News

The state legislature is still working on repealing Florida’s no-fault auto insurance laws, so we don’t know the final outcome. However, what we do know is that if the legislature repeals the laws during the current legislative session, we could be seeing an end to personal injury protection (PIP) as soon as January, 2019. The laws doing away with PIP, proposed by both the House and the Senate, mandate another form of insurance for automobile drivers – bodily injury liability coverage. Since this change could be coming soon to Florida, it’s a good time for us to become more familiar […]

In 2019, we could see the end of PIP in Florida.  Last month the Florida House of Representatives voted 88-15 to do away with our no-fault car insurance law, and the Senate is not far behind.   What Does No PIP Mean for Florida? Ending the PIP requirement will mean the end of an era.  The requirement that drivers have $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage has been the law for almost 40 years. Ending the requirement also means we’ll be ending our stint as one of only two states that doesn’t require drivers to buy bodily-injury liability insurance to […]

Car Accidents and Crash Injuries in Orlando Continue to Increase For the past five years, we have been experiencing a steady increase in the number of car accidents, injuries, and fatalities in Orange County.  While the number of deaths from automobile crashes has increased from 124 to 182 (31.87%) during this time period, the total number of crashes has exceeded 30,000 and the number of injuries has exceeded 21,000, as shown in the following chart. With population growth and increasing tourism, the trend does not seem likely to change, so those of us who live in the Orlando area need […]

Hurricane Irma Damages Attorney Whenever a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall, the media coverage heightens our awareness of just how devastating these storms can be.  Hurricane Harvey, which hit Gulf Coast of Texas last week, has, however, blown away our previous perceptions of devastation. With pounding rain and flooding continuing for days, homes and businesses in the Houston area are being ruined, people are stranded, and power lines are down.  The extent of damage from the heavy rains and catastrophic flooding cannot yet be assessed as the aftermath of the nightmarish deluge of rain continues. Assessing the Damage At […]

What Florida Homeowners Insurance Companies Say While those of us in Central Florida waited apprehensively for Hurricane Irma to make its way up the state, insurance companies pre-emptively sent homeowner policy owners email messages to let them know they were ready to help out if Hurricane Irma damaged their homes. The messages informed Florida homeowners that their insurance companies have phone lines and web pages for reporting damage from Hurricane Irma, claim adjusters ready to assess the damage, and lists of preferred contractors for repairing damage. It sounds as if they’re all set to help out, and you’re all set […]

Last year, those of us who live in Orlando and the surrounding Central Florida area were lucky:  we made it through hurricane season with minimal disruption and damage.  Hopefully, we’ll have another uneventful year, but you never know what’s going to happen during hurricane season. We can’t prevent major storms from occurring, but we can help minimize their impact on our personal lives.  This year, let’s be prepared in case tropical storms or hurricanes hit our area: Have Hurricane Supplies on Hand If a hurricane or strong tropical storm hits the Orlando area, stores could be closed, and you could […]

The Sinkhole in Land O’ Lakes, Florida Recently, a huge sinkhole in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, swallowed two homes, a boat, part of a road, and a driveway.  In addition, five other homes near the 225 foot sinkhole have been declared unsafe. As the community in Pasco County north of Tampa waits to make sure the sinkhole is stable, heavy equipment is being brought in to clear away debris, water samples are being taken, and insurance adjusters are assessing the damage to the homes their companies insure. Meanwhile, the rest of us in Florida watch in horror as videos of […]

Know What’s Covered in Your  Florida Homeowner’s Insurance Policy As a Florida homeowner, you probably know you have a homeowner’s insurance policy that covers specific losses, damages, and injuries that could occur at your home.  However, beyond that general knowledge, you might not be aware of stipulations, limits, and exclusions that could affect your ability to get enough (or any) money from your insurance company to cover replacement, repair, and/or medical costs following a severe storm, fire, or accident at your home. As an experienced insurance claim attorney, I’ve seen far too many Florida homeowners shocked to find out that their […]