Florida Homeowners Face More Storm Cleanup Amidst an Insurance Crisis
The cleanup continues in the state of Florida this week after at least one tornado hit the state on Thursday, October 12, damaging homes, vehicles, and businesses in the Tampa Bay area, .
At least two homes in Clearwater Beach, Florida, were damaged, with photos revealing debris-covered streets and a home鈥檚 gutter that went right through a car鈥檚 windshield. According to CNN, one home鈥檚 wall and roof collapsed onto a sleeping 90-year-old woman due to the storm. She was uninjured, and, according to Clearwater police and fire officials, there were no reports of any other injuries from the storm.
鈥淪he woke up to the sound of glass breaking,鈥 Rob Shaw. Clearwater Fire and Rescue spokesperson told CNN. 鈥淪he pulled the covers up over her head and rode out the storm.鈥
In Crystal River, Florida, , one resident, Anthony Gannon, could smell the insulation being ripped off his home as he hunkered down next to his living room sofa. Tornado warnings blaring from their phones alerted Gannon, his wife, and his son鈥攁ll asleep at the time鈥攐f the approaching danger.
鈥淚t was just wild; it was a scary 20 seconds,鈥 Gannon told WFLA. 鈥淎nd I鈥檒l tell anybody going forward, 鈥榊ou get that alarm on your phone, take it serious.鈥 Because it saved our life.鈥
The damage to Gannon鈥檚 home included a blown-off room, broken windows, and ruined belongings. For Gannon and others in the area, the recent storms represented a double-whammy, as many had just recovered from the extreme flooding that Hurricane Idalia delivered in late August.
鈥淚鈥檒l deal with flooding,鈥 Gannon said to WFLA. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 ever want to deal with a tornado again.鈥
To make matters worse, Florida has also been facing a homeowners鈥 insurance crisis, but (Triple-I), the problem is due not to extreme weather, but instead, because of insurance company insolvencies and homeowners鈥 insurance-related litigation. Florida leads the nation in homeowners鈥 insurance-related litigation, despite accounting for less than 10% of claims, with a corresponding impact on policyholder premiums.
鈥淔loridians are seeing homeowners鈥 insurance become costlier and scarcer because for years the state has been the home of too much litigation and too many fraudulent roof-replacement schemes,鈥 said Sean Kevelighan, Triple-I CEO. 鈥淭hese two factors contributed enormously to the net underwriting losses Florida鈥檚 homeowners鈥 insurers cumulatively incurred between 2017 and 2021.鈥