Consumer eViews Volume 2, Number 29, July 18, 2005 The hurricane season of 2004 was unprecedented, with four catastrophic storms making landfall within 45 days. Many lessons have been learned from these storms – including the importance of a coordinated emergency response effort, which our office was proud to be involved in, and the level of assistance needed to help thousands of consumers with their insurance concerns and struggles. That was less than a year ago. -- Tom Gallagher GALLAGHER ISSUES EMERGENCY RULE CAPPING PUBLIC ADJUSTER FEES TO PROTECT STORM VICTIMS Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has issued an emergency rule to protect victims of Hurricane Dennis by capping public adjuster fees at 10 percent of claim payment and giving consumers up to 14 days to rescind a contract with a public adjuster without penalty. The emergency rule also prohibits public adjusters from demanding or accepting any type of compensation prior to the settlement of the claim. "The people of Florida have suffered enough, and we are going to do all we can to further protect them during the recovery period," Gallagher said. Gallagher oversees the Department of Financial Services and has activated a storm hotline, 1-800-22-STORM (1-800-227-8676), to help storm victims with questions or complaints they may have with filing an insurance claim. GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES UPDATE TO HURRICANE RECOVERY EFFORTS Florida's Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced that the Department of Financial Services has established a second mobile response unit in Destin and is also located in four disaster recovery centers being operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Department consumer service specialists also will be available at FEMA disaster recovery centers located at the AFO Annex, 33 Brent Lane, Pensacola; the Agriculture Building, 6001-A Industrial Blvd, Century; Jay Community Center, 5259 Booker Lane, Jay; and South Santa Rosa Service Center, 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze. The State Fire Marshal's Office is responsible for mobilizing search and rescue efforts from the state Emergency Operations Center during an emergency. Gallagher, in his role as State Fire Marshal, dispatched members of the department's two law enforcement agencies to assist in search and rescue efforts in areas devastated by Hurricane Dennis. STATE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY AUCTION TO BE HELD JULY 30 IN FORT LAUDERDALE Jewelry, coins, antiques and collectibles will be among approximately 40,000 items to be auctioned later this month by the state to benefit Florida’s public schools. Among the items are a 14-karat gold purse, a 5-carat sapphire ring, and an 1889 CC Morgan silver dollar. “This has been a record-setting year in the amount of unclaimed items reported to the state and the number of items we have been able to return to owners,” Gallagher said. “We would like to be able to return all of the items to the rightful owners, but that just doesn’t always happen, so this is an opportunity to find some unique items and help Florida’s school children all at the same time.” STATE FIRE MARSHAL DIVISION DIRECTOR RAND NAPOLI HONORED State Fire Marshal Tom Gallagher is pleased to announce that Rand Napoli was named State Fire Marshal of the Year - Fire Prevention by the National Association of State Fire Marshals in Reno, Nevada, at their annual conference. State Fire Marshal Gallagher appointed Rand director of the division of State Fire Marshal in 2001. “Rand is an exceptional leader who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the job, " Gallagher said. "Fire prevention is everyone's concern, and Rand helps create and direct our consumer education programs on prevention and safety." Napoli has 34 years of operational and administrative experience in fire, EMS, hazardous-materials and disaster management, and was chief of operations of the more than 1,000-member Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Napoli was chief of the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training in the division of State Fire Marshal prior to becoming division director. He is a co-author of the Florida Statewide Fire-Rescue Emergency Response Plan, and is Florida’s emergency coordinating officer for fire, search and rescue at the state Emergency Operations Center. Gov. Jeb Bush has appointed him to the Florida State Emergency Response Commission for Hazardous Materials, and he serves on Florida’s Domestic Security Oversight Board and the Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Commission. At the national level, he is Chairman of the National Association of State Fire Marshals Catastrophic Fire Prevention Task Force. “Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration – of oneself and of others,” stated Napoli during the presentation of a Leadership Award to Rand Napoli, director of the division of State Fire Marshal, by the Gator Fire Council at its Fifth Annual Firefighters Ball in Gainesville in February. GALLAGHER ANNOUNCES ARRESTS FOR AUTO ‘DITCHING’ Cases result in more than $120,000 in fraudulent insurance claims "Floridians will not tolerate footing the bill for this kind of fraud," said Gallagher, who oversees the department. "We will continue to work aggressively to uncover these schemes and bring these offenders to justice, and we are proud to partner with the Palm Beach County Multi-Agency Auto Theft Task Force."
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