Does Insurance Cover Lightning or Power Surge Damage?
Short answer: a policy will usually respond to lightning. The arguments are almost never about the lightning itself — they are about what the surge is blamed on, and what ends up on the list.
Florida property insurance claims: the deadlines and the fee cap
- Notice of a claim
- Under Fla. Stat. §627.70132, a property insurance claim or reopened claim is barred unless notice was given to the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss. A supplemental claim is barred unless notice was given within 18 months after the date of loss. — Fla. Stat. §627.70132(2)
- Time to bring a court action
- An action for breach of a property insurance contract must be brought within 5 years, running from the date of loss. This is a separate clock from the notice deadline, and §627.70132(5) states that the notice statute does not affect it. — Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)
- What a public adjuster may charge
- A public adjuster’s compensation is capped at 20 percent of the amount of insurance claim payments or settlements, exclusive of attorney fees and costs, paid to the insured by the insurer. For claims based on events that are the subject of a declaration of a state of emergency by the Governor the cap is 10 percent, and that limit applies to claims made during the year after the declaration of emergency. — Fla. Stat. §626.854(11)(b)
- Which deadline applies to you
- Which of these applies to your claim depends on your policy and your date of loss.
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Robert Mack, Florida public adjuster, Lic. #A161638. The review is free and carries no obligation. Call 352-353-4556.
Robert Mack — Public Loss Adjusters, LLC
Florida Public Adjuster License #A161638 · SPPA · AIC · AIC-M · CCC
How much time is left on your claim?
Florida law puts clocks on property insurance claims. Enter when the damage happened and where your claim stands.
For a hurricane, tornado, windstorm or other weather event, Florida sets the date of loss by statute — the date the hurricane made landfall, or the date the event is verified by NOAA (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(3)).
Answer the questions above to see your deadline.
Free review. No recovery, no fee.
Florida law sets a separate five-year period for lawsuits on a property insurance policy (Fla. Stat. §95.11(2)(e)). A Florida attorney can confirm how it applies to you.
Condominium and HOA loss assessment claims run on a different clock — the later of 1 year from the loss or 90 days after the association votes the assessment, and never more than 3 years (Fla. Stat. §627.70132(4)). This calculator does not cover those. Call and we will work it out with you.
Robert Mack, Licensed Public Adjuster, Lic. #A161638. Deadlines depend on your policy and date of loss. This is general information, not legal advice. Notice deadlines: Fla. Stat. §627.70132 — 1 year from the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, 18 months for a supplemental claim.
What happens next
- You call. One conversation, and you will know whether there is anything here worth looking at further.
- A free policy and loss review. We read the policy you actually hold and look at what was actually lost. No cost, no obligation.
- We deal with the insurer. If there is a claim, we take it from there. No recovery, no fee.
What clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 out of 5 across 11 Google reviews
“I came here especially to thank Robert and write a review for him (he didn’t ask me to)”
“It will seem like they are helping you out with a claim, but PLA pointed out how they were cutting corners and not paying what is really due.”
“This company was on top of my issue from the moment I called to the very end.”
“As it turned out, I didn’t use Robert. But he put in the time and effort to visit me and provide me with solid information and guidance should the insurance company not be responsive.”
Licensed Florida public adjuster — we work for you, not the insurer. Serving Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties.
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Lightning, and then everything after lightning
Most homeowners forms name lightning directly. That part is rarely disputed. The difficulty starts one step later, with the power surge that travelled through the wiring, because a surge can also be caused by the utility, by a fault in the house, or by nothing anyone can point at.
So the real question is not lightning at all. It becomes what is this particular failure being attributed to. Policies differ on that, and some carry separate treatment for electrical equipment.
The three places it turns
Cause: storm, or age and wear. Scope: what actually gets listed as damaged. And limits: some policies treat certain equipment differently from the rest of the contents. None of the three is obvious from reading the declarations page.
The practical version: do not assume either way, and do not let the first description of the loss be the final one. Have someone read the policy against what is actually being offered — that is the job you are hiring for.
Renters and condo owners too
A renters policy covers none of the building but usually does cover your own electronics and appliances, which on a surge loss is most of what was destroyed. Tenants are the group least likely to be told that.
The clock, on both sides
Florida sets deadlines on the insurer as well as on you. Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131 it must acknowledge your communication within 7 days, begin investigating within 7 business days of receiving proof of loss, carry out any physical inspection within 30 days, and pay or deny within 60 days. Your own deadline is separate: under Fla. Stat. 627.70132, notice of a new or reopened claim is generally due within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.
- Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638
- Robert Mack — SPPA, AIC, AIC-M
- In the insurance industry since 1991. Public Loss Adjusters, LLC established 2019.
- PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756 — on site across Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties
- The review is free and carries no obligation
What we will never do: promise you an outcome, tell you what your claim is worth before anyone has looked at it, or ask you to overstate a loss. Any adjuster who does is a risk to you, not an asset.
Coverage questions
Does homeowners insurance cover lightning damage?
Most homeowners forms name lightning as a covered peril, so the strike itself is rarely the argument. What gets argued is the surge that followed it, and what ends up counted as damaged. Your own policy wording decides it. Call 352-353-4556 for a free review.
Does insurance cover a power surge that was not from lightning?
It depends on the policy and on what the surge is attributed to - the utility, a fault in the house, or a storm. Some policies treat electrical equipment differently again. This is the single most disputed point on these claims. Call 352-353-4556.
Does renters insurance cover power surge damage?
Renters policies usually cover your own contents, which on a surge loss is most of what was lost. The building is not your problem; the electronics are. Call 352-353-4556 for a free review.
They said it was wear and tear, not the storm. Now what?
That is the most common way one of these claims is closed, and it is a finding, not a fact. Whether it holds up depends on what can be established about the equipment and the event. Call 352-353-4556 before you accept it.
What does this cost me?
The review is free. If we take the claim, the fee is a percentage of the claim payment, capped by Fla. Stat. 626.854 at 20% ordinarily and 10% for a claim arising from a declared state of emergency within the first year. No recovery, no fee. Call 352-353-4556.
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More: lightning and power surge damage claims · what to do when a claim is denied or underpaid · loss of use if you are put out of the house · public adjusters in Central Florida
The commonest single casualty of a surge is the air conditioning: AC not working after lightning or an outage.
Public Loss Adjusters, LLC — Florida-licensed public adjuster, License #A161638. PO Box 560404, Montverde, FL 34756. On-site representation in Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties; remote claim work statewide. No recovery, no fee; fees are capped under Florida law. This page is educational and is not legal advice, not a guarantee of coverage, and not a promise of payment. Every claim turns on its own policy language and facts.