Sarasota Public Adjusters. Your Claim, Maximized.

Sarasota County has been hit by three hurricanes in three years. Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in September 2022, and parts of North Port flooded as the Myakka River kept rising for days afterward. In 2024, Helene passed offshore in late September and pushed storm surge onto Siesta Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key, and two weeks later Milton made landfall near Siesta Key itself. Many homes here have been damaged more than once, and that is exactly what makes claims in this area harder to settle.

Wind or water: the question that decides the claim

A homeowners policy covers wind; it excludes flood, which needs a separate flood policy (and new flood policies usually have a 30-day waiting period). When surge and wind hit the same building, the insurer will often attribute as much of the damage as it can to the peril it doesn't cover. When a home was hit by Helene's surge and then Milton's wind two weeks apart, separating the two is a matter of evidence: water lines, debris patterns, roof and window damage, and photographs taken between the storms. We build that record so the wind portion of your claim is paid in full.

Two hurricanes, one deductible year

Florida hurricane deductibles are usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, commonly 2%, 5% or 10%, and Florida law generally treats the hurricane deductible as an amount for the calendar year rather than for each storm. If you paid toward it on one 2024 hurricane, it should not have been charged again in full on the next. If claims from two hurricanes in the same year each carried a full deductible, ask your insurer to show its calculation.

Condos on the keys and the mainland

In a condominium, the association's master policy and your own unit-owner (HO-6) policy each cover different parts of the same damage, and the line between them is set by your declaration of condominium and Florida law. Claims stall when the association and the unit owner each point at the other. We read both policies against the declaration and pursue each insurer for its share.

Roofs and the building code

Under the Florida Building Code, replacing more than 25% of a roof within a 12-month period generally means the whole roof has to be brought up to current code, unless the existing roof was already built to the 2007 code or later. After repeated storms, many Sarasota roofs cross that line, and an estimate that patches a few squares when the code requires a full replacement is an underpaid claim.