Florida’s Growing Coastal Areas are at Risk

With Florida’s population and development growing at a rapid rate in the past 10 years along the coast line, Florida’s vulnerability to horrific damage has increased immensely.

Hurricane season is quickly approaching and emergency managers fear that the new residents are ignorant to the potential dangers that come from hurricanes as well as veteran residents being far too comfortable with the hurricane drought. If a catastrophic hurricane were to strike the Miami shoreline today, damage could undoubtedly reach $125 billion, pushing public and private insurance programs to their limits.

Hurricane Season

New building codes that include shatter-proof windows and wind resistant structures have actually reduced the potential damages from a hurricane, making the new development more resilient. The upgraded codes, however, will not fully mitigate the financial loss. The cost of repairing 25 percent of a million-dollar structure can be much greater than completely repairing the destruction of a modest older home. With or without the new codes, damage can still be astronomical.

Mobile homes have also improved durability but these structures are still high risk. A 2013 state analysis found that there were more than 850,000 mobile homes in the state of Florida. Storm surges pose the biggest threat to these homes because buildings can be made safer against winds but not necessarily against a storm surge that rushes 20 feet of water in-land and then pulls splinted homes out to sea when it recedes.

Insurance is at the height of concern when looking into the potential damages that come along with a disastrous storm.  Now, with subsidized flood insurance, the population along the coast has increased and this is not necessarily a good thing. These subsidized insurance rates can promote irresponsible and careless development that can be detrimental in the long run. With that being said, it is extremely important to review your insurance policy before the storm strikes.

Insurance companies are covering less and less when homeowners are continuously paying for suitable insurance policies. The attorneys at The Mineo Salcedo Law Firm have seen these issues time and time again. With hurricane season approaching, it is vital to make sure that you, as a homeowner, will be covered for potential damages. If your insurance company denies or under pays your claim, call The Mineo Salcedo Law Firm. We represent homeowners, associations and business owners get the money they are owed from their insurance company so that they can repair their properties from these catastrophic storms.

For a free consultation, call The Property Claim Lawyers (954) 463- 8100.

The Duty to Defend an Insured

United States District Court of the Southern District of Florida

After a Florida insurance company argued several policy exclusions in order to avoid a duty to defend an insured, the United States District Court of the Southern District of Florida denied the insurance company’s arguments and held that they had a duty to defend the insured.

The basis for this case arose from an aerial spraying of herbicide onto Florida Crystals Corporation’s (the insured), property and getting onto a neighbor’s, (Date Palm) property. The herbicide damaged the date palm trees on the property and Date Palm sued Florida Crystals and the herbicide company. Florida Crystal sought help for the defense in the case under their insurance policy, however, National Union Fire Insurance Company, denied coverage.
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