As Florida property and business owners approach Christmas and the first days of 2011, a seasoned licensed public adjuster provides his wish list for policyholders, insurance carriers, and the Florida Legislature.

With more than 37 years as a certified public adjuster in Florida, Charles R. "Dick" Tutwiler addresses the 12 most pressing issues facing Florida's insured:

12. I wish that all insurance carriers (including state-run Citizens Insurance and FIGA) are required to operate under the current regulatory laws as it relates to "bad faith activity."

11. I wish for our elected leaders to understand how sinkhole coverage may impact the actions of the mortgage companies and make it more difficult and expensive for homeowners to secure a mortgage.

10. I wish for elected officials to understand how the reinsurance companies have contributed to the rise in insurance rates and stop using public adjusters as the scapegoats. 

9.  I wish that business and property owners would see a Florida public adjuster's value in representing their best interests and swiftly handling insurance claims.

8.  I wish for incoming Governor Rick Scott to preserve and further ensure the protection consumers already enjoy under the law.

7.  I wish for Florida's insurance industry to reconsider its restriction on water damage claims, which prohibits policyholders from claiming water loss damage--including burst pipes and leaky appliances--more than two weeks after the accident occurred. This greatly impacts the many part-time residents that have second homes in Florida.

6.  I wish for better cooperation and decorum among licensed public adjusters and insurers as the two work to satisfy the mutual interest of the policyholder. 

5.  I wish for the Florida Legislature to draft a State of Emergency provision that protects consumers and pays them in full for their catastrophic loss.

4.  I wish for the courts to clarify the roles of licensed public adjuster and contractor as it relates to adjusting a claim, and exercise more oversight as it relates to ethical conduct.

3.  I wish for 'Sarasota Herald-Tribune' journalist Paige St. John to continue her bold investigations into the Florida insurance industry's lack of transparency.

2.  I wish for insurance policyholders to remember fire safety when using indoor heating appliances, especially as the weather gets colder and drier.

1.  I wish for every consumer to closely review his insurance policy on New Year's Day, and assess the value of his first-party property coverage.

For more information, please visit www.PublicAdjuster.com.

CONTACT:
Tutwiler and Associates
Email:
Phone: (800) 321-4488
For more information, please visit www.PublicAdjuster.com

About Tutwiler and Associates: Tutwiler and Associates is a firm of public adjusters licensed in 10 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands specializing in commercial and residential property loss adjusting. With well in excess of $113 million in client success stories over a 27-year history, the Florida public adjusters work exclusively on behalf of policyholders to help them achieve the maximum settlement amounts they can fairly and honestly recover based on their loss and their policy provisions. Professional help from the adjusters at Tutwiler and Associates can help clients obtain a fair recovery under their policy. The Gulf Coast based public adjuster firm is committed to public service and strives to educate its clients about commercial and residential windstorm and hurricane losses, flood damage, fire, smoke and water damage, collapse, hidden decay and mold losses, sinkholes, loss of stock, and business interruption.