Insurance Expert Witness, Appraisal and Umpire Services in Florida
Florida carries the heaviest first party property litigation and appraisal volume in the country. Expert witness retention, appraisal and umpire service, and ADR support on hurricane, windstorm, water, and roof disputes.
What drives Florida property disputes
Typical loss types. Hurricane and windstorm, wind driven rain, roof and envelope failures, water and mold losses, and sinkhole and flood matters.
Florida disputes concentrate on roof scope and repairability, wind versus wear causation, matching, actual cash value and depreciation methodology, and whether the claim was investigated and paid consistent with accepted claims handling practice. Statutory and regulatory requirements in Florida have moved repeatedly in recent years, and the applicable version usually follows the policy and the date of loss rather than the current law.
Florida regulates several claim related roles more closely than most states. The firm confirms in writing that it may serve in the specific role before accepting a Florida engagement, and will decline rather than take a role it cannot properly fill.
Roles the firm accepts in Florida
- Testifying expert. Written reports meeting the applicable disclosure rules, deposition, and trial testimony on scope, causation, valuation, estimating methodology, and claims handling and bad faith standards.
- Consulting expert. Non testifying analysis, early case assessment, estimate reconstruction, and support for examination of the opposing expert.
- Party appointed appraiser. Competent and independent appraiser under the policy appraisal clause, separately stating actual cash value, replacement cost, and the amount of loss.
- Neutral umpire. By agreement of the appraisers or by court appointment, with disclosure of anything bearing on impartiality made up front.
- Mediation and arbitration support. Loss facts and scope gaps translated into a clear technical position and a damages narrative for the proceeding.
How to retain the firm
Send the caption, the parties, counsel of record, the carrier, the role you are seeking to fill, and the deadline schedule including expert disclosure and discovery cutoffs. Most conflict checks clear the same day, before any substantive discussion of the matter. A curriculum vitae, fee schedule, and testimony list follow on request.
Availability is subject to conflict clearance and to any licensure, registration, or appointment requirement of the jurisdiction and the policy at issue. The firm accepts one role per matter.
Why counsel retains this firm
A curriculum vitae, fee schedule, and testimony list are furnished on request.
- Executive General AdjusterThe senior adjusting designation, signifying authority over the largest and most complex property losses.
- More than 25 years in catastrophe and large loss claimsField, large loss, and supervisory experience across national carriers and independent practice, including Farmers Insurance and Zurich North America.
- Documented large loss recordAn $85 million Gulf Coast commercial loss placed through the London market, drawn from thousands of claims handled.
- NFIP certified at all four authority levelsRCBAP, commercial, homeowners, and mobile home.
- Balanced practiceRetention accepted from policyholder counsel and from insurer and defense counsel, and neutral umpire appointments accepted. The balance is itself part of the qualification.
Retain the firm in Florida.
Send the caption, the parties, counsel of record, and the carrier. Conflict checks usually clear the same day, and the CV and fee schedule follow immediately.