Water Damage Claim Help in Florida
Whether you have not filed yet, or the claim came back denied or paid for less than the repair costs — you can have someone on your side of it.
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.
Start your free claim review
We work for you, not the insurance company
The adjuster who came to your home is competent and is doing a job. It is just not your job — they work for the insurer. A public adjuster is the licensed professional who works for the policyholder. We re-document the loss, build an independent scope and estimate, read your policy against the carrier's position, and handle the negotiation.
Why water claims go wrong
Water claims get denied and underpaid for reasons most homeowners never see coming. It is rarely about whether the water happened — it is about how the loss was described, and what the estimate did and did not include.
How a loss is characterised at the start matters far more than people realise, and by the time anyone finds out, it is already on the record and hard to unwind. That is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to make one call first.
One Lake County water claim: settled at $25,000. That is one claim, on one policy, with its own facts — it is not a prediction about yours, and nobody can tell you what yours is worth before looking at it.
The practical version: talk to us before you talk to your insurer. You do not have to know the right way to do this — knowing it is the job you are hiring for. And if your claim is already denied or short-paid, that is not the end of it either.
What your insurer's clock looks like
Florida sets deadlines on the insurance company, not just on you. Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131 the insurer must acknowledge your communication within 7 days, begin its investigation 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.
Water claim questions
My water claim was denied. Is that the end of it?
No. A denial is the insurance company's position, not a ruling. Denials get reversed when the loss is re-documented and the policy language is read against what the carrier actually said. Whether yours is one of those is exactly what the free review answers. Call 352-353-4556 and we will tell you straight.
The payment will not cover the repair. Can that be reopened?
Often, yes. Florida allows supplemental claims, and an underpayment is usually a scope problem - the estimate missed things - rather than a coverage problem. There are deadlines, so it is worth finding out early. Call 352-353-4556 for a free review.
I have not filed yet. Should I call you first?
Yes, and this is the call most people wish they had made. Once a loss has been described and recorded a certain way, it is difficult to unwind. You do not need to know the right way to do it - that is the job. Call 352-353-4556 before you call your insurer.
How long does my insurance company have to respond?
Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131 the insurer must acknowledge your communication within 7 days, begin its investigation within 7 business days of receiving proof of loss, conduct any physical inspection within 30 days, and pay or deny the claim within 60 days. If those are slipping, call 352-353-4556.
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.
Start your free claim review
If you got here from one of these
water damage around a ceiling fan · water damage to MDF board and trim · water damage under a bathroom floor · water leaking through a soffit · a flooded floor from a hot water heater · water leaking from a garage ceiling · a leaking apartment ceiling · water leaking under carpet · a soft or sagging ceiling
Also: drying out after a leak · a broken drain pipe · about Robert Mack · claim help by Florida county.
If the water has made the home unfit to live in, the policy should also be paying for somewhere else: loss of use and ALE.
Water that came back up through a drain or sewer is treated differently from water that came down: sewer and water backup claims.
Damaged belongings are valued separately from the building, and usually for less than replacement: contents and personal property claims.
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.