Tarpon Springs is part of Tampa Bay suburbs, an extremely popular area for tourists and sports fans alike. Two hours north of Siesta Key, where the massive Category 3 made landfall, Tarpon Springs boasts pleasant weather most of the year. The main downside for residents, visitors, and business owners is the Atlantic Basin Hurricane season, and 2024 has been volatile.
According to Florin|Roebig attorney Chase P. Florin, “For property owners in the city, filing insurance claims and receiving payment in a timely manner may be out of reach. The cleanup process from back-to-back storms will take an extended amount of time with resources already stretched thin. Insurance companies will further recovery timelines with claim denials and delayed response times. Florin|Roebig can help you fight against bad insurance practices and get you the compensation you deserve for Hurricane Milton’s damage.”
What Are Your Options If Your Home Is Affected by Hurricane Milton?
Assessing your property and making temporary repairs may take a few days to a few weeks in Tarpon Springs, given that some resources may be unavailable for a while. Focusing on establishing a safe shelter for you and your loved ones should be your top priority. Some steps need to be included in the process regardless of your situation, to protect your property and your insurance claims.
Document All Damage
If you experienced damage from both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, you’ve ideally documented the destruction caused by each. It’s important to distinguish between the two weather events to improve your claim validity. When you can’t, it may be used to deny your payout.
You’ll need pictures and a list of exactly what was damaged at the very least. Any videos taken can provide an additional layer of evidence to support your claim. Over-documenting the damage is impossible, as some details may miss your assessment but be preserved in photos.
Contact Your Provider
You want to get your evidence together as quickly as possible then reach out to your insurance company. Many providers offer easy claims applications on their website or through an app. If you have multiple policies and providers, make sure you understand what each one covers and documentation requirements before submitting to avoid an incomplete claim.
Patch What You Can
To further protect your property, you may need to temporarily repair storm damage. Do this after you’ve documented and photographed all damage, and only patch what’s needed to prevent additional damage. If you need to live in your house, it should be as safe as possible, but inspectors and insurance adjusters still need to see some of the storm damage.
Read Your Homeowner’s Policy
Reviewing your homeowner’s insurance policy, along with any additional windstorm and flooding policies, is crucial to filing hurricane damage claims. Misunderstanding your coverage can lead to delays or denials because you’ve filed against coverage you don’t have. You can compare what’s covered to what’s damaged and get a rough estimate of your costs versus what your insurance provider will pay.
Get Damage Assessed
Insurance adjusters and contractors need to see what was damaged by wind, rain, and flooding to accurately assess your repairs. Contractors provide estimates that you can compare against how your adjuster values the repair costs. Do not miss any of these appointments, and educate yourself about what your property is worth in case you need to dispute the numbers.
Get Government Assistance
Government assistance is available to Tarpon Springs residents through multiple organizations. Check with local authorities to locate assistance centers and understand your options with entities like FEMA.
While Tarpon Springs had mainly wind damage from Hurricane Milton, it still created a significant mess to clean up. Debris from Hurricane Helene was thrown around, in addition to uprooted vegetation and other projectiles. Working with an experienced law firm like Florin|Roebig can help you accurately catalog your storm damage and collect the insurance payout you’re owed.
Tarpon Springs Storms: Hurricane Milton And Hurricane Helene
Tarpon Springs, like the majority of the Sunshine State, is recovering from two horrific storms in two weeks. Hurricane Milton, the most recent, struck the Gulf Coast side of Florida on October 9, 2024. Hurricane Helene made landfall on the same side but farther north on September 26, 2024.
How Did Hurricane Milton Affect Tarpon Springs?
While it will take a long time before the full effects of Hurricane Milton on Tarpon Springs are understood, authorities and residents are highlighting the damage done by high sustained winds and flooding to Pinellas County. Tarpon Springs did not have the expected storm surge from Milton, but the city still has plenty to clean up.
How Did Hurricane Helene Affect Tarpon Springs?
With Hurricane Helene, Tarpon Springs did catch more of the storm surge in addition to winds, rains, and flooding. Some businesses, like Tarpon Springs Aquarium & Animal Sanctuary, were able to use the experiences from Hurricane Helene to better prepare for Hurricane Milton.
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What To Do If You’ve Found Damage
Tarpon Springs residents and business owners who have Hurricane Milton damage should follow these steps:
- Document all damage: If you haven’t already completed an assessment, consider this your prompt to do so. Visual evidence secured in good lighting from multiple angles will go a long way to proving your claims.
- Contact insurance company: Sending the documentation you have to your insurance company, along with completing their application, starts your claim.
- Call your lawyer: If you notice a slow response or you’re unable to get in touch with your insurance representative, contacting an attorney with years of experience can move the process along.
What to Do if Your Insurance Claim Is Denied After a Hurricane
Unfortunately for Florida residents, some insurance companies will simply deny claims to see if clients will bother to appeal, leaving plenty of money in their greedy pockets. To separate legitimate denials from bad actors, you’ll find that a law firm like Florin|Roebig can help you cut through the mess.
Insurance companies may deny storm damage claims because:
- You lack evidence. If you don’t send enough pictures to support your claims, the company may turn down your application.
- Your policy excludes the property or damage. Claims submitted for damage not covered by your policy or riders can get the whole thing tossed.
- The cause of the damage is unclear. Any reason to deny your claim may be used, including an argument that your damage was caused by a component of the storm not covered by your policy wording.
Insurance companies should provide a letter explaining their decisions, but many won’t because far too many claimants accept the denial at face value. Don’t be one of them. Ask for a detailed letter that outlines exactly why your claim was denied. Then compare it to your actual policy and see how it measures up.
Should you find that taking on the insurance company is too much for you as you repair and recuperate from Hurricanes Milton and Helene, know that Florin|Roebig is more than willing to take on your insurer for you. With our 30+ years of keeping insurance companies accountable to their clients, we know when they’re acting in bad faith and trying to wiggle out of a legitimate payout.
How Can a Hurricane Damage Lawyer Help?
You may think that hiring a hurricane damage attorney in Tarpon Springs is excessive, but having a qualified legal team on your side when you receive a denial letter can improve your chances of fair compensation.
These experts at storm damage insurance claims can:
- Collect evidence to support your claims, including visuals like videos and pictures and expert statements, including estimations for repairs.
- Speak insurance company language and hold them accountable for paying what you’re owed for Hurricane Milton damage based on your homeowner’s, wind, and flood policies.
- Take it to court and let a judge or jury decide if the insurance company keeps denying and delaying. We’ll make it clear that we mean business.
“At Florin|Roebig, we don’t let insurance companies get away with mistreating clients who have paid into policies for years only to have their hurricane damage claims denied unreasonably. With the two storms so close together, some insurance company tactics include forcing residents to prove that they aren’t trying to claim damage from Helene under Milton paperwork, extending the timeline for much-needed funds for hardworking Floridians,” says attorney Chase P. Florin.
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Florin|Roebig Tarpon Springs Hurricane Attorneys Working For You
To get help from our experienced and board-certified team, all you have to do is Contact Florin|Roebig. We have the knowledge to take on your claims denial, and most insurance companies are familiar with our reputation, if not our attorneys.
After three decades of working with and living beside Floridians through many major hurricanes, we’re well-versed in how insurance providers try to avoid paying your claims. More importantly, we’re not up to letting them get away with bad behaviors. We start with a free case evaluation and are honest about your chances of an insurance payout.
If working with Florin|Roebig sounds like the next right step for you, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve done our best to make it easy for you to get in touch with us — after all, you’re dealing with enough challenges in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton and its ensuing storm damage.
Use our website contact page to reach out with whichever method you prefer:
- Fill out our online form anytime, and we’ll get back to you.
- Call the phone number for your area 24/7.
- Use our chat feature day or night.
