This year, the Tutwiler Public Adjusters’ sleigh-team went all-out
To reward many kiddos who were all good and had no pout!

Bringing downtown Tampa much needed holiday joy and cheer
To over 150 children, whose school was near.
All were there - Santa, his elves, helpers and Roscoe the red-nosed Reindeer.

Basic necessities were brought
Such as hundreds of pounds of clothing and items, which Tutwiler sought.

But the Tutwiler team did not stop there
They collected Christmas cookies & juice boxes for all to share.

All the boys and girls were SO surprised,
as can be seen by their big ol’ bright open EYES!

Happy Holidays to all from the Tutwiler Public Adjusters team.

Thank you to public adjuster Michael Platts who takes time out of his busy schedule every year to donate to Metropolitan Ministries. We are proud of our long affiliation with Mike as one of our senior large loss adjusters.

Thank you to Public Adjuster Mike Stabile for contributing this update on Hurricane Dorian recovery. It’s been over 3 months since Hurricane Dorian made its unprecedented and devastating landfall in the Bahamas catastrophically damaging Great Abaco, its barrier islands and Grand Bahama. The reports from our Public Insurance Adjusters who have visited the area multiple times is that damage recovery is challenged and moving slowly. Property damage aside, many have lost their lives. In speaking with the residents, the current “official death toll” is nowhere near what they believe the actual number will be, which could be in the thousands. Our thoughts are with the families still searching for their loved ones.

Q. If the home is a vacation home that is destroyed, are we entitled to ALE? The ALE coverage on the loss statement they sent us says zero but we are going to have to incur multiple airline trips and rental bills in order to set up demolition and then the complete rebuilding of our home. Hope you can help with this information.

A. Thank you for the question and just so you know this is a frequent problem for owners of second homes when there is a loss they must attend to. 

Not surprisingly, CFO Jimmy Patronis’s statement to the press has caused a lot of interest especially from the media, some of whom were in attendance when his comments were made. Following both print and internet articles of the CFO’s opinion, I have gotten a number of calls from various media folks across the state asking me to respond. As I explained to one reporter, I do not know where the CFO got his facts to support this pronouncement. But given the gravity of his words, I think he should have enlightened folks with some credible facts and figures. The comments I have read and heard is that the press and the public is not buying what he had to say including the reporters I spoke with who share my confusion about where the data (or anecdotal evidence) is coming from.

Here’s a great success story from our Pittsburgh public adjuster, Mr. Zach Flora that shows how a public adjuster can add value to the claims process. Great job Zach!

On May 28, 2019 a catastrophic hailstorm hit the Pittsburgh suburb of Gibsonia. The golf ball sized hail that struck and damaged homes, buildings, cars anything it came in contact with. Over the next few days, contractors converged on the area knocking on doors and telling property owners they needed new roofs “just sign here” and we’ll file an insurance claim for you. Rather than doing the smart thing and call their insurance company to file a claim, some homeowners who had not dealt with a loss like this went along. As insurance company representatives visited their policyholders in the area, there was no question that all of the roofs needed to be replaced due to the hail damage.

We were happy to contribute to the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Michael with information on appraisal as policyholders continue to try and settle their property claims. Thank you Panama City News Herald for running this article: How the appraisal process may help you settle your Hurricane Michael damage claims

Our adjusters are on the ground in the Bahamas helping clients with damage from Hurricane Dorian start the insurance claims process. The devastation shows the power of Mother Nature but the Bahamian people are strong in spirit and will recover. Don't forget, humanitarian help will be needed for some time.

The unimaginable destruction of property and loss of life on Grand Bahama Island and the Marsh Harbor community is heart- wrenching to say the least. I have seen a lot of the destruction and the human misery that follows in the aftermath of hurricanes and other disasters in my 45-year career as an insurance professional and public adjuster, but the videos and now live reporting coming out of the Bahamas is simply unprecedented.

As reports and video of the Hurricane Dorian devastation come in, the devastation and human tragedy is mind numbing. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those in the Bahamas and with those who will be part of the relief efforts. We expect the impacted areas to be unsafe for Public Adjusters and other professionals for some time. For those who are so inclined, I wanted to share a very good Hurricane Dorian Donation article from NPR on reputable organizations that will be at the forefront of the relief effort and also a list of supplies needed. In the meantime, we will do what we can to answer policyholder insurance claim questions regarding Hurricane Dorian damage and steps they should be taking. I challenge everyone, especially those in the insurance claims industry to find a way to donate to the Bahama’s relief effort.