FORT MYERS, Fla. (NewsNation) — Families in Florida are still struggling to get their lives back nearly 10 months since Hurricane Ian tore through the state.
The Category 5 hurricane brought flash floods and deadly high-speed winds to the Sunshine State, killing 149 people and causing catastrophic property damage.
But residents have found themselves unable to rebuild as peak hurricane season approaches with insurance companies closing almost 200,000 claims without any payout.
Florida resident Craig Lipaj, who spent nearly 40 years as an insurance agent, filed a claim after his roof was damaged during Hurricane Ian. But Lipaj received nothing in return.
“Going through this storm, it was a rude awakening, because the insurance companies seem to want to deny and delay and put off paying claims until they’re pushed to the brink either by an attorney or a public adjuster,” Lipaj said.
Lipaj said the insurance company’s adjuster inspected his home for 10 minutes. The estimate showed he found $2,735 worth of damage — well below Lipaj’s $7,000 hurricane deductible.
He believes that it’s the insurance company’s idea to get as many people as possible not to be able to settle a claim.
“My roof was pretty much destroyed,” Lipaj said. “It wasn’t able to be repaired.”
Lipaj got a public adjuster.
They found $221,866 worth of damage — 70 times more than the insurance company.
Lipaj was gearing up for a fight. That’s when his insurer, United Property & Casualty, went broke.
Lipaj’s claim is now being handled by the state, through the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, or FIGA.
Lipaj doesn’t know when his roof will be fixed but he says it’ll cost thousands, and that’s why he had insurance.
Right now, Lipaj is out over $20,000 for the work he’s done so far on the interior of the house, and that doesn’t include anything with the roof, which has been shrink-wrapped since February.
The Executive Director of FIGA told NewsNation affiliate WFLA that it has received more than 20,000 claims from UPC and about a third of them have been “successfully resolved.”
FIGA is investigating the rest and actively trying to negotiate settlements.
NewsNation affiliate WFLA contributed to this report.
