Licensed Public Adjusters in Florida
Representing Florida policyholders when the insurance company underpays, delays, or denies a legitimate property damage claim. We know the Florida market, the carriers, and the statutes that protect you.
Based in Wellington, FL — Palm Beach County. We serve homeowners and businesses across Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
Why Florida Policyholders Need a Public Adjuster in 2026
Florida has one of the most complex property insurance markets in the United States. Recent legislative changes (including SB 2-D and SB 2-A in 2022) have updated rules around Assignment of Benefits and other claims-related practices. The day-to-day reality for policyholders has not changed: carriers still routinely send their own adjusters first, and those adjusters work for the carrier. A licensed public adjuster represents the policyholder side of the claim under a regulated contract and a contingency fee - we are not attorneys, but we are insurance professionals who level the field on the valuation side of a claim.
South Florida is also the highest-risk hurricane zone in the mainland United States. Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties sit directly in the path of Atlantic basin hurricanes. Hurricane Andrew (1992), Hurricane Wilma (2005), Hurricane Irma (2017), and Hurricane Ian (2022) all caused catastrophic damage across South Florida, and the annual hurricane season from June 1 through November 30 brings renewed risk every year. Beyond hurricanes, South Florida homeowners face tropical storms, heavy rain events, hail, wind, tornadoes from outer bands, and significant roof damage from aging structures in coastal environments.
The insurance carrier sends their adjuster first. That adjuster works for the carrier and their job is to assess and value the loss within the carrier's internal guidelines. Whether through inexperience, inadequate scope, or outright lowballing, the first offer is frequently well below what the policy actually owes. A Florida public adjuster — licensed by the Department of Financial Services and bound by statute to represent only the policyholder — levels the playing field.
Our Florida practice focuses on documentation and valuation: thorough damage scoping, defensible Xactimate estimates, careful tracking of carrier communications, and applying the right policy provisions to each loss. When a claim involves a question about matching (§626.9744), claim-handling timelines (§627.70131), or supplemental filings (§627.70132), we make sure the underlying documentation is in place. Legal questions about how those statutes apply to a specific claim are questions for a licensed attorney - and we work alongside your attorney when one is involved.
Florida Insurance Law — What Every Policyholder Should Know
Florida has some of the strongest policyholder protections in the country — if you know how to invoke them. Here are the statutes that matter most to your claim.
PA Fees Capped at 20% (10% for Emergencies)
Florida Statute §626.854 limits public adjuster fees to 20% of the insurance settlement under normal circumstances, and 10% for claims resulting from a state of emergency (such as a declared hurricane) during the first year after the loss. Your right to representation is legally protected.
Matching / Uniform Appearance (§626.9744)
Florida Statute §626.9744 addresses matching of materials in property insurance claims. The statute is well known among public adjusters and is frequently relevant when a partial loss raises questions about whether replacement materials will visually match the undamaged portion of the property. We document matching issues thoroughly in every applicable claim. The legal application of §626.9744 to a specific claim is a question for a licensed attorney.
DFS Licensing & Oversight
The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) licenses and regulates every public adjuster in the state. DCS holds an active Florida public adjusting firm license (FL Firm #W820363) and operates in full compliance with DFS requirements, including continuing education and bond requirements.
3-Year Supplemental / Reopen Window
Under Florida Statute §627.70132, policyholders have up to three years from the date of loss to file a supplemental or reopened property insurance claim (extended to the later of four years for hurricane claims). If damage was missed or underpaid on your original claim, you still have time to pursue the full recovery - but the window is closing every day.
Assignment of Benefits (AOB) Changes
Florida’s legal landscape around Assignment of Benefits has changed in recent years. Hiring a licensed public adjuster is different from signing an AOB to a contractor: a PA represents YOU under a written contract regulated by the Florida Department of Financial Services, does not take ownership of your claim, and is paid on contingency only if you recover. We are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice on AOB questions.
60-Day Payment Window (§627.70131)
Florida Statute §627.70131 establishes timeframes for carriers to acknowledge, investigate, and pay or deny a property insurance claim. We document the timeline of every claim we handle so the policyholder has a complete written record of dates, communications, and carrier responses. Specific legal questions about claim timing should be discussed with a licensed attorney.
South Florida Counties We Serve
We represent policyholders across the three largest counties in South Florida, covering the entire I-95 corridor from Jupiter to Homestead.
Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach
Broward County
Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Hollywood
Miami-Dade County
Miami, Doral, Hialeah, Homestead
Florida Cities We Serve
We work with policyholders across every major city in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
Florida Claim Types We Handle
From hurricanes and tropical storms to water damage, fire, and denied claims — we represent Florida policyholders across every major peril.
Six Roles. Different Sides. Different Fee Structures.
Most policyholders never learn that there are six distinct roles in property insurance claim handling, and they do not all work for the same side. Knowing which is which is the foundation of understanding what your options are when a loss happens.
Staff Adjuster
An employee of the insurance carrier. Salaried by the carrier. Investigates and values claims under the carrier internal guidelines. Cannot represent policyholders.
Works for: Insurance company
Fee: Salary (carrier employee)
Independent Adjuster (IA)
A contractor hired by the insurance carrier, often during catastrophe deployments. Paid per file by the carrier. Works under the carrier guidelines. Cannot represent policyholders on the same loss.
Works for: Insurance company
Fee: Per-file (paid by carrier)
Public Adjuster (PA)
A state-licensed adjuster hired by the policyholder. Inspects damage, documents the loss, prepares the claim, and negotiates with the carrier on the policyholder behalf.
Works for: You (the policyholder)
Fee: Contingency, capped by statute (10% in TX under Ch. 4102; up to 20% in FL under §626.854, 10% during a declared emergency for the first year)
Loss Consultant
Advisory engagement. Provides policy review, coverage analysis, settlement-offer review, expert testimony, or attorney-litigation support without taking on the formal PA representation. Does not negotiate the claim with the carrier as agent of the policyholder.
Works for: You or your attorney
Fee: Flat fee or time-and-expense (not contingency)
Party-Appointed Appraiser
Named under the appraisal clause by one party. Required to be "competent and disinterested" or "competent and impartial" under the policy. Inspects, scopes, prices, and reaches a defensible loss-amount opinion. Not an advocate. Does not address coverage.
Works for: Neutral fact-finder
Fee: Flat-minimum-plus-time-and-expense. Never contingency. PA fee caps do NOT apply.
Umpire
Neutral tiebreaker selected jointly by the two party-appointed appraisers (or appointed by a court if they cannot agree). Reviews both estimates and the supporting record, may inspect, and issues a written award. Any 2 of 3 must agree for the award to bind.
Works for: Neutral third party
Fee: Flat-minimum-plus-time-and-expense, split 50/50 by the parties on standard policies. Never contingency.
Key distinctions that matter most
- Public adjusting and appraiser engagements are different roles with different fee rules. The PA fee caps under TX Ins. Code Ch. 4102 and FL Stat. §626.854 govern public adjusting work. They do not apply to appraiser or umpire engagements, which are time-and-expense based.
- Public adjusters are not attorneys. PAs read and apply policy language in the ordinary course of adjusting (coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements, scope). They do not provide legal advice, draft demand letters in the legal sense, file Texas Ch. 542A pre-suit notices, or pursue litigation. Those are attorney work.
- Appraisers and umpires do not decide coverage. The appraisal process is strictly limited to the dollar amount of the loss. Coverage questions belong to the carrier, the courts, or a licensed attorney.
Statutes That Touch DCS Work
Texas (home base) and Florida statutes that govern public adjusting, appraisal, prompt-pay, and policyholder rights. DCS reviews and applies these statutes in the ordinary course of adjusting. Legal questions belong to a licensed attorney in your state.
Texas (Home Base)
DCS Firm License #3134924
- TX Ins. Code Ch. 4102. Public adjusters. Caps PA fees at 10% of recovery for public adjusting work. Requires written contract on TDI-approved form. Three-business-day cancellation right.
- TX Ins. Code Ch. 542. Prompt Payment of Claims Act. Acknowledge / decide / pay deadlines, 18% statutory interest plus attorney fees on violations.
- TX Ins. Code Ch. 542A. Pre-suit notice for weather-related property claims. Attorney work; outside the public adjusting role.
- TX Ins. Code Ch. 2210 (TWIA). Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. Statutory wind/hail insurer of last resort for 14 designated coastal counties and parts of Harris County.
- TX Ins. Code Ch. 2211 (TFPA). Texas FAIR Plan Association. Statutory residential insurer of last resort, statewide availability for policyholders unable to obtain voluntary-market coverage.
- TX Ins. Code §541. Unfair Settlement Practices. Statutory cause of action; attorney work.
- License authority: Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).
- Statute of limitations: Generally 2 years for property claims (varies by policy and loss type).
Florida
DCS Firm License #W820363
- Fla. Stat. §626.854. Public adjusters. Caps PA fees at 20% of recovery for most claims, reduced to 10% during the first year following a state-declared emergency.
- Fla. Stat. §626.9744. Matching uniform appearance. Carriers must match the rest of the line, side, room, or other continuous area when repairing or replacing damaged property.
- Fla. Stat. §627.70131. Prompt-pay statute. Following 2022 reforms, the deadline to pay or deny most residential property claims was reduced to 60 days.
- Fla. Stat. §627.70132. Supplemental and reopened claims. Three years from date of loss; longer for hurricane claims.
- Fla. Stat. §627.7015. Mandatory mediation precondition for some residential property disputes.
- Fla. Stat. §624.155. Civil Remedy Notice (CRN). Attorney work; outside the public adjusting role.
- 2022 reforms (SB 2-D, SB 2-A). Eliminated one-way attorney fees for property claims; restricted Assignment of Benefits.
- License authority: Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS).
Important. This summary is general educational information, not legal advice. The application of any statute to a specific claim, the determination of whether a denial supports a statutory cause of action, and any pre-suit or litigation strategy are legal questions for a licensed attorney in your state. DCS Public Insurance Adjusters read and apply policy language in the ordinary course of adjusting (coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements, scope), but do not provide legal advice or pursue statutory remedies.
Educational Information - Not Legal Advice
The information on this page is for general educational purposes only. Dependable Claims Specialists is a licensed public adjusting firm - not a law firm. Public adjusters help policyholders inspect, document, evaluate, and negotiate property insurance claims, which includes reading and applying your policy in the ordinary course of adjusting (coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements, scope). We do not practice law and we do not provide legal advice. For legal opinions, demand letters, Chapter 542A pre-suit notices, statutory remedies under the Insurance Code, or litigation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Texas public adjusters operate under TX Ins. Code Chapter 4102; Florida public adjusters operate under FL Statute §626.854.
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