On Monday, April 27, 2015, a severe thunderstorm for Southeastern Broward County and Northeastern Miami-Dade County let to flooded streets, quarter-sized hail and lightning.
In North Miami, strong gusts of wind knocked down power lines, signs and a tree, which landed on top of a car. Branches and debris littered many neighborhoods and roadways.
Due to the inclement weather, residents in both Miami-Dade and Broward County lost power. According to FPL, as many as 2,624 Miami-Dade residents and over 3,000 Broward residents were without power. Luckily, no one was hurt.
High winds and rain also passed through North Bay Village and quarter-sized hail fell in Pembroke Pines.
If your home sustained damage as a result of the high speed winds or hail, or think you may have a property claim, call The Property Claim Lawyers of The Mineo Salcedo Law Firm. One of our attorneys will be happy to review your insurance policy and conduct a free inspection of your home.
Researchers predict the 2015 Hurricane Season will be a mild one. They are predicting only 7 storms, compared with the 30-year average of 12. It is also predicted that three of these storms will reach hurricane strength of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. The season starts on June 1st and lasts through Nov. 30. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., known for providing coverage when other insurers won’t take the risk, is selling as much as $1 billion of municipal debt. It would be the insurer’s first bond sale in three years. In 2012, Citizens told investors that it writes policies in areas that “appear to be at the highest risk” of hurricanes and sinkholes. If a storm produces enough claims to consume reserves, Citizens can ask for a surcharge on property-insurance policies sold statewide, including those from other companies, to repay its bonds.
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is Florida’s foreclosure activity has declined by more then a third from a year ago. The bad news is it still ranks as one of the highest in the nation. A recent report from research firm Realty Trac shows one in 570 homes in Florida is in foreclosure. Read more about Foreclosures in Florida 2015 at 
In September of 2014, the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. decided to put an end to an Citizens assessment allocated to pay-off a bond issued by Citizens, a property insurer backed by the state. The bond was created following the 2004-2005 Hurricane season, which saw a total of eight storms. The bond, which was scheduled to be paid off in June 2017, puts Florida’s insurance regulators two years ahead of schedule.
One of the most common claims filed by homeowners in Florida involves water damage. Water damage can have several causes, including but not limited to plumbing leaks, roof leaks, drain line backups, washing machine leaks or a/c leaks. These water leaks can cause substantial damage to a residence or personal property and furniture. While most insurance policies cover such sudden and accidental water leaks, the most common denial for such claims is the constant or continuous seepage exclusion. This exclusion comes into play when the insurance company retains an expert or independent adjuster to inspect the damaged property and provide an opinion that the damage is long term. The insurance company will rely on photographs, the existence of prior claims, prior repairs or prior plumbing issues to support their opinion. As a result, homeowners might be faced with the difficulty of trying to prove that the water damage they sustained on their property was sudden and accidental.