LMA NEWSLETTER June 28, 2021

Absolute Desperation, Destruction and Despair

As we woke up this past Thursday morning (June 24) our hearts broke as we saw the devastation of Champlain Towers Condo in Surfside, Florida “pancake” collapse.  I immediately thought of Senator Jason Pizzo as this condo building is in his district.  Senator Pizzo has 560,000 constituents and he has made it his mission to …

Roofers Fighting Property Insurance Reform

Insurance defense attorneys’ take on new law

It took a little over a week for the roofing industry to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block Florida’s new property insurance reform law that Governor DeSantis signed and is set to take effect this Thursday July 1.  Meanwhile, the roofers are already educating their …

New Consumer Protections Now Law

Illegal adjusting clarified

Another tool to fight fraudulent claims practices has also become Florida law in the past two weeks – SB 1598.  The bill includes important language clarifying that only an attorney or licensed public adjuster may prepare, complete or file an insurance claim for a policyholder or third-party claimant or negotiate on …

Is PIP Doomed?

New report casts doubt on cost savings

The other big insurance bill passed by the Florida Legislature this spring – SB 54 – which would do away with Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage under Florida’s No-Fault automobile insurance law, has yet to be signed by the Governor.  A new report released this past week is …

Blue-Green Algae Turning Deadly

Dead dog and sick residents

With the rising summer temperatures come rising blue-green algae levels in some prominent Florida lakes and waterways.  There are now reports of people getting sick from the cyanobacteria that can be present in the algae and a dog dying from it, as state and local governments are working with private …

Re-creating Hurricane Michael

One city’s innovative approach to a claim

When Hurricane Michael brought its Category 5-force winds to Panama City in October of 2018, one of the many buildings that sustained major damage was the city’s Marina Civic Center.  And two-and-a-half years later, when FEMA found the damage suffered didn’t merit full replacement costs, the city decided …

Flood Digest

Defending Risk Rating 2.0

Congressional hearings continue on long-term reauthorization of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which is set to expire September 30.  More elected officials from coastal states are weighing in on the NFIP’s Risk Rating 2.0 “Equity in Action” pricing program set to take effect October 1.  Among them, is U.S. Senator …

The Human Library

We’re used to going to a library to check out a book.  But imagine going to a library to check out a real person!  That’s exactly the idea behind the “Human Library.”  For humanists, lovers of museums, and library dwellers alike, the Human Library Organization is an international non-profit initiative operating out of Copenhagen, Denmark.  …