I finally filed my claim with their 800#. It took another 6 months before anyone came. By that time I told them I had a public adjuster. They told me that wasn’t necessary they intended to pay the entire claim including a new roof.

I got out of my contract with the Public Adjuster and that is when everything went south. Not only did they not pay for everything, they hired an engineer to shoot down my claim. The engineer happens to be the neighbor and golf buddy of the head of the fire and casualty office in Miami Lakes, Fl.

(Employee’s in the Miami Lakes Office told me to get an attorney because they were systematically denying single female owners, “because they don’t fight and give up easily”.

They decided that my roof had a latent defect even though I am the orginal owner of the home and have all drawings and record from inspections done by Miami Dade County Building and Zoning.

They also stated that because this was a latent defect it was “not hurricane damage.” They however applied a hurrincane deductible over $6000 dollars. I was shorted on the rest of the claim as well and not paid for wool carpeting in multiple rooms, customized furniture, draperies, wall treatments and paper, blinds etc. I have been underpaid by ten’s of thousands of dollars in designer clothing and shoes from two giant walk-in closets where the celings caved in and soaked everthing. The months of delay resulted in serious mold and health problems.

I filed a complaint with the Insurance commissioner and to my knowledge, nothing has been done. Some department of State Farm contacted me about mediation and without consulting me repeatedly schedule appoints with their mediation lawyer for times and dates that I was not available. The amount I recieved took one year from the actual damage and was $5,000 after the “hurricane Deductible of $6,000. That did not do anything to replace the
approximatley $70,000-75,000 in damages previously described or replace the roof which at that time would have been around $30,000. State Farm has denied me a roof three times: after Hurricane Andrew in 1982 and “The Storm Of The Century” in 1993 and for the multiple
storms in 2004.

I changed agents within the company to an agent named Blondell Taylor, of Miramar Florida, who assured me I would be taken care of.
No such luck! I got jerked around again for another year and this arrogant woman had her reception repeatedly tell me she was not in, even though I was standing outside her office and could clearly see her. After this I changed agents again.

This time I went to Guy Brickman’s Office just outside of Miami Lakes.
I transferred all of my policies and at first was very happy. Then I noticed that none of the multiple discounts dropped off my policy by Henry Bello Agency had been added back to my policy nor had any kind of asjustment been given. All of the 2004 claim was resumitted through this company and again fell through the cracks. Or so I was told.

Now comes Katrina and then Wilma in 2005. “This time” it took 6 months before I saw an adjuster. I called repeatly and was told wait my turn; even though all of my neighbors had seen adjusters from their companies. Unfortunately the adjuster they sent was from Chicago and by the time she got to me she had only one more day here and only adjusted for the roof.
( Now this payment was off by over ten thousand.)Because of demand and the shortage of tile and the delay in someone getting to me the prices rose drastically.

She assurred me that another local adjuster would follow up with me. By now you know that didn’t happened.

I am now living on bear concrete(I removed the carpet myself) because the mold killed my 2 dogs. I also have some serious allergy and lung problems.

It took a year and a half to get a new roof!

The damage now encompasses the entire house inside and out. I got a new roof but not the gutters. I got a new roof, but not any insulation. I had R49 insulation which I paid for myself after the 1993 storm. That was removed due to mold when the roof was installed a year and a half after Wilma.

My pool area is a wreck. A very nice custom glass brick bar was destroyed and every thing on it. The neighbor’s screen enclosure detroyed my awnings and frames, pool-pump enclosure. The deck tile,copping, diamond brite
bar etc. were caused by wind, flying debry, and the sinking of the deck due to standing water, days of rain,errosion
and sink holes in the underlying ground.

When I started this I did not intend for
it to be a book. Bottom line, 4 years later I am still being jerked around. I am hiring a public adjuster and an attorney.

It is a shame that my “Good Neighbor” I have been doing business with since the sixties and my parents before that does not value the loyalty I have shown them.

Michaele Flanagan O’Keefe