The emergency management chief of the Florida county where Hurricane Milton made landfall earlier this month is warning about reports of scammers who are posing as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials and trying to get financial information from the storm’s victims.

Preparing for a hurricane involves removing patio furniture, preparing windows and building a hurricane kit. You should also prepare to file an insurance claim too, just in case.

This includes providing buyers with filed insurance claims related to flood damage and disclosing whether federal assistance was given due to flooding.

In terms of financial risk, the study shows that Florida has the second highest fire risk in the country, with losses expected to reach $269 million.

The ranking examines the top 100 employers by state based on factors like employee recommendations and perceptions.

Cora Hayes and her husband had just replaced the roof on their Ocala home when she says they were approached by an employee from another roofing company.

According to the latest figures, hundreds of thousands of people have moved into Central Florida over the span of four years.

Florida regulators Thursday dug into a proposal that would lead to double-digit rate increases for customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., as the state insurer of last resort continues trying to push policies into the private market.

The most recent estimates indicate that Florida will gain enough people each year to fill a city nearly the size of Orlando.

The state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has purchased $3.564 billion in reinsurance coverage — at a cost of $482 million — to serve as a backstop for paying claims during this year’s hurricane season.

As Florida gets ready to enter the thick of hurricane season, property insurers have seen improvements in the market for reinsurance — critical backup coverage that helps drive how much homeowners pay in premiums.

Florida lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis have been busy this Legislative Session, with nearly 200 new laws taking effect on July 1.

My Safe Florida Home is about to begin accepting applications for inspections that could lead to state-matched grants to help homeowners pay for resiliency projects in the face of another hurricane season.

These new laws cover a variety of issues, including insurance, medical payments and sexual assault evidence.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is convinced the “tide is turning” on home insurance rates for homeowners coast to coast.

In the middle of what’s being called a “property insurance crisis” in Florida, several local homeowners said their policies are being dropped by Progressive, one of the biggest property insurance companies in the country.

Private insurers pulled more than 275,000 policies last year from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and have taken nearly 115,000 this year.

Seizing on a comment by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee has ratcheted up a request for financial information about Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Auto insurance premiums increased an average of 20% nationally as of December of last year, the largest annual national increase since 1976, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Florida, it’s worse.

Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said recommended “home hardening” recommendations provided by the My Safe Florida Home program saved him a bundle in his annual home insurance premium.

Florida’s chief financial officer is asking the state legislature for more money to increase the size of the division that helps Floridians with insurance issues.

For the second month in a row, private insurers have taken more than 90,000 policies from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

State leaders met in Tallahassee on Tuesday to discuss the current state of Florida's insurance market.

The fighting between Israeli forces and the Palestinian terror group Hamas is having a polarizing effect in Florida, bringing out supporters on both sides.

The Citizens Board of Governors on Wednesday morning will hear a proposal for double-digit rate hikes, set to be in place by year’s end.

Amid a leveling off of new and used vehicle costs, rising car insurance costs have caused a flat tire for drivers hoping for relief from the financial pressure of driving.

If you have coverage through Citizens Property Insurance, you need to keep an eye on your mailbox.

More Floridians are taking protecting their property into their own hands.

Florida and other states are trying to fend off an attempt by the Biden administration to end a lawsuit challenging changes to the National Flood Insurance Program that have led to higher premiums for many property owners.

As efforts continued to sort out damage from Hurricane Idalia, regulators on Friday approved proposals by seven private insurers to pull as many as 202,000 policies from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Melissa DeVriese, President, Security First Insurance Company in Ormond beach sat down with News 6 investigator Mike Holfeld to talk about the role insurance companies will play to answer the call for coverage and what policy holders need to know.

Lisa Miller, former assistant insurance commissioner for the state of Florida under Gov. Jeb Bush, sat down with News 6 to offer safety and insurance advice in the wake of Idalia’s imminent landfall.

Over the last few years, Florida homeowners have all felt the pinch of increasing property insurance rates. Now, car insurance rates are on the rise too.

As homeowners continue piling into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., regulators this week approved proposals that could lead to private insurers pulling as many as 184,000 policies from Citizens starting in October.

The agency sent out messages to its Florida customers on Tuesday to provide more information on the company’s withdrawal, which is expected to take place over the next year and a half.

A strained network contract negotiation between United Healthcare and Orlando Health could mean a loss of coverage for many patients.

Property insurance rates will likely continue to climb in Florida.

Due to strains on the insurance market involving factors like inflation, excessive litigation and a “catastrophic” hurricane season, the company will be issuing a “small percentage” of non-renewals.

As Citizens Property Insurance Corp. waits for a decision on a plan that would lead to double-digit rate increases for customers, the state-backed insurer remains on a path to grow to 1.7 million policies by the end of the year, President and CEO Tim Cerio said Wednesday.

Florida’s chief financial officer is looking at ways to go after Farmers Insurance for its plan to pull its Farmers-branded services from Florida, affecting 100,000 policyholders.

“The more we learn about Farmers Insurance, the more it’s clear its leadership doesn’t know what they’re doing," Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said. "While they’re bad at helping people, they’re good at virtue signaling.”

The Florida Officer of Insurance Regulation lists insurance companies still in operation around the state, and the agency allows homeowners to view prospective prices online.

Farmers Insurance Group is no longer writing new homeowners policies in Florida, the company confirmed to News 6 Friday.

Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation held a hearing Thursday afternoon to determine if rate hikes approved by Citizens Property Insurance can go forward.

Several adjusters claim insurance companies manipulated their reports to pay homeowners less money or deny their claims all together.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian flooded homes all across Central Florida, from the coast inland, forcing many to evacuate their homes.

It's been six months since the last hurricane hit Central Florida, and many communities are still cleaning up. On top of that, they're seeing major insurance cost hikes — and the latest hit will be flood insurance.

After several days of severe weather, including extremely large hail, in Central Florida, vehicle insurance companies have reported an increase in storm-related claims.

The Florida Insurance Guaranty is adding a 1% assessment to policyholders starting in October to cover claims for insolvent companies.

Jessica Chechile and her mother, Heather Steverson, are both facing more than 200 charges combined.

State insurance regulators last week signed off on a plan that will lead to policyholders throughout Florida paying extra on their bills because of property-insurer insolvencies.

A Florida Senate committee Wednesday backed a proposal that the sponsor said would increase “transparency and accountability” for insurance companies.

The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors will consider a plan that would lead to double-digit rate increases for homeowners across the state.

Citizen's Property Insurance Corporation is supposed to be the insurer of last resort, but the company has become the state's largest property insurer with more than 1 million policies.

Financial-rating agency cites parts of new law, existing issues for expected wait.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two new pieces of legislation aimed at addressing the state’s property insurance woes and providing property tax relief to hurricane victims.

As the special legislative session is about to kick off to tackle the state’s property insurance crisis, News 6′s political analyst is breaking down what consumers can expect lawmakers to discuss and vote on.

Nearly 50,000 property owners forced from their homes for more than a month by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole could be eligible for tax relief under a bill that was being prepared Friday for a special legislative session next week.

With only a few days left before lawmakers are called back to the state capitol to try and fix Florida's property insurance market, legislators say they are waiting to see the exact language written in the bill they will discuss.

Gov. Ron DeSantis laid out potential proposals Thursday to correct the state’s crippled insurance market.

Nearly a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would be calling state lawmakers back to the Florida Capitol for a second time this year to address the state’s property insurance crisis, the specific dates of the legislative session have not yet been publicly announced.

Florida residents who file property damage claims caused by Hurricane Nicole may have a lower deductible if they already met their insurance deductible for Hurricane Ian.

All goods have increased in cost compared to a year ago, but a few have experienced decreases since August.

Any Florida resident who sustained property losses during Hurricane Ian is eligible for some tax relief under federal disaster protocol.

Nearly three dozen contractors with a criminal past have started a door-to-door campaign to Florida homes damaged by Hurricane Ian, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

With Hurricane Ian bringing massive storm surge and inland flooding, Floridians could have more than $10 billion in uninsured flood losses, according to an analysis by CoreLogic, a property-information and analytics firm.

Six more property insurers have left Florida so far in 2022, and industry analysts expect more to leave by the end of this year.

A state senator is calling for another special legislative session to deal with Florida’s property insurance problem.

Preliminary estimates for Citizen’s Property Insurance Corp. have the company expecting upwards of 225,000 claims after Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane last week.

Insurance agents from State Farm to Citizens Insurance are operating makeshift tent offices in a mall parking lot in Port Charlotte, Florida to help people get funds, food and supplies.

Insurance agents from State Farm to Citizens Insurance are operating makeshift tent offices in a mall parking lot in Port Charlotte to help people get funds, food and supplies.

Former deputy insurance commissioner Lisa Miller wants anyone dealing with storm damage from Hurricane Ian to call their insurance agent rather than “answer the door” for an unknown repair crew targeting your insurance money.

Florida's property insurance market has been in crisis even before Hurricane Ian, and the governor says Citizen's Insurance is prepared and able to pay out claims.

A financial ratings agency said Thursday that an initial analysis indicates insured losses from Hurricane Ian could range from $25 billion to $40 billion, putting additional pressure on Florida’s troubled property-insurance market.

As the peak of hurricane season approaches, Florida is still dealing with a property insurance crisis.

United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. will exit Florida’s troubled homeowners’ insurance market, forcing customers to find new coverage as their policies come up for renewal, the insurer’s parent company announced Thursday.

How young were you when your first savings account was opened? Our guest today likely has you beat.

Florida has taken action to back up property insurance companies facing a downgraded rating in an effort to help homeowners comply with mortgage requirements rather than being forced to seek new policies.

Why have there been more insurance claims of late? And what do you need to know about renting out a property?

Here in Florida, we know there are a lot of considerations when it comes to hurricane season, which runs from June through November each year.

This week, for the first time in a long time, independent insurance agent Derrick Vance is hopeful.

Since the health industry is always evolving, making the right choice when it comes to your health insurance can be difficult.

Elected officials in Brevard County held a townhall meeting to speak with homeowners and discuss possible solutions for ongoing insurance issues.

News 6 broke the news several weeks ago that some insurers are dropping customers if their shingle roof is older than ten-years-old. Now, a Marion County woman says her hot water heater kept her from being insured.

Insurance companies say the crisis is being fueled by mounting litigation and fraud, but property insurance attorney John Tolley said that's not the full story.

Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican, on Friday formally asked his colleagues to support his call for a special legislative session on property insurance.

Lawmakers claim new legislation that just passed will offer homeowners relief, but some consumers like Susie Blanchard say the law is lip service at best.

In 2021, the Florida House and Senate passed a bill that would have eliminated Personal Injury Protection/No Fault Auto Insurance in the state and required drivers to have mandatory bodily injury coverage. The bill was vetoed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Homeowners with roofs older than 10 years may lose their insurance, an industry spokesman says,

Pointing to a “sea of red ink,” the head of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. described a private insurance industry Wednesday that is losing gobs of money while homeowners face soaring rates and trouble finding coverage.

(U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service via AP)Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act is set to reopen Monday and stay open for the next three months. The website serves 36 states including Florida, to those who need coverage from Feb. 15 until May 15. The goal of this special enrollment period is to help uninsured Americans weather the pandemic. Former President Donald Trump’s administration had cut the open enrollment period of the ACA down from its original three months to six weeks. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are currently approximately 15 million uninsured Americans.

Sharon Landry says she “freaked out” when she opened her statement and saw the premium for her homeowner’s insurance policy surge.

You’ll want to make sure you’re not further endangering yourself, McMillen said. Call your insurance company, but keep a few things in mind when you do so. You want to get your insurance company on board early, as in, you shouldn’t wait too long to inform them of the accident. And it made it so that the first $10,000 of any medical expenses would be covered by your insurance company. “It’s super important to get your own legal representation, because the insurance companies sure have theirs,” McMillen said.

Thats where Business Interruption Insurance kicks inThis is a type of insurance coverage that replaces business income lost as a result of a business interruption event. One more piece of the puzzleIf youre a business, you likely want to make sure you can take advantage of any Business Interruption Insurance you might have. Bogin, Munns & Munns, for example, offers a free case evaluation about your business interruption case. Some business owners have looked into the idea of turning to their commercial Business Interruption Insurance, to try to get some financial relief. Learn more: Bogin, Munns & Munns