Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate To Host Claims Dispute Resolution Roundtable

For Immediate Release

July 21, 2009

CONTACT: Vicki Twogood 850-413-2970

Tallahassee – In an effort to help Floridians affected by hurricanes, Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw will host a roundtable this Thursday, bringing together members of the insurance industry and the home builders’ industry to discuss how disputed claim issues can be identified and resolved in a fair manner. The goal will be to establish better communication and processes, so that in the future Florida homeowners can quickly get back into their homes, mitigate further damage to the property, hold down the cost of their claims and allow contractors to start repairs without delays.

The Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate has heard from many families who have struggled while their homes are uninhabitable or damaged as they deal with the stressful process of mediation, appraisal and litigation. Currently, the insurance industry and home contractors often use different types of estimating processes, which is confusing to homeowners and may lead to delays in the payment of claims.

DATE: Thursday, July 23, 2009

TIME: 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

LOCATION: House Office Building, 4th Floor

Committee Room 404

The Capitol

Tallahassee, FL 32399

Public Comments will be heard in the afternoon session. Those unable to attend the meeting may listen via conference call at Dial-in Number: (888) 808-6959, Conference Code: 4132880 or watch the roundtable on the Florida Channel’s website at http://www.wfsu.org/tfc/index.php.

 

Participants of the Claims Dispute Resolution Roundtable include:

• Sean M. Shaw, Esq., Insurance Consumer Advocate
• R. Terry Butler, Senior Attorney, Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate
• Zac Extejt, Charlotte County Seawalls, Inc., Florida Home Builders Association, Port Charlotte, FL
• James P. Romerill, Chief Claims Officer, Tower Hill Insurance Company, Gainesville, FL
• Darius H. Grimes, Disaster-Smart Consulting, Inc., Cantonment, FL
• Yong Gilroy, Senior Vice President - Claims, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Jacksonville, FL
• Mark Rodrigue, Lone Wolf, Inc., Tallahassee Builders Association, Tallahassee, FL
• Paul G. Neilson, Account Manager-Property, Travelers of Florida, Tampa, FL
• Carl Lott, President, U.S. Cat Adjusters, LLC, Palmetto, FL
• Bert A. Kedroe, Director of Claims, Universal Adjusting Corporation
• Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Bill Werther, Vice President Claims, American Traditions Insurance Company & Modern USA Insurance Company, Pinellas Park, FL
• Stacey A. Giulianti, Chief Legal Officer, Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, Boca Raton, FL
• Terry Maricque, Claims Section Manager, State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Jacksonville, FL
• Tami Torres, Director of the Division of Consumer Services, Department of Financial Services, Tallahassee, FL
• Ricardo Lewis, Academy of Leadership and Excellence Program (A.L.Ex.) - FAMU Intern, Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate, Tallahassee, FL

The Insurance Consumer Advocate is appointed by Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and is committed to finding solutions to insurance issues facing Floridians, calling attention to questionable insurance practices, promoting a viable insurance market responsive to the needs of Florida’s diverse population and assuring that rates are fair and justified.