florida, reinsurance broker Gallagher RE estimated damage to run as high as $6 billion.
Patronis said that at this point it appears most of the damage is from storm surge flooding.
"If you didn't carry flood insurance, you may not have a place to stake a claim," he said.
The CFO is also warning homeowners, "not to sign anything," referring to repair people who may be going door to door after the storm.
"They're trying to do everything they can to seize an opportunity to get a hold of that insurance claim before it is filed with the insurance carrier," Patronis said.
Most flood claims are covered by federal insurance, and industry experts said they expect no drastic negative impacts from Helene on Florida's insurance industry.
Patronis and other state officials said the industry is recovering from years of soaring premiums with stability from reforms on litigation. This is attracting new companies and leading to some rate decreases in 2025.
Others insist the industry is leaning toward a growing trend of denying claims from policyholders.
"The insurance companies in the state are running out of excuses on why they're denying so many claims," Martin Weiss of Weiss Group said.
Over the summer Weiss Group released data that showed Florida insurers didn't pay a third of claims in Florida in 2022, the highest rate in the country.
"They're continuing to deny claims at a very high rate," Weiss said.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
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