Insurance Claim Lawyer Pompano Beach, FL
Most Pompano Beach homeowners file an insurance claim expecting the process to work the way the Pompano Beach sits along the Atlantic coast in northeastern Broward County, just north of Fort Lauderdale and directly in the track of South Florida’s hurricane season. Its housing stock, most of it built in the 1960s and 1970s, takes a beating every storm season. Carriers have adjusters who know how to minimize payouts on aging tile roofs in Cresthaven, on waterfront properties along the Intracoastal, and on beachfront condominiums along State Road A1A. When your claim gets denied, delayed, or paid at a fraction of what the damage costs, that is not an accident.
Our Pompano Beach, FL insurance claim lawyer has been litigating these disputes in South Florida for over 25 years. We represent Pompano Beach homeowners, commercial property owners, and landlords on a pure contingency basis. No fees unless we win. No out-of-pocket costs. Ever. We invite you to call The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers today to learn more about how we can help you.
Why Choose The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers for Insurance Claims in Pompano Beach?
She Spent 25 Years Learning How Carriers Operate
Maria O’Donnell founded The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers in 2014 at 2436 N Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. Before founding the firm, she ran one of the largest female-owned insurance defense firms in Florida, representing Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, State Farm, Allstate/Castle Key, Universal Property, Mercury, Travelers, and Esurance throughout South Florida. She managed complex property damage litigation and Special Investigation Unit matters on behalf of those carriers.
She knows what carrier adjusters look for when they inspect a Pompano Beach property. She knows what language goes into denial letters carriers write on hurricane claims, water intrusion claims, and roof losses in coastal Broward County neighborhoods. She knows how to take those letters apart. As an insurance claim attorney in Pompano Beach, FL, she brings over 25 years of insurance industry knowledge to every case we open.
Ms. O’Donnell earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2001 and has been a Florida Bar member since 2002. Her record includes establishing substantive published case law and a career built on fast, precise results for Florida policyholders.
Attorney David Edwards was named to the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association in the civil plaintiff attorney division. Our firm is listed with Martindale-Hubbell, one of the most established attorney peer-review services in the country.
A 99% Success Rate Across Broward County Insurance Disputes
Our firm has maintained a 99% success rate across residential and commercial property damage and insurance claim cases throughout Florida, including Broward County. We have helped policyholders recover millions of dollars in proceeds that carriers initially refused to pay. We move quickly because we understand claim deadlines and know where the leverage is in every case.
No Fee Unless We Win
Every Pompano Beach property damage and insurance claim case we handle is taken on full contingency. 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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“When the insurance company denied our claim the first time, I knew I needed representation. I contacted the people’s law team and Maria was quick to gather all the information needed and in about 2 months we had it resolved. Sure wish we had Maria the first time!” — Terri Roy
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Insurance Claim Cases We Handle in Pompano Beach
Pompano Beach homeowners and commercial property owners face a concentrated set of insurance claim challenges driven by the city’s coastal position, its large stock of pre-2001 construction, and its exposure to annual Atlantic storm activity. Our attorneys handle all of the following in Pompano Beach and throughout Broward County.
- Hurricane damage claims. Post-storm insurance claims are the most contested in coastal Broward County. After every hurricane season, carriers deploy adjusters whose estimates undervalue Pompano Beach repair costs, reclassify covered wind-driven rain as excluded flood damage, and apply depreciation calculations that cut replacement cost payments below the policy minimum. We challenge all of it with contractor evidence, weather data, and policy analysis.
- Denied and disputed property damage claims. A denial letter from your carrier is the start of a dispute, not the end of one. When the denial rests on a misapplied exclusion, an unsupported engineering report, or a late-notice argument that cannot be backed by actual evidence of prejudice, that position can be overturned. We have done it hundreds of times in Broward County.
- Water intrusion, pipe burst, and mold claims. Sudden plumbing failures, appliance malfunctions, and roof leaks leading to interior water damage and mold growth are among the most common insurance claims in Pompano Beach. Carriers frequently classify these losses as gradual deterioration rather than covered sudden events. We document the cause of loss from the outset and contest every mischaracterization.
- Insurance disputes. When a carrier applies an exclusion, an anti-concurrent causation clause, or a policy endorsement to limit or eliminate coverage, those positions require careful legal analysis. We analyze every coverage argument the carrier raises and challenge the ones that cannot be supported by actual policy language or Florida law.
- Bad faith insurance claims. When a carrier’s handling of a Pompano Beach insurance claim crosses from aggressive into systematically dishonest or deliberately delayed, Florida law provides remedies beyond the policy limits. We evaluate every file for bad faith potential and pursue it when the facts support it.
- Commercial and landlord property insurance claims. Business owners, commercial landlords, and investors in Pompano Beach whose claims have been denied or underpaid hold the same rights as residential policyholders under Florida law. Our Florida property and casualty lawyers handle commercial insurance claims with the same depth of analysis we bring to every residential case.
Florida Legal Requirements for Pompano Beach Insurance Claims
These are the statutory rules governing every insurance claim filed by a Pompano Beach property owner. Florida’s property insurance reform legislation enacted between 2021 and 2023 changed several in ways that favor insurers when policyholders are not aware of them.
The one-year notice deadline. Under Florida Statute 627.70132, a new or reopened property insurance claim must be reported to your insurer within one year of the date of loss. For hurricane claims, that date is the storm’s landfall date confirmed by NOAA, not the date you first discovered damage inside your walls. Supplemental claims must be filed within 18 months of the same date. Pompano Beach homeowners with aging roofing systems should be aware: storm damage can work its way into a structure slowly, but the one-year clock starts the day the storm makes landfall.
The 60-day pay-or-deny rule. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, your insurer has 60 days from receiving notice of your claim to pay it in full, pay the undisputed portion, or issue a written denial citing the specific policy language and Florida law relied upon. Payments made after that deadline bear interest from the date the claim was filed. In Pompano Beach’s high-volume storm claim environment, carriers sometimes use documentation demands and reinspection requests to push past this window without paying. When that happens, we use that statutory violation as direct leverage in your case.
The pre-suit notice requirement. Under Florida Statute 627.70152, before a Pompano Beach policyholder can file a lawsuit against their insurer, a written notice of intent to initiate litigation must be filed with the Florida Department of Financial Services at least 10 business days before commencing suit. The notice must identify the specific acts or omissions of the insurer, include a damage estimate if the claim was denied, and itemize the pursuit settlement demand if the dispute involves underpayment. A lawsuit filed without this process will be dismissed without prejudice. Errors in the notice can harm your case. This is one of the most important reasons to retain counsel before filing anything.
The Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights. Under Florida Statute 627.7142, your insurer must deliver a Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights within 14 days of receiving your initial claim communication. This document summarizes your right to acknowledgment within seven days, a pay-or-deny determination within 60 days, and access to free mediation through the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Many Pompano Beach policyholders never receive it. That failure carries regulatory consequences and gives you additional leverage.
What Damages Are Recoverable in a Pompano Beach Insurance Claim Case?
Contractual damages. The full amount your policy was required to pay: repair and replacement costs for the structure, its contents, additional living expenses during displacement, and any code upgrade costs under ordinance and law provisions. When carriers withhold coverage they were required to provide, we pursue the full difference.
Interest on late payments. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, payments made after the 60-day deadline bear interest from the date the claim was filed. In a contested Pompano Beach insurance claim that stretches over many months, that accrued interest is a recoverable component we track and include in every case.
Bad faith and extracontractual damages. When a carrier’s handling of your Pompano Beach insurance claim rises to bad faith under Florida Statute 624.155, the available damages exceed the policy limits. Under Florida Statute 624.1551, a court judgment establishing breach of contract is required first, but once obtained, the full range of extracontractual remedies becomes available.
Punitive damages. Available under Florida Statute 624.155 when the insurer’s conduct was willful, wanton, or in reckless disregard for the policyholder’s rights with sufficient frequency to indicate a general business practice. We pursue them when the evidence supports that threshold.
Contact The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers
If your Pompano Beach insurance claim has been denied, delayed, or underpaid, do not wait. Florida’s one-year notice deadline runs from the date of loss, the supplemental claim window closes at 18 months, and the pre-suit notice process under Florida Statute 627.70152 must be completed correctly before any lawsuit can be filed. When you work with The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers Property Damage Lawyers, our team handles all the paperwork and filing on your behalf.
We offer free consultations with our Pompano Beach insurance claim lawyer. Cases are litigated at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. No upfront costs, no out-of-pocket fees, no payment of any kind unless we win. Contact us today to put over 25 years of South Florida insurance industry knowledge to work for your claim.