Just over a month after Hurricane Debby hit Florida, new data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation shows nearly 60% of all Hurricane Debby claims are closed — and more than half of those were listed as “closed without payment.”
As of September 6, the data showed that 19,973 claims were filed after Hurricane Debby, and 11,090 of those claims have already been closed. That’s nearly 60% of the claims that have already been settled.
Of those claims already closed, 6,447 were listed as closed without payment, and 58.1% of those claims were denied.
“I was denied,” said Sarasota homeowner Allison Cavallaro. “They wouldn’t cover it, of course, because it’s flood.”
According to her insurance company, her damage was attributed to flood, which her homeowner’s policy does not cover. Cavallaro didn’t think she needed flood insurance because her home is outside a FEMA flood zone, in flood zone X.
“I’ve never had a flood, I’ve never had a disaster. I’ve never had to do anything, so it’s all very new,” she added.