10/08/2026
To all our coastal county family, friends, individual clients, and community clients, please be safe during this upcoming storm. You still have time to WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?):
First and foremost, everybody’s safety is paramount. Make sure to notify all of your family members and residents/owners are current on the proposed trajectory and potential strength of the storm. Get water, gas, and food supplies to last multiple days (or longer if you are in the direct path of the storm). Contact local governmental entities about hurricane preparedness plans and prepare or review your own.
Next, if you have not already done so, verify that you have a full and complete copy of all insurance policies for your propert(ies). It is crucial that you have the Declarations Page, the body of the Policy, and any and all Endorsements that accompany the Policies. It is always a good idea to print out a hard copy of the Policies in addition to having it available via your computer, especially given the possibility of power outages. Ensure that all documents related to the property are in a location that is readily accessible and not subject to damage or destruction from the storm.
Finally, if any of your properties sustain any storm damage, however slight, it is crucial that you immediately contact our office (or other counsel, if we do not represent you or your community). Over the course of many years, Florida courts have routinely upheld insurers' denials of storm damage claims when a policyholder or their representative(s) failed to notify the insurer, believing the damage was less than the policy deductible.
While storm damage to building components like roofs is often visible, most storms also cause substantial hidden damage that may not be known for quite some time. Insurance policies contain very strict time limits for reporting storm damage to the insurance company, no matter how slight or devastating the damage may be.
Failure to timely notify the insurer can result in the insurer completely denying a claim, including for all storm damage that was not readily apparent or known after the storm. As such, should you receive any information that the property has been damaged as a result of the storm, immediately call and/or email our office (or the office of your legal counsel) so you best protect your interests.
Again, please be safe and consider WWDD.
-Your trusted legal partners Anderson, Givens & Fredericks
