Step 1: Read your policy first
Find your policy or log in to your insurer's site. Check three things: your hurricane deductible, what is covered, and the claim deadline. In Florida the hurricane deductible is often a percent of the home's insured value, not a flat sum. Know it up front.
Step 2: Take photos first
Before you move or clean anything, photo and video all damage. Wide shots of each room. Close-ups of the harm. The roof from the ground. Water lines on walls. Use the damage photo checklist. Your claim stands on this proof.
Step 3: Stop more damage
Your policy likely makes you stop worse harm. Tarp the roof. Board broken windows. Move goods out of wet rooms. Keep every receipt: tarps, plywood, hotel stays. Do not do lasting repairs before the adjuster sees the harm.
Step 4: File early
Call your insurer's claims line or file online. State the facts: storm date, what was harmed, your contact info. Write down the claim number and the adjuster's name. After a big storm, early filers get seen first.
Step 5: Meet the adjuster
The adjuster views the harm and prices the fix. Be there if you can. Walk them through it all. Share your photos. Point out hidden spots: attic, crawlspace, behind machines. Take notes on what they say. If the price seems low, get your own quotes and ask for a second look.
Step 6: Get it in writing
Do not take a spoken number. Get the offer in writing. Match it against real repair quotes. Ask about anything odd. The first offer is not always the last word.
Florida warnings
Assignment of Benefits: some contractors ask you to sign an AOB form. It hands them your claim rights. Florida has curbed AOB abuse, but signing away your claim is still risky. Talk to the Florida Department of Financial Services (free help line) before you sign.
Referral fees: Florida Statute 489.147 bans referral fees paid from insurance money. That is why this site sells no leads and takes no referral fees. Anyone who offers to "find you a contractor" for a cut of your payout is pitching an illegal deal.
Public adjusters: Florida licenses public adjusters who haggle claims for a fee capped by state law. They can help on big or denied claims. Check any adjuster's license at myfloridalicense.com.