Rebuilding Florida after Hurricane Milton and protecting against scams

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Milton left a trail of destruction across Florida, and now that the storm has passed, efforts to rebuild homes and communities are at the forefront.

Recovery efforts can unite communities after catastrophic damage. Neighbors come together to help one another, while state officials and law enforcement work diligently to restore order. Gradually, residents begin to see their homes return to normalcy.

But even with the good, comes the bad. Bad actors wait for storms like this to step in and take advantage of people at their most vulnerable, especially when it comes to insurance.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, shared that these predators go door to door to try and get a piece of your claim.

“There are these predators canvasing the neighborhood. These are contractors and consultants that seem like they are there under good intention, but unfortunately are trying to get in-between you and your claim,” Patronis said.

The best advice Patronis shares is, don’t sign anything. If you don’t sign anything – then no one can take advantage of you.

“You can always hire professional services at a later date, but let us get every dollar you’re entitled to, without having anybody else get a piece of your money,” Patronis said.

Patronis advises folks that if they haven’t been reached out to by their insurance carrier after the storm yet, reach out to them to start the claims process.

Once the claim process has begun, the insurance company will send an adjuster out to assess what the insurance company should be liable for. This is when the before and after photos of property will come in handy and help build a case.

“Your insurance company already has pre-event contractors; these are people paid before the storm even made landfall to fix your stuff. If you contact your insurance company, that’s going to give you front of the line treatment with who they already have, who is trusted, to fix these claims,” Patronis said.

For those who may have signed something they are unsure of, lost on what to do with property damage, or don’t know where to turn to next, contact the CFO’s office at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).

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