Florida insurance adjuster sees 'absolute
erosion of policies' as hurricane season nears
'The possibility of an
insurance company getting a claim right from the beginning, I
would say, is about 3%,' adjuster Joshua Connor says |
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Article Courtesy of Channel 5 WPTV West Palm Beach
By Matt Szesny
Published May 28, 2025
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WEST PALM BEACH — A new hurricane
season is approaching, and so are new questions about homeowners
insurance in Florida.
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WPTV looked at the situation from the
adjuster's viewpoint.
Adjusters are typically called in when homeowners think
their claim is taking too long or something isn't right.
WPTV recently spoke with Joshua Connor, the head of his own
insurance adjuster firm, Coastal Claims Consultants in
Pompano Beach, about the situation. He is a vocal critic of
the state of insurance in Florida.
"We've seen the absolute erosion of policies," Connor said.
"The possibility of an insurance company getting a claim
right from the beginning, I would say, is about 3%.”
Outside adjusters hired by insurers and an increase in
relying on artificial intelligence and drones for handling
claims have led to insurance not being the safety net it
once was, according to Connor.
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Aftermath of tornado spawned by Hurricane
Milton in Okeechobee County, Fla. on Oct. 11, 2024.
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"One of the biggest complaints I hear is that people
don't have a clue what they're signing up for," Connor said. "Agents are
great at trying to find ways to reduce premiums when people are upset
with their price, but there's this absolute disconnect between agents
and policyholders about what their policy covers."
Robert Norberg, an insurance agent in Lantana, said claims issues in
Florida are still small in number, and there are signs of improvement
with insurance, especially with coverage.
"I get letters and emails weekly that we've expanded. We're offering
more. We're offering to older roofs," Norberg said. "I got one today
that said 15- to 30-year-old roofs now they're going to look at. Older
buildings, they're now going to look at."
That is a bit of encouraging news.
However, South Florida is still considered a high risk for insurers, and
the high premiums and slim choices have led many with no more mortgages
to drop wind coverage altogether, which is risky.
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