The Ian-aftermath continues to plague many homeowners in Southwest Florida and our insurance issues are far from over. But the state has stepped in to try to help you get answers and money.

That worked out well for Christine Servis from Punta Gorda. When she attended the insurance village in South Fort Myers, she talked with her company in-person. And guess what? She walked away with a check. “Finally, it’s been a long time and the pressure is off of us and we are very, very satisfied,” said Servis. “It’s so much more effective sitting across from another human being trying to close your claim. If you have an open claim, if you have a closed claim, if you have questions, if you want a check, you want to show up to our insurance village,” CFO Jimmy Patronis told WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard. Tuesday, dozens of homeowners turned out to FSW in South Fort Myers with paperwork-in-hand to try to resolve issues with their insurance provider. Some, like Servis, left with checks.   Bryan and Wendy Statskey suffered Ian damage at the their Cape Coral winter residence. They drove down from their winter home in Pennsylvania to Tuesday’s village.

Homeowners leave South Fort Myers insurance village with checks

“It’s been a long haul trying to get our house taken care of and the insurance portion of it, a good resolution. We finally came to that today so we’re relieved,” Bryan added. “Frustrating, living out of state. It’s pretty difficult. But thanks to Jerramy, he’s keeping us informed. We were here through March and nothing.”

Jerramy Johnson, their contractor, recommended they attend. “We walked out with a weight lifted off of us today. Now we can start construction and they don’t have to worry about every storm that comes along. I took a risk of them coming all the way down here and spending the money, energy and time, and thankfully it all worked out,” he added.

Hurricane Ian hit September 28, 2022. Before that, we were already dealing with an insurance crisis in the state. Fifteen home insurers have stopped writing new business in Florida since January of 2022. And, chances are, those companies which are still writing homeowners’ policies have increased their rates.

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