The Miami Herald reports that the South Florida rainy season has ended a bit early this year and La Nina could bring a dryer than normal dry season.

Many South Florida residents have breathed a sigh of relief this week, as cooler air, lower humidity and nice breezes have ushered in that most glorious time of year between summer’s dreadful heat and the arrival of our winter friends and the heavy non-stop traffic that comes with the winter tourist season.

Our Miami insurance dispute attorneys do want to remind you, however, that the area remains a prime target for hurricanes through the end of November. As we reported recently on our Florida Insurance Claim Lawyer Blog, the halfway point of South Florida’s hurricane season is Sept. 21 — with half of the storms to hit the area in the last 160 years coming after that date.

Now is a good time to review your hurricane supplies. Perhaps you have snatched the bottled water over the course of the summer. Maybe the extra propane went into service during the Labor Day cookout. Restocking a few supplies now can save you a big hassle in the event that the area falls into the path of an approaching storm. Shopping with the mobs is never any fun and this “late” in the season you may also find local stores unprepared and understocked.

The National Weather Service said last week that South Florida has entered dry season, officially signaled by falling dewpoints and a dip into the 60s over Lake Okeechobee. It comes two weeks earlier than its Oct. 17 average and the earliest since 1995.

La Nina’s warmer sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean could also make it a drier than normal dry season. Such weather raises wildfire risks and has also been a primary reason for the busy storm season, which finds us naming Tropical Storm Otto, the season’s 15th named storm, even as we talk about the beginning of dry season.

South Florida’s rainy season fell about 10 percent short of its normal 26.78 inches. The wet season, which usually begins in June, typically produces about 70 percent of South Florida’s rainfall.

Again, authorities stressed that the beginning of dry season does not mean the end of hurricane season, which lasts through Nov. 30. Hurricane Wilma, the last storm to hit South Florida, struck in late October 2005. Hurricane Kate struck the Panhandle just before Thanksgiving, 25 years ago this year.
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If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP toll free at 866-518-2913 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Many homeowners are unaware of the significant difference in deductibles their homeowner’s policy may carry for wind damage versus hurricane damage. Nor do they realize that a hurricane damage deductible may be triggered by the presence of a storm elsewhere in the state.

Our Miami storm damage attorneys encourage homeowners dealing with significant damage claims to consult our office for a free consultation. Policies can be confusing, often intentionally so, and homeowners cannot always expect to be treated fairly by their insurance company.

As we reported on our Florida Insurance Claim Lawyer Blog, the passage of Tropical Storm Bonnie marks the real beginning of the 2010 South Florida storm season. Understanding your policy deductibles can help you understand your economic exposure in the event of a serious storm. Doing so now may even allow you to make changes. Once the Florida Peninsula falls into the path of a tropical storm or hurricane, it will be too late; polices cannot be issued or changed until after a storm passes.

In general, a homeowner usually has very manageable deductibles for wind damage, often just $500. But hurricane deductibles of 10 percent are common, which would be $20,000 on a $200,000 house.

What even fewer homeowners realize is that an insurance company may apply a hurricane deductible to wind damage that occurs elsewhere in the state. For example, a hurricane in Miami that spawns a tornado in Fort Myers, will result in a hurricane deductible. By law, the issuance of a hurricane watch or warning by the National Weather Service puts all properties in the state under hurricane deductibles.

Additionally, the hurricane deductible is in effect up to 3 days after a storm. When the length of the pre-storm watch is taken into account, homeowners may be subject to hurricane deductibles for nearly a week at a time during the threat of a hurricane.

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If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in South Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP toll free at 866-518-2913 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the deadline to file an insurance claim for damage caused by Hurricane Wilma is Oct. 24.

That’s the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Wilma and will also trigger Florida’s five-year statute of limitations to file a lawsuit for property insurance claims. Our Miami insurance claims lawyers offer free consultations to anyone who is struggling to be justly compensated for hurricane or other storm-related damage in South Florida.

Michael Barry, vice president of media relations for the Insurance Information Institute, said “some insurers, depending on their policy language, may be willing to review a claim filed beyond the five-year deadline.”

We say, “don’t count on it.” Your window is just about closed when it comes to seeking the compensation you deserve for South Florida’s last major hurricane. If you have not done so by now, you should consult an attorney immediately, any claims filed or resubmitted at this point will likely miss the deadline if and when the claim is denied. Many claims have been delayed because insurance companies have told homeowners that damages didn’t meet deductibles or were otherwise ineligible. In other cases, homeowners may have accepted inadequate payment, not realizing the extent of the damage.

Insurers paid out about $9.2 billion on more than 1 million Wilma claims made by homeowners, business owners and automobile owners, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

Never ones to rest when a better deal might be had by greasing the political machine in Tallahassee, representatives of the insurance industry backed legislation this year that shortened the time allowed to file windstorm claims to three years. Lawmakers obliged by passing the measure but it was vetoed by Gov. Crist.
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If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP toll free at 866-518-2913 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.