Coverage Disputes Lawyer Florida
Our Florida coverage disputes lawyer has spent over 25 years analyzing insurance policies, litigating coverage questions, and challenging the arguments carriers use to avoid paying valid claims. We know how those arguments are constructed because our founding attorney spent years building them on behalf of the same carriers she now fights. We take coverage dispute cases across Florida on a full contingency basis. Please contact The People’s Law Team, PA today for a free consultation.
Why Choose The People’s Law Team, PA for Coverage Disputes in Florida?
The Carrier’s Playbook Is Not a Mystery to Us
Maria O’Donnell founded The People’s Law Team, PA in 2014 after running one of the largest female-owned insurance defense firms in Florida. She spent years representing Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, State Farm, Allstate/Castle Key, Universal Property, Mercury, Travelers, and Esurance in property damage and coverage litigation. She also handled sensitive Special Investigation Unit matters for those same carriers.
When a carrier tells you today that your loss falls outside your policy, it is using legal arguments and denial frameworks that attorneys like Ms. O’Donnell helped develop and refine. She understands those frameworks from the inside, which means she knows precisely where they are weakest and how to challenge them effectively. As a coverage dispute attorney in Florida, that background is not just a credential. It is a genuine strategic advantage in every case we handle.
Ms. O’Donnell graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2001 and has been licensed with the Florida Bar since 2002. Her litigation record includes establishing substantive published case law, a track record that reflects how often she has taken these disputes to their conclusion and won.
Attorney David Edwards was 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 most established legal peer-review services in the country.
A 99% Success Rate Across Florida Coverage and Damage Disputes
Our firm maintains a 99% success rate across residential and commercial property damage and coverage dispute cases throughout Florida. We have helped policyholders recover millions of dollars in proceeds that carriers initially argued were not owed at all under the policy. Fast, high settlements are the rule here, not the exception.
Pure Contingency. No Exceptions.
Every Florida property damage claim and coverage dispute we take is handled on contingency. You owe us nothing unless we win your case. No retainers, no hourly charges, and no costs billed to you while your case is pending. That structure is not negotiable because we believe a carrier’s coverage argument should never be allowed to stand simply because a policyholder cannot afford to fight it.
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“I worked with Maria O’Donell and her associates at The People’s Law Team, after having submitted a claim to my insurance company. Maria is extremely professional, her team was organized and constantly on top and abreast of my claim. Her counsel was honest and direct. She is well respected amongst adjusters, insurance companies and fellow counsel. Needless to say, Maria won my case and settled the claim for what was asked. I would absolutely hire Maria and her team again. It goes without saying, I recommend Maria O’Donell at The People’s Law Team, PA.” — Michelle Smith
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Coverage Disputes We Handle in Florida
Coverage disputes arise across every type of property insurance policy and every kind of loss. Our attorneys handle all of the following.
- Exclusion disputes. Carriers apply exclusions broadly and sometimes creatively. When an insurer tells you that a specific exclusion bars your claim, that interpretation needs to be tested against actual policy language and Florida case law. We challenge exclusion-based denials regularly and know which arguments courts have consistently rejected.
- Wind versus water disputes. After hurricanes and tropical storms, insurers often reclassify wind damage as flood damage to push losses onto a separate flood policy or onto the homeowner entirely. Our Florida hurricane damage attorneys challenge those reclassifications with engineering evidence, policy analysis, and a thorough understanding of how Florida courts have addressed concurrent causation arguments.
- Cause of loss disputes. Carriers sometimes argue that damage was caused by a non-covered peril, a pre-existing condition, or gradual deterioration rather than a covered sudden event. Those arguments frequently rely on adjuster reports that do not reflect the full physical evidence. We document cause of loss from day one and contest conclusions that misrepresent what happened.
- Denied and delayed claims. A coverage dispute often starts with a denial letter but conceals an underlying underpayment. When a carrier pays partial benefits and argues the remainder is not covered, the fight involves both coverage interpretation and the full value of the covered loss. We handle both dimensions simultaneously.
- Replacement cost versus actual cash value disputes. Most Florida homeowner policies provide replacement cost coverage for the dwelling. When carriers depreciate materials or labor to reduce payments below actual repair costs, that is a coverage dispute. We analyze policy language and challenge calculations that shortchange policyholders on what their policy actually promises.
- Commercial property coverage disputes. Commercial policies are more complex than residential policies, and the coverage disputes they generate reflect that. Business interruption scope, blanket endorsements, sublimit interpretations, and multi-location structures all require careful legal and policy analysis. We handle all of it.
Florida Legal Requirements for Coverage Disputes
Understanding the legal framework that governs coverage disputes in Florida is essential before deciding how to proceed. Several statutes directly shape what insurers are required to do and what policyholders can do when those requirements are not met.
The Policyholders Bill of Rights. Under Florida Statute 626.9641, Florida has established standards for how policyholders are to be treated by insurers. These include the right to comprehensive coverage, the right to a readable policy, and the right to an insurer that handles claims honestly. While this statute does not create a standalone private cause of action, it establishes the standards against which insurer conduct is measured and provides context for coverage dispute and bad faith claims under other statutes.
The unfair insurance trade practices act. Under Florida Statute 626.9541, specific insurer conduct constitutes an unfair or deceptive trade practice. This includes misrepresentations about coverage, failing to acknowledge claims promptly, and refusing to pay without a reasonable investigation. A violation of this statute is one of the actionable bases for a civil bad faith claim under Florida Statute 624.155. When a coverage denial rests on a misrepresentation of what your policy says, this statute is directly relevant.
The 60-day pay-or-deny obligation. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, insurers have 60 days after receiving notice of a claim to pay it, pay the undisputed portion, or issue a written denial with a specific explanation grounded in the policy and applicable law. A coverage denial that does not meet the specificity requirements of this statute, or that arrives outside the 60-day window, carries legal consequences the carrier does not typically advertise. Payments made after the deadline bear interest from the date the claim was filed.
The one-year notice deadline. Under Florida Statute 627.70132, you must report a new or reopened property insurance claim within one year of the date of loss. Supplemental claims must go in within 18 months. If you received a coverage denial and have not yet consulted an attorney, these deadlines are running right now. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation oversees insurer compliance with Florida’s insurance laws and accepts consumer complaints when carriers violate those standards.
What Damages Are Recoverable in a Florida Coverage Dispute?
Contractual damages. When we successfully challenge a coverage denial, your recovery begins with everything the policy was required to pay: repair or replacement costs, contents, additional living expenses, lost business income if applicable, and any other component the carrier improperly withheld. The goal is full restoration of the benefits your policy promises.
Interest on late or withheld payments. Under Florida Statute 627.70131, payments made outside the 60-day window bear interest from the date the claim was filed. In a coverage dispute that drags on for months while the carrier defends its position, that interest can be a meaningful recovery component. We track and pursue it in every case.
Bad faith damages. When a carrier’s coverage position is not just wrong but dishonest, or when the denial was made without any reasonable investigation, the case may support a bad faith claim under Florida Statute 624.155. A successful bad faith claim can produce damages well beyond the original policy limits. Under Florida Statute 624.1551, that path requires a court judgment establishing breach of contract first, but it remains fully available to policyholders who win that underlying fight.
Punitive damages. In cases where the insurer’s conduct was willful, wanton, or reflected a reckless disregard for the policyholder’s rights with enough regularity to indicate a general business practice, punitive damages may be available under Florida Statute 624.155. When the facts support them, we pursue them without hesitation.
Contact The People’s Law Team, PA
If your Florida insurer has taken a coverage position on your claim that does not match what you understood your policy to cover, do not accept that position without getting legal advice from The People’s Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers first. Coverage disputes are winnable, and our attorneys know the policy language, the law, and the carrier’s arguments well enough to fight back effectively.
Our Florida coverage disputes lawyer offers free consultations for Florida insurance coverage disputes and all property damage claims throughout the state. No upfront costs, no out-of-pocket fees, and no payment unless we win. Contact us to schedule your free consultation and put over 25 years of insurance industry knowledge to work challenging your carrier’s coverage denial.