Florida Homeowners — Your Insurance Settlement May Be Worth Significantly More Than You Were Offered

In many cases, yes — particularly if additional damage was discovered after the settlement was accepted, or if the original settlement did not fully cover the scope of loss. Florida law allows for supplemental claims in certain circumstances, and the deadlines for these differ from initial claim deadlines. If you accepted a payment but believe it falls short of what your policy requires, contact us as soon as possible. Do not assume acceptance of a first payment closes the claim permanently.

The most reliable way is to get an independent assessment of your damage and repair costs. If your contractor's estimates exceed what the insurance company offered, if additional damage was found during repairs, or if code upgrades are required that weren't included in the settlement, your claim may be underpaid. We offer free claim reviews — we will compare your settlement against the documented cost of restoration and tell you honestly whether you have grounds to recover more.

A supplemental claim is a request to your insurer for additional payment on a claim that has already been partially settled. It is used when new damage is discovered, when the original estimate proves insufficient, or when costs exceed the initial settlement. Florida allows supplemental claims within certain time limits from the date of loss. An attorney can help you structure and submit a supplemental claim that is supported by independent documentation and difficult for the insurer to ignore.

RCV stands for Replacement Cost Value — the cost to repair or replace damaged property with new materials of like kind and quality. ACV stands for Actual Cash Value — the replacement cost minus depreciation. Many policies initially pay ACV and then release the depreciation holdback once repairs are completed. If your insurer has applied ACV when your policy entitles you to RCV, or if they have depreciated items they shouldn't have, you may be significantly underpaid. This is a common and often invisible source of underpayment.

Yes, in many cases. Completed repairs do not necessarily end your claim. If you paid out of pocket for costs your insurer should have covered, if repairs revealed additional damage not included in the settlement, or if the settlement did not account for all required work, you may have grounds for a supplemental claim or litigation. The key is documentation — receipts, contractor invoices, photos taken before, during, and after repairs all support your position. Contact us even if repairs are complete.

Under Florida law (HB 837, 2023), you generally have 18 months from the date of loss to submit a supplemental claim on an existing open claim. For new claims, the deadline is 1 year from the date of loss. These deadlines are strictly enforced and have changed in recent years. If you suspect your claim was underpaid, do not wait to see if the insurer reconsiders on their own — contact us for a free review as soon as possible.