It’s a sad truth that the average policyholder in Florida, and indeed around the country, has little understanding of the property insurance marketplace. Whether it’s complex statutory code or even the basics of their own policies, few people actually know what to do in the aftermath of a life-changing disaster. Unfortunately, when disaster strikes, this naiveté leaves policyholders woefully unprepared to handle their insurance claims and to rebuild their lives from the ground up.
It’s not hard to understand why this is the case.
While precious few policyholders take the time to read their insurance policies, even fewer understand their rights under the law. This harsh reality is hardly surprising as consumer protections are often buried in arcane statutory law or available only on outdated state-run websites. Most Floridians simply do not have the time to wade through this morass, and they certainly cannot rely on their insurance carrier to light the way.
In many cases, insurance industry professionals – those who specialize in knowing every nuance of the insurance code (and those who comprise the overwhelming majority of this blog’s readership) – have trouble understanding the many rights policyholders have under the law.
Well I’ve done the digging for you – below you’ll find a couple of pdf files that were buried deep in the CFO’s official website. These documents explain what rights consumers have under Florida law, and what to do when disaster strikes.
I urge you to take a look at these documents. If you’re working with policyholders who seem confused about the process, point them to these files. Even as insurance industry professionals, I bet you’ll see more than a few you didn’t know existed.
