The Brief
- Florida homeowners are stuck in limbo months after back-to-back hurricanes.
- A Ruskin family says insurers point fingers instead of paying up.
- State officials say one fix could prevent this in the future—if lawmakers act.
RUSKIN, Fla. – Nine months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered Florida, families like the Kvockas are still displaced. Neil and Nicholle Kvocka bought more than $1 million in property insurance for their waterfront home—yet they’re living in a camper with their two teenagers.
The storm surge from Hurricane Helene flooded their home. A fire, sparked by damage to a neighbor’s house, spread to their roof. The Kvockas say engineers later found rooms in the home were physically shifting—yet the Kvockas still can’t get the insurance payout they need to rebuild.
“We were like, at least we have good insurance. Who would have thought?” Nicholle said.
Insurance Blame Game
The Kvockas say they were caught between two insurers passing blame.
- Citizens Insurance (state-run) denied claims related to flooding, as Citizens is not responsible for flood damage.
- Federal flood insurance said some of the damage was due to wind or fire damage which it does not cover.
Citizens paid nothing. Flood insurance paid $104,000—not nearly enough to rebuild the home based on assessments the Kcovkas received from contractors. They say contractors told them the home needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
“There’s more damage than it’s worth. It’s not fixable.” – Nicholle Kvocka
Arbitration Offered a Glimmer—Then Crashed
Just before a scheduled arbitration hearing with Citizens, the Kvockas were offered a last-minute settlement:
- Initial offer: $41,000
- Increased to: $250,000
They declined—because they said it was still far short of rebuilding costs.…