When the wind dies down and the plywood comes off the windows, the conversation in Florida usually turns to three things: cleanup, the neighbor who somehow still has power, and whether your insurer will act like an actual insurance company.
This week, at least two companies got the message — in the form of a $250,000 fine each and a public rebuke that reads like a checklist of “don’t do these things after a hurricane.”
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced penalties against Kin Interinsurance Network and Slide Insurance Company for their post-hurricane claims handling tied to Hurricanes Ian and Idalia.
The Market Conduct Unit’s findings read like the minutes from a very stern homeowners’ association meeting.
Kin failed to provide disclosure statements for both storms and didn’t pay out claims within 90 days after Hurricane Ian.
Slide was dinged for using unappointed adjusters and likewise failing to provide disclosure statements.
In short: forms missing, payments late, adjusters apparently freelancing.
Commissioner Mike Yaworsky didn’t soften the language.
“Claims management practices must always be efficient and fair, especially after Hurricanes,” he said in a statement. “I have said it before, and will say it again, the Office of Insurance Regulation takes consumer protection very seriously. I implore all insurers to review their practices and perform at the high caliber we expect. I am also very proud of our team’s efforts in holding insurers accountable and want to commend their efforts—OIR’s Market Conduct Unit has initiated over 100 examinations, completed more than 340 investigations and secured $14.5 million in consumer restitution.”
If the OIR were handing out gold stars, this reads as both applause for the inspectors and a glare for the companies.
The penalties themselves — a quarter-million apiece — are a modest sum relative to the industry’s balance sheets, but the symbolism matters: regulators are signaling they will not treat post-storm chaos as a permanent excuse for poor behavior.
For policyholders who are juggling chain-sawed trees, mold, and the logistics of fixing a life while their insurer staggers through paperwork, even the optics of enforcement can be a meaningful deterrent.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia framed it as a consumer-advocacy mission.
“I made a promise to all Floridians that, as Chief Financial Officer, I would be an advocate for insurance policyholders and hold insurance companies accountable to the contract they have signed,” he said.
“After a storm, the last thing that a policyholder should have to deal with is an insurance company that is not holding up their end of the deal. I will continue to work with the Office of Insurance Regulation to ensure that Florida’s insurance market is working for its insurance policyholders and that insurance companies are adhering to their requirements.”
Translation: paperwork, timelines, licensed adjusters — not optional.
What the Market Conduct Unit uncovered is instructive for consumers and companies alike.
Disclosure statements aren’t a bureaucratic flourish; they’re a formal notice of how claims are handled and what policyholders should expect.
Missing them leaves homeowners in the dark.
And the 90-day rule for paying claims after Ian?
That’s not hyperbole — long waits can mean homes continue to rot, contractors charge premium emergency rates, and families face cascading financial pain.
Meanwhile, unappointed adjusters are a red flag: licensed adjusters are supposed to meet standards and oversight; when a company relies on folks who aren’t properly appointed, accountability gets fuzzy.
These penalties also arrive in a larger regulatory context.
Florida’s insurance environment has been volatile for years, and regulators have been under pressure to protect consumers while keeping carriers solvent and claims flowing.
Enforcement actions — even when fines seem small — play an outsized role in signaling that corners can’t be cut simply because storms are stressful and claims are plentiful.
For Floridians, the practical takeaway is twofold: read your policy (yes, really), and keep careful records after a storm.
Photos, date-stamped receipts, and persistent follow-ups matter.
For insurers, the message from Yaworsky and Ingoglia is blunt: contracts are contracts, and public accountability is coming for sloppy claims work.
If the next big storm rolls through and your insurer’s response looks like a Rube Goldberg machine run by unpaid interns, remember the OIR is watching — and apparently not impressed by excuses that dissolve faster than cheap tarps in a downpour.
Florida Homeowners to Insurance Companies: "You Played Us, Didn’t You?
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