Article
Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel By Joe
Kollin
Published June 30, 2007
For 18 months,
the patched roofs leaked at the Park Place condo complex while the board
of directors tried to get its insurance company to fix the damage caused
by Hurricane Wilma.
Southern Family Insurance had offered the Pembroke Pines association only
$160,000, according to the public insurance adjuster for the 1,028-unit
complex. On Friday, the board's battle paid off. It received a check for
almost $8 million from the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, the
state-created agency that handles claims for insolvent insurance
companies,.
"I'm overwhelmed," said Andy Fuxa, president of Sunrise-based
Epic Group Public Adjusters. "It was a 1 ½-year nightmare. Almost 18
months ago, we demanded the money and we got almost what we claimed. It
was a happy ending."
And it shows the value of persistence, he said.
"All the roofs had been leaking, all had water penetration,"
said Dr. Harry Topolsky, president of the complex of six buildings run by
a single 18-member board. "We had three roofing contractors who all
said the only thing that would work is total replacement."
Topolsky said the settlement was for the cost of roof replacement at
current prices and the new roofs will have estimated lifespans of 25
years.
"Do you know what each roof costs?" he said. "Do you know
what kind of assessment that would have been?"
On Monday, when the check clears the bank, the condo association will
start getting bids for the roofs, said Topolsky.
No special assessment will be necessary. Any money needed to cover the
deductible will come from the association's reserve fund.
The payment wasn't the largest Wilma claim made to a Florida condo
association.
Robert Besserman, president of the Florida Association of Public Insurance
Adjusters, said he knows of one association that received two $50 million
payments for damage from back-to-back hurricanes Frances and Jean in 2004.
The claim approved by Florida Insurance Guaranty for roof replacement was
$10.5 million. The check Fuxa handed Topolsky was for about $8 million
because the association's $2 million deductible and expenses weren't
included.
Fuxa said the key to proving a claim is providing documentation. To do
that for Park Place, he hired engineers and used thermal imaging to prove
moisture damage, something the original insurance company wouldn't do.
Besserman said there are three kinds of insurance adjusters: staff
adjusters for insurance companies, independent adjusters who work for
insurance companies as needed and public adjusters who work only for the
public and aren't allowed by law to work for an insurance company.
He said the best time for any individual, association or business to
contact a public adjuster is immediately after the loss, even before
contacting the insurance company.
"When you're arrested the first thing they do is pull out a card and
read you your rights. When you have a claim, the first thing you should do
is contact a public adjuster to learn your rights," said Besserman,
who operates Consumer Protection Inc. in Boca Raton.
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