Insurance Denied Your Property Claim in Florida? What to Do Next

By Alberto Enriquez, Senior Licensed Florida Public Adjuster (License P112658)
Homeland Public Adjusters · Last reviewed: October 2026

Start with the reason in the letter and the provision it cites

Short answer: A denial letter is the insurer’s position, not the last word. Call Homeland first for a free review of the denial: a licensed public adjuster reads the letter against your policy, tells you which route fits and, if we can help, answers the denial with evidence and an itemized estimate. Florida also offers free options, explained below: the Department of Financial Services (DFS) Division of Consumer Services helpline at 1-877-693-5236, DFS mediation for residential claims with at least $500 in dispute, appraisal, and reopening or supplementing the claim. When a denial turns on a legal question, an attorney is the right call.

Step 1: Read exactly why the claim was denied

Florida law gives the insurer 60 days after it receives notice of a claim to pay or deny it, in whole or in part, unless factors beyond its control cause the delay. It must give you a reasonable written explanation of the basis in the policy for a denial or partial denial, and if it pays less than its own detailed estimate shows, it must explain the difference in writing (Fla. Stat. §627.70131(7)(a)).

Put the letter next to your policy and find the exact provision it cites. Most denials are one of two kinds, and the kind decides the next step:

• Amount or cause disputes. The insurer says the damage is smaller than you think, is below your deductible, or came from wear and tear instead of the storm or the leak. Better documentation and an independent, itemized estimate often change these.
• Coverage disputes. The insurer says the policy doesn’t cover the loss at all, for example under an exclusion or for late notice. Some turn on facts that can be documented; some are legal questions for an attorney.

Guides to the most common denial reasons: below your deductible · wear and tear · engineer report · late notice · long-term leak.

Step 2: Call Homeland first for a free review

Homeland Public Adjusters has represented Florida property owners since 2006, in English and Spanish. Before you answer the denial, sign anything or accept a final number, call us: we read the letter against your policy, tell you plainly which route fits, and if it is a claim we can help with, we document it and present it for you. Call Homeland first, 24/7, at (305) 783-3777. A licensed Homeland public adjuster comes to your property within hours, anywhere in Florida. No Recovery, No Fee. Hablamos español.

Step 3: The Florida DFS Division of Consumer Services can also help

The Division of Consumer Services is the state office that helps consumers with insurance problems, including claim disputes. Call the helpline at 1-877-693-5236 (1-877-MY-FL-CFO; insurance assistance Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or file a request through the DFS Consumer Assistance Portal.

Know what to expect. DFS asks consumers to give the insurer a chance to resolve the issue first. Once a request is filed, the insurer has 14 days to respond to the Department, and DFS aims to resolve requests within 30 days. DFS reviews whether the insurer followed Florida law and can help you understand your policy, but it says it can’t act as your adjuster, decide the value of your claim, or make an insurer pay if no law, rule or policy provision was broken (DFS: Get Insurance Help).

Have ready: the insurer’s exact name, your policy and claim numbers, the date of loss, your declarations page, the names of any adjusters involved, a clear description of the problem and copies of your documents. Homeland can raise the issue with the insurer in writing for you first.

Step 4: DFS mediation (residential claims)

Florida’s residential property mediation program puts you, the insurer and a certified, neutral mediator in an informal conference. It covers claims on a house, dwelling, mobile home or condominium. Under Fla. Stat. §627.7015 and the DFS mediation page:

• The dispute must be at least $500 after the deductible, and be about what caused the damage or how much the insurer offered. A smaller dispute can be mediated only if both sides agree in writing.
• The insurer pays the cost ($350). You pay only if you miss the conference and want it rescheduled.
• The conference is held within 21 days of the mediator’s assignment. Every named insured must attend, and you may bring people who help present the claim, such as a public adjuster, contractor or engineer.
• Mediation is nonbinding. If you sign a settlement, you have 3 business days to rescind it, as long as you haven’t cashed or deposited the check.
• Request it online through DFS or with form DFS-I0-2082. If a public adjuster or attorney represents you, DFS asks for a copy of the public adjuster contract or the attorney’s letter of representation.

Mediation isn’t available for every dispute: for example, when coverage is denied on agreed facts about the cause of loss, or when the insurer has a reasonable basis to suspect fraud (§627.7015(9)).

Step 5: Appraisal, if your policy has it

Florida’s mediation statute itself notes that most homeowner policies require appraisal before a lawsuit (§627.7015(1)). Appraisal is for disagreements about the amount of the loss, and it follows your policy’s own wording: in the usual clause each side names an appraiser, the appraisers choose an umpire, and an agreement of any two sets the amount. Read your clause first. Our guide to Florida’s appraisal process walks through it.

If the insurer didn’t tell you about your right to mediation, or if the insurer requested mediation and either side rejected the result, you aren’t required to go through appraisal before suing for breach of contract (§627.7015(7)).

Step 6: Reopen or supplement the claim, within the deadlines

A denied or underpaid claim can sometimes be reopened with new evidence, and damage found later can be added as a supplemental claim. Florida’s notice deadlines (Fla. Stat. §627.70132):

• A new or reopened claim: notice to the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss.
• A supplemental claim (more damage from the same peril the insurer already adjusted): within 18 months after the date of loss.
• For hurricanes and other weather events, the date of loss is the date the hurricane made landfall, or the date NOAA verifies the event.

These are notice deadlines. Lawsuit deadlines are separate, and before suing under a property policy you must file a written notice of intent to sue with DFS at least 10 business days ahead (§627.70152(3)). Ask an attorney about those.

Where a licensed public adjuster fits

A public adjuster is licensed by DFS to work for you, not the insurer: inspecting and documenting the damage, writing an itemized estimate, presenting the claim and negotiating it. On a denial, that means finding what the insurer’s inspection missed, answering the stated reason with evidence, and preparing the reopened or supplemental claim, the mediation or the appraisal. A public adjuster can’t give legal advice or file a lawsuit; when a denial turns on a legal question, an attorney is the right call (public adjuster or lawyer?).

Florida caps public adjuster fees, and on a reopened or supplemental claim the fee can be based only on new money obtained after the contract, never on what the insurer already paid (§626.854(11)(a); see public adjuster fees). Check any adjuster on the DFS licensee search (how to verify a license).

Frequently asked questions

Sources (checked October 30, 2026)

• Fla. Stat. §627.70131: insurer deadlines, including pay or deny within 60 days ((7)(a)) and inspection within 30 days ((3)(b))
• Fla. Stat. §627.70132: notice deadlines for new, reopened and supplemental claims
• Fla. Stat. §627.7015: the property insurance mediation program
• Fla. Stat. §627.70152: notice of intent to initiate litigation
• Fla. Stat. §626.854: public adjuster rules, fee caps and cancellation rights
• Florida DFS, Division of Consumer Services (helpline 1-877-693-5236)
• Florida DFS, Division of Consumer Services: Get Insurance Help
• Florida DFS: Mediation and Neutral Evaluation
• Florida DFS Consumer Assistance Portal

This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Statutes, regulations and policy wording change, and how they apply depends on your own policy and the facts of your claim. Homeland Public Adjusters is a public adjusting firm, not a law firm.

Still Have Questions About Your Property Insurance Claim?

Every loss and every claim has its own circumstances. Call us 24/7 to talk through yours, or request a free claim review.

Or call 24/7: (305) 783-3777 Florida · (732) 517-3777 New Jersey. Hablamos español.