The sweeping revisions makes it more difficult for homeowners to sue their property insurance companies for acting in \u2018bad faith\u2019 and removes the right of homeowners to recover attorney\u2019s fees, even in lawsuits they ultimately win. Additionally, the adjustments to Florida\u2019s insurance laws allow insurance companies to create new policies with mandatory binding arbitration agreements in exchange for a premium reduction, which will also thwart many homeowners\u2019 option to take insurers to court\u2026Moreover, the legislation shortened the window in which policyholders can file claims with their insurers, invested $1 billion of taxpayer funds into a state-run reinsurance fund to help insurance companies mitigate their losses in the event of catastrophic events, and narrowed eligibility for Citizens, Florida\u2019s state-run nonprofit insurance company that provides insurance to people who cannot find affordable coverage on the regular market.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line is that every policyholder with an open Hurricane Ian claim should consult a competent attorney. Specifically, policyholders should seek attorneys who have been practicing in this area of law long before Hurricane Ian struck to advise on their legal rights and the management of their claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public adjusters and contractors whose clients have open Hurricane Ian claims should also recommend consulting an independent attorney. If they advise otherwise or discourage you from seeking your own legal counsel, be wary. It’s not only suspicious but also illegal for them to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thought For The Day <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a thousand men with guns.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Mario Puzo, “The Godfather”<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It has been one year since Hurricane Ian. If you have not completely resolved your claim, you need to see a lawyer about your rights. Public adjusters and contractors working on Hurricane Ian claims should say the same thing. One year is just too long for a settlement not to have been made, and insurers …<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":32085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[302,10],"class_list":["post-35233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hurricane-ian","tag-insurance-claim"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n