time watching a process develop in which an Insurance Company (Florida Peninsula) played out all the stops to not cover a claim for my home in where I finally lost everything that I worked for in my life.
I January 2011 Tampa Bay had one of the worst storms that destroyed a lot of homes and properties. My home was hit with a large wind and rain storm that basically shook the foundation. Like an airliner about to crash.
Rain started gushing into my Family room at a rate that was not imaginable. The storms lasted for several days.
First instinct was to call Florida Peninsula and declare we had an emergency. They showed up 5 days later. First words
From the adjusters mouth was “why did you cut the carpet, we will not pay for that!". Our carpet was now basically under water and black mold had already set in throughout the family room. Most everything I had in this room was recording equipment for my studio. I saved a lot of it however lost a good part of our possessions including photo albums, Piano etc.
I asked the adjuster why it took so long for them to respond. “We had a lot of calls because of the storms that we had to bring people in from out of state"
In the meanwhile I had set tarps to try and stop the leaks to no avail. Had to wait until we had no rain to try and clean up
the mess. Installed to large pumps and 2 large 40 gallon plastic drums to pump the water in. Then start all over when the rains came again. No help from Florida peninsula so far. Not even help with tarps. As they went around taking pictures and measurements to no end. The inspector asked why there were cracks in the ceiling. I replied “Maybe the winds? Or maybe a sink hole?" naturally he did not want to hear that and threw it right out.
After months of not getting any help we hired our own Adjuster. She informed us of an attorney and she noticed that we might have a sink whole problem. So we naturally hired the attorney. By this time the mold levels had gotten so bad, my wife had to go in the hospital for pneumonia and moguls on her lungs. We asked Florida Peninsula for our ALE money (Alternative living Expenses) that was part of insurance plan which also included sink hole and all the goodies. They would not even give us that to get out of the house and get an apartment or a motel.
I finally sent my wife to Kentucky to live in our retirement home to recover from everything while I stayed behind getting sicker by the day. I still had a job and I could not afford to lose our home. Rains came and went until one day the ceilings fell in on top of me. After letters from my Doctor to my attorney to get me out of the home. Nothing!! From Florida Peninsula.
They finally tested for sink hole activity and Walla...we had a sink hole. The next month after that they cancelled my policy and did not notify anyone about the sink hole until 1 year later. I thought it was supposed to be 90 days. But Florida Peninsula does not follow laws. Finally when the rats moved in and the rat snakes soon after I decided it was time to move. I moved to a local Motel and started to rent a room waiting for Florida Peninsula with the ALE relief so I could at least pay my Mortgage while I lived in the Motel.
Four years later" no money from Florida Peninsula. I lost my home to foreclose and lost all credit that I had established in my 65 years of living. The house was basically condemned unlivable so I could not sell it on the Market.
Try to make a comeback at 65. I lost my only job because my health finally failed.
Thank you Florida Peninsula!! Oh by the way, my attorneys gave up on the house finally
Jim
Florida,#2Consumer Comment
Wed, June 24, 2015
ANY insurance company will try to get by offering the lowest amount of money possible. That's why when you have a claim you hire an INDEPENDENT ADJUSTER who works for you! You don't simply accept what crumbs the insurance company wants to give you...YOU get somebody to fight for you and that "somebody" is an INDEPENDENT ADJUSTER!