The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that free legal assistance is now available to help Hurricane Idalia victims in Florida with insurance claims, government benefits and other matters.
For people in 16 Florida counties hit by the Aug. 30 storm who are unable to afford an attorney, a hotline has been set up to connect them with free legal services, FEMA said in in a bulletin last week. The counties include Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee and Taylor.
It’s known as the Disaster Legal Services program and it works with local attorneys. It is a partnership between the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, FEMA and The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.
More legal actions may be the last thing the Florida insurance industry wants to see, after years of being battered by what carriers have called excessive claims litigation. But claims lawsuits from Idalia are expected to be fewer than some previous storms, because the affected area is sparsely populated and legislative reforms enacted late last year have disincentivized some litigation.
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reported that as of Sept. 28, some 22,087 property insurance claims have been filed as a result of Hurricane Idalia. About 7,300 of those have been closed with payment and 4,955 have been closed without payment.
And so far, the storm claims have not resulted in a flood of litigation. Since Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, almost 6,800 notices of intent to litigate have been filed from across the state with the Florida Department of Financial Services. That’s about 1,000 fewer notices than were seen in August, statewide, the DFS NOI site shows.
FEMA said the legal assistance will also help homeowners deal with price-gouging and contractor fraud while they are rebuilding from the storm, as well as disability and other issues.
Topics Florida