A Southwest Florida home insurance agent said it appears thousands of homeowners in the state may still be waiting for home repairs nearly a year after Hurricane Ian hit.
Many of those homes were insured by United Property and Casualty or UPC of Florida, which went bankrupt last year.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Homeowners left seeking alternative insurance policies after UPC files for bankruptcy
The claims from Ian that weren’t paid were supposed to be processed by the state, but many have been left in limbo, and the state may not even be aware that the claims exist.
Paul Reitmeier of North Fort Myers is one of those who said he was left hanging in limbo.
“UPC left the state, and they turned my claim over to the State of Florida,” Reitmeier said.
It turns out that’s what he thought happened. He learned that the state had not even received his claim. He was told by his insurance agent Reid McDaniel of McDaniel Insurance Solutions, that UPC had not turned over smaller claims like his to the state.
“What we’ve discovered is that there are thousands of policyholders with UPC, and maybe their claims data hasn’t been sent to FIGA,” McDaniel explained.
FIGA is the state agency responsible for processing bankrupt company claims
“The insured themselves may think this is in process and it’s being worked on, only to find out no one knows who they are,” McDaniel stated.
Why FIGA doesn’t have access isn’t clear. NBC2 reached out to the state agency for answers.
“It appears the state just doesn’t have access to those claims or certain ones,” McDaniel noted.
Gregg Martin owns Eagle Roofing and said he has also seen UPC customers left empty-handed.
“We’ve definitely seen it. We’ve actually reached out and tried to have communication with UPC,” Martin said.
But to no avail. He said many of his customers are waiting for payment, and sometimes he’s left on the hook for work already completed after the customer thought FIGA would pick up the tab.
“With UPC (claims) I’d say we probably got 30, maybe 40, but my guess, you’re probably in the thousands that are dealing with UPC specifically,” Martin said.
Reitmeier is one of those hoping the state will soon acknowledge his claim before the next storm hits.
“Which is scary. We’re right at the peak of hurricane season. Who knows what is going to happen,” he concluded.
The best advice if some suspect their claim may be one of those caught up in limbo or hasn’t been addressed is to contact their local agent or call FIGA directly at 1-800-988-1450.
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