The impact of Hurricane Michael in Florida had significant repercussions for Sunshine State residents. Many suffered substantial property damage, resulting in a flood of hurricane claims.

However, insurance companies have come under fire for failing to handle Florida’s hurricane claims in an effective and efficient manner, an allegation lodged by Florida officials who say that insurers could or should be doing more to settle Hurricane Michael claims. according to InsuranceJournal.com.

Storm surges and high winds ripped through the Florida Panhandle, leaving behind a wake of destruction. According to humanitarian website WorldVision.org, even though the storm touched down in October 2018, many of the properties destroyed in the storm remain in a state of disrepair.

In total, it’s estimated that Michael caused more than $7.2 billion in losses in the Florida Panhandle. The Category 5 storm’s winds reached 161 mph, making it the strongest hurricane to hit the continental U.S. since 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, CNN reported.

Storm data indicates Florida is most likely to be hit by a hurricane during the month of October.

There were nearly 150,000 hurricane claims associated with Hurricane Michael and over 88% of them have already been settled. However, regulators and lawmakers are now turning their attention to insurance companies to find out why 17,000 claims remain open.

Regulators argue that insurance companies need to make more of a proactive effort to resolve these claims. This news was shared following  a one-year analysis of Hurricane Michael recently released by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Most of the open claims are personal and residential properties, and the most recent reporting period showed that policy holders continue to file claims. In the last three months alone, property owners have filed more than 1,500 hurricane claims.

Policyholders benefit from a Florida law that allows a claim to be filed up to three years after a hurricane’s first landfall, or when the relevant windstorm caused the associated issues.

According to an analysis completed by Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation, insurance companies were much faster paying out losses associated with Hurricane Irma. Investigators are looking into why Hurricane Michael claims are taking such a long time to complete as well as searching for patterns in consumer complaints.

According to the Florida Property Casualty Association, which represents about a dozen Florida insurers, the most difficult claims remain. There are many reasons why a potential hurricane insurance claim could stay open, such as if a vendor is waiting to be paid or if the home owner has not been able to find a contractor to perform the repair work.

If your home or property was damaged as a result of Hurricane Michael and you are still waiting for the insurance claim to be settled, a lawyer may help you to learn more about your options.