Wherever you are in Florida, we come to you. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property within hours — no need to visit an office. Serving Florida property owners since 2006, in English and Spanish. New Jersey: statewide.
Cargo & Commercial Fleet Insurance Claims
A storm that floods a lot full of trucks and vans, a reefer that fails with a full load, or a shipment of your own goods stolen or wet on arrival: these are first-party property claims on your own policy, and Homeland handles them.
If you need help with a cargo or commercial fleet claim on your own policy (owner’s cargo, goods in transit, or fleet vehicle physical damage) in Florida or New Jersey, Homeland Public Adjusters handles exactly this kind of claim. Homeland is a licensed public adjusting firm (Florida W818638; New Jersey 3003982360) with 20 years in the industry (since 2006) and a network of experts in Florida and New Jersey ready to take on any loss. In Florida we come to you within hours, wherever you are. Call (305) 783-3777 (Florida) or (732) 517-3777 (New Jersey), 24/7, English or Spanish.
Reviewed by Yeni Martinez, Licensed Public Adjuster, Florida (License P103370) and New Jersey (License 3003714097) · Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: November 2026
Which Cargo and Fleet Claims a Public Adjuster Handles
A public adjuster represents you on your own first-party property coverage. Cargo and fleet claims split into the ones that are yours to claim and the ones that are liability, and the difference decides who can help.
| Situation | Whose claim | Homeland’s role |
|---|---|---|
| Your fleet vehicles flooded, hailed or burned | Yours, under commercial auto physical damage (comprehensive) | Unit-by-unit valuation, upfits and equipment, total-loss offers |
| Your own goods lost or damaged in transit | Yours, under an inland transit, cargo or ocean cargo policy | Survey, valuation, salvage and the claim against your insurer |
| Reefer breakdown spoiled your own load | Yours, if your policy covers it | Temperature logs, technician report, valuation |
| A shipper’s goods you were hauling | A liability claim against the carrier’s cargo liability coverage | Not public adjusting work |
| Injuries in a crash | An injury claim | Not public adjusting work (Fla. Stat. §626.854(3)) |
Fleet Flood and Storm Losses: Valuing Upfitted Vehicles
A single storm can total a whole lot of vehicles at once: Carfax estimated that Hurricane Ian may have damaged up to 358,000 vehicles (Automotive Fleet, citing Carfax). Commercial units are often worth more than a book value shows because of bodies, lifts, reefer units, racks and wraps.
- Unit by unit: each VIN gets its own valuation package with comparables from specialty dealers and the upfit invoices.
- Check what was covered: older units sometimes carry liability only; confirm comprehensive on each one from the schedule.
- Diminished value: in Florida it is not owed under a repair-or-replace auto policy (Siegle v. Progressive, Fla. 2002); the fight is over the repair or the actual cash value.
- Downtime: lost revenue while units are out is generally not covered by auto physical damage; check for business income elsewhere in the program.
Cargo Claims: Your Goods, Your Policy
Importers, distributors and retailers often insure their own goods in transit under an inland transit or ocean cargo policy. When goods arrive wet, crushed, short or not at all, the claim is yours, and documentation at delivery decides it.
- Note every exception on the delivery receipt before signing
- Photos of the container, seals, packaging and damage
- Bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list
- Reefer temperature logs and setpoints
- Written notice to the carrier, with the date
- Ask for a joint survey before anything is discarded
- Police report for theft, with GPS or ELD records
- Your policy, certificate and any general average notice
Ocean and import cargo is wet marine insurance in Florida (Fla. Stat. §624.607), so most Part II contract protections in chapter 627 do not apply (Fla. Stat. §627.401(3)), and many cargo policies choose foreign law. Read the policy before the deadlines in it run.
Cargo or Fleet Claim Denied? Lawyer or Public Adjuster: Who to Call First
On your own policy, most disputes are about value, the condition of the goods or units, and the exclusions the insurer cites. Those are answered with surveys, valuation packages and records, which Homeland assembles.
- Your fleet’s physical damage or your own cargo: call Homeland first.
- Claims against a carrier for a shipment, liability claims, or injuries: an attorney or your liability insurer; that is not public adjusting work.
If it becomes a legal fight, we work alongside your attorney: the documentation, scope and estimate we build carry straight into the case. How Homeland supports law firms. For a side-by-side, see property damage lawyer or public adjuster: who to call.
Start a Cargo or Fleet Claim
A licensed Homeland public adjuster reviews your policy and the loss and calls you back, in English or Spanish.
Damage happening right now? Call (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.
Cargo and Fleet Questions
Is my cargo claim against the trucker or my own insurer?
If you insured your own goods in transit, you can claim on your own policy, and your insurer may then pursue the carrier. A claim directly against the carrier is a liability claim, which a public adjuster does not handle.
Our whole fleet flooded in the storm. Can you handle all the units?
Yes. We build a valuation package for each VIN, with the upfits and equipment, and present them together.
Does the insurer owe diminished value on our repaired trucks?
Not in Florida under a repair-or-replace auto policy (Siegle v. Progressive, Fla. 2002). The dispute is usually about the quality of the repair or the actual cash value.
A container of our imports arrived wet. What now?
Note it on the delivery receipt, photograph everything, keep the goods for a joint survey, give written notice to the carrier and call Homeland before anything is discarded.
Do you handle these claims in New Jersey?
Yes. New Jersey’s public adjuster rules include transit and ocean marine policies, and Homeland represents New Jersey policyholders on their own policies.
What Property Owners Are Asking in the Forum
Threads answered by a licensed public adjuster. Reply with your own experience, or post a question of your own.
Am I covered for this?
Nelson Avila, PA: It depends on your policy's wording: what perils it covers, what it excludes, your deductibles and any sublimits or endorsements.
Reply ›Insurers & PoliciesHow do I file a claim, and can my premium go up?
Nelson Avila, PA: Start by calling a licensed public adjuster before you file, so the claim is documented, valued and presented right from day one.
Reply ›Claims & SettlementsDo I need a public adjuster or a lawyer?
Nelson Avila, PA: It depends on where your claim is. A licensed public adjuster works for you to document, value and negotiate the claim with your insurer.
Reply ›Related Pages
Sources
- Fla. Stat. §624.607: marine insurance defined
- Fla. Stat. §627.401: scope of Part II
- Automotive Fleet: Carfax estimate of Ian-damaged vehicles
- Siegle v. Progressive (Fla. 2002) summary
- N.J.A.C. 11:1-37.2: New Jersey public adjuster definitions
THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR BUSINESS. IF YOU HAVE HAD A CLAIM FOR AN INSURED PROPERTY LOSS OR DAMAGE AND YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PAYMENT BY YOUR INSURER, YOU MAY DISREGARD THIS ADVERTISEMENT.
Who This Is For
Homeland handles this kind of claim for:
Verify Homeland
Check us before you hire anyone. Every license below links to its public record on the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee search.
- Serves all of Florida: Yes — every city and county. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property — no need to visit an office. Call (305) 783-3777, 24/7.
- Homeland Public Adjusters Corporation: Florida public adjusting firm license W818638 · New Jersey public adjuster firm license 3003982360
- Yeni Martinez, President: Florida public adjuster license P103370 (licensed since 2007) · New Jersey 3003714097 · designated primary adjuster
- Alberto Enriquez: Senior licensed public adjuster, Florida P112658
- Yisel Dieguez: Licensed public adjuster and Xactimate estimator, Florida W873884 · New Jersey 3003714335
- Nelson Avila: Florida adjuster license G332385 · Florida Certified Contractor CRC1331322 · property insurance appraiser and umpire
- Complaints and reputation: 5.0★ on Google · BBB A+ rating
- Since 2006: Homeland Public Adjusters, Corp. was incorporated in Florida on December 11, 2006. Our President, Yeni Martinez, has held Florida public adjuster license P103370 since 2007. When Florida began requiring adjusting firms to hold their own firm license (a 2021 law, Senate Bill 1598; DFS began licensing adjusting firms in November 2021), Homeland was issued firm license W818638 on January 11, 2022. Each adjuster’s appointment with Homeland appears on that adjuster’s own DFS record.
- English and Spanish. Office: 8004 NW 154th Street, Suite 609, Miami Lakes, FL 33016 (visits by appointment). Florida (305) 783-3777 · New Jersey (732) 517-3777, 24/7.