As Floridians continue the recovery process after Hurricane Irma, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is partnering with Tampa Bay news station Fox 13 to host a live phone bank to assist Floridians with their insurance questions, concerns and complaints. The phone bank will take place Thursday, November 16, from 7:00–10:00am EST. During that time, Floridians can call the station at 1-800-826-4434 to speak one-on-one with an insurance specialist working for the Department. The Department will also answer questions posted to Fox 13’s Facebook account (@Fox13TampaBay).
CFO Patronis said, “Our Department boasts some of Florida’s foremost insurance experts, and we’re taking every available opportunity to help Floridians as they move through the insurance claims process. If any consumer is running into a roadblock, I encourage them to give us a call to see how we can help.”
The Department of Financial Services also operates Florida’s only toll-free Insurance Consumer Helpline, which is available year-round. During the third quarter of 2017, insurance specialists working the Helpline recovered more than $9.3 million for Floridians. Returns consist of underpaid or previously denied insurance claims, as well as overpaid premium amounts that were refunded due to intervention by the Department on the consumer’s behalf.