Property and Casualty Lawyer Florida
Our Florida property and casualty lawyer has been litigating property and casualty disputes in Florida for over 25 years, first from inside the insurance industry and now working exclusively for policyholders. The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers represents residential homeowners, commercial property owners, and business operators across the state on a pure contingency basis. No fees unless we win. No out-of-pocket costs. Ever. Let’s get started today with a free case assessment.
Why Choose The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers for Property and Casualty in Florida?
Two and a Half Decades on Both Sides of the Table
Maria O’Donnell founded The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers in 2014 after a long career as one of the leading insurance defense attorneys in the state of Florida. She built and operated one of the largest female-owned insurance defense firms in Florida, representing State Farm, Allstate/Castle Key, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Universal Property, Mercury, Travelers, and Esurance through complex property damage and casualty litigation. She also managed sensitive Special Investigation Unit cases for those carriers.
That background is not simply a credential. It is a working advantage in every case we take. She knows how carriers evaluate property and casualty claims, how they identify weaknesses in policyholder files, and how they construct the arguments they use to pay less. Since 2014, every bit of that knowledge has been redirected toward Florida policyholders whose claims have been wrongfully denied, delayed, or undervalued.
Ms. O’Donnell earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2001 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2002. Her litigation history includes published case law, and her reputation within the Florida insurance industry reflects a career built on aggressive, precise advocacy that consistently produces results. As a property and casualty attorney in Florida, she brings that track record to every file we handle.
Attorney David Edwards has been recognized in the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association for the civil plaintiff attorney division. The firm is also listed with Martindale-Hubbell, one of the legal profession’s most established peer-review services.
A 99% Success Rate Across Residential and Commercial Cases
We maintain a 99% success rate across Florida property and casualty cases, including both residential and commercial property damage disputes. We have helped policyholders throughout Florida recover millions of dollars in proceeds that carriers initially refused to pay. Our settlements come in fast and high because we build cases strategically from day one.
No Fee Unless We Win
Every Florida property damage case and property and casualty dispute we handle is taken on a full contingency basis. You pay nothing until we win. No retainers, no hourly billing, no invoices at any stage. If we do not recover for you, you owe us nothing.
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“Maria put in a lot of time and effort on my behalf knowing the chances of getting paid at the other end were slim. Not many people are willing to invest the time and effort to help out the ‘little guy’ against the insurance companies. Thank you!” — Dave Evans
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Property and Casualty Cases We Handle in Florida
Property and casualty insurance covers a wide range of loss types and policy structures. Our attorneys handle all of the following across Florida.
- Residential property damage claims. Homeowners whose claims for fire, water, windstorm, or structural damage have been denied, underpaid, or delayed. Whether the dispute involves the scope of covered damage, the correct valuation method, or a contested exclusion, our Florida homeowner property damage attorneys know how to build the record and force resolution.
- Hurricane disaster damage. Storm-related property and casualty claims are among the most heavily litigated in Florida. After each major hurricane season, carriers flood the market with adjusters whose estimates routinely undervalue repair costs, misclassify wind damage as flood damage, and apply deductibles improperly. We challenge all of it.
- Commercial property and casualty claims. Business owners and commercial landlords who have suffered property losses and whose carriers have applied coverage restrictions not supported by the policy. Commercial property and casualty disputes involve more complex policy structures and a different statutory framework than residential claims. We handle both.
- Denied and delayed claims. A denial or prolonged delay on a property and casualty claim is not the final word. Florida law imposes specific timing obligations on insurers, and when those obligations are violated, policyholders have remedies that go beyond the original claim value in the right circumstances.
- Coverage disputes. When a carrier argues that your specific casualty loss falls outside the scope of coverage based on exclusion language, endorsements, or a disputed cause of loss, those arguments require careful legal analysis of the policy and Florida case law. We analyze every coverage position a carrier takes and challenge the ones that do not hold up.
- Bad faith casualty claims. When a carrier’s handling of a property and casualty claim reflects not just aggressive adjustment but a pattern of dishonesty or deliberate disregard for the policyholder’s rights, Florida law provides a route to damages beyond the policy limits. We evaluate every file for bad faith potential and pursue it when the facts are there.
Florida Legal Requirements for Property and Casualty Cases
Florida’s insurance code imposes specific obligations on property and casualty insurers. The legislative overhaul between 2021 and 2023 changed several of those obligations in ways that affect how disputes are handled today.
What casualty insurance covers under Florida law. Under Florida Statute 624.605, casualty insurance in Florida encompasses vehicle insurance, liability insurance, workers’ compensation, burglary and theft, boiler and machinery, malpractice, and a range of other property-related liability coverages. Understanding which category your claim falls into matters because different statutory rules govern different policy types. When a dispute spans multiple coverage categories, careful policy analysis from the start determines which statutory protections apply to your specific situation.
The 60-day pay-or-deny requirement. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, insurers must pay, deny, or pay the undisputed portion of a residential property claim within 60 days of receiving notice, with a written explanation citing specific policy language and applicable law. Late payments bear interest from the date the claim was filed. When a carrier drags a property and casualty dispute past that window without a proper denial, that statutory violation becomes leverage in your case.
The mediation option. Under Florida Statute 627.7015, policyholders with residential and commercial residential property insurance disputes have access to a nonadversarial mediation process administered by the Florida Department of Financial Services. The insurer bears the full cost of mediation. Mediation is nonbinding, meaning you are not required to accept a result you consider inadequate. When a carrier fails to properly notify you of your mediation rights, that failure affects the carrier’s ability to demand appraisal as a precondition to litigation. Understanding how this procedural tool interacts with your litigation options is one of the things we analyze in every case.
The one-year notice deadline. Under Florida Statute 627.70132, all new and reopened property insurance claims must be filed within one year of the date of loss. Supplemental claims have an 18-month window. Missing either deadline gives the carrier a complete defense regardless of the underlying merits. The Florida Department of Financial Services provides consumer resources and complaint assistance for policyholders who believe their insurer has violated Florida’s insurance laws.
What Damages Are Recoverable in a Florida Property and Casualty Case?
Contractual damages. The starting point for recovery in any property and casualty dispute is the full amount your policy was required to pay: repair or replacement costs for the property, contents, loss of use or additional living expenses, business income losses, and any other benefit the carrier withheld. We pursue every contractual dollar the policy provides.
Interest on delayed payments. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, payments made after the 60-day window bear interest from the date the claim was first filed. That interest accrues throughout the life of the dispute and is a recoverable element of your total claim. It is often overlooked but never ignored in our cases.
Bad faith and extracontractual damages. When a carrier’s conduct in handling your property and casualty claim rises to the level of bad faith under Florida Statute 624.155, the damages available go beyond the policy limits. Florida courts have awarded extracontractual damages in bad faith cases where carriers denied valid claims without investigation, misrepresented policy terms, or deliberately delayed payment. Under Florida Statute 624.1551, a court judgment establishing breach of contract is a prerequisite before the bad faith action can proceed, but when that judgment is obtained, the full range of bad faith remedies becomes available.
Punitive damages. Under Florida Statute 624.155, punitive damages may be awarded when an insurer’s conduct was willful, wanton, or in reckless disregard for the policyholder’s rights, and reflected a frequency of misconduct sufficient to indicate a general business practice. We pursue them when the facts support that threshold.
Contact The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers
If your Florida property and casualty insurance claim has been denied, underpaid, or delayed, do not wait. The statutory deadlines under Florida law begin running from the date of loss, and the window for filing a supplemental claim closes at 18 months. Trust our Florida property and casualty lawyer to ensure that all legal actions and documents are filed on time, preserving your window for damages.
The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers Property Damage Lawyers offers free consultations for Florida insurance claim disputes across all residential and commercial property and casualty matters throughout the state. No upfront costs, no out-of-pocket fees, and no payment of any kind unless we win. Contact us today to put over 25 years of insurance industry knowledge to work for your claim.