Insurance Village Announced in SWFL for Hurricane Ian Recovery Efforts

By Michelle Vecerina

Published Dec. 13, 2022, 9:35 a.m. ET | Updated Dec. 13, 2022

Debris piles up in Downtown Fort Myers following Hurricane Ian.

FORT MYERS (FLV) – The Florida Department of Financial Services announced it will deploy an Insurance Village to Southwest Florida in 2023 for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts.

DFS will send the Insurance Village to provide policyholders another opportunity to meet directly with insurance carriers to fully resolve outstanding storm claims.

Immediately after Hurricane Ian, two Initial Payment Centers were established in Charlotte and Lee Counties. DFS was present at Sarasota and Collier County Disaster Recovery Centers so policyholders could make initial insurance claims for temporary living expenses and emergency repairs. Between the two Initial Payment Centers in Lee and Charlotte counties, 34 insurance carriers participated and assisted more than 40,000 policyholders with storm claims. These centers were critical to getting homeowners back on their feet quickly by cutting initial payment checks, for temporary lodging and emergency repairs.

The Department’s Insurance Village that will take place in early 2023, will serve as an opportunity for policyholders and insurers to meet face-to-face to fully resolve claims that may have been under dispute in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

According to Florida Law, policyholders have certain rights when engaging with insurers: they must confirm that a claim is covered in full, partially, denied, or investigated within 30 days upon written request by the policyholder, must provide a full settlement payment from the claim, payment of an undisputed portion of the claim, or denial of the claim within 90 days of receiving the claim by the policyholder, and policyholders may insist on mediation with their insurer, facilitated at no-cost to policyholders by the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Consumers have the right to contact the Florida Department of Financial Services for assistance with any insurance claim. Policyholders who believe they need to file a complaint can do so online.

For assistance when filing post-storm claims, please call the Insurance Consumer Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (693-5236) or by email at [email protected]. For more information on Hurricane Ian insurance assistance please visit www.MyFloridaCFO.com.