Fort Walton Beach Public Adjuster

No. We operate on contingency, which means our fee is calculated as a percentage of the settlement we collect — and only after we collect it. Florida statute limits that percentage to 10% during the twelve months following a declared catastrophe and 20% under normal circumstances. You owe nothing if the claim results in zero recovery. Every engagement starts with a written agreement that locks in the percentage before we inspect the property, and you have a 10-business-day right to cancel the contract at no cost. Read the full guide to how public adjusters get paid.

Yes — and military families often benefit more than most. Nearly 70% of the Fort Walton Beach economy connects to Eglin and Hurlburt Field, so we handle military claims regularly. Duty schedules, TDY assignments, and deployments make it difficult to attend carrier inspections, respond to document requests, or push back on lowball offers in real time. We act as your full representative throughout the process. If PCS orders arrive mid-claim, we keep the case moving without interruption — your claim stays with the same Shoreline adjuster regardless of where the military sends you next. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides additional federal protections that we factor into every military family engagement.

It is almost always two separate claims filed against two separate policies. Wind and roof damage go through your homeowners or windstorm policy. Flood damage goes through your NFIP or private flood policy. Each policy has its own adjuster, its own deductible, and its own payout timeline. The danger is that both carriers point at each other — the wind carrier says the damage was caused by flooding, the flood carrier says it was caused by wind — and neither pays the full amount. We coordinate both claims simultaneously, attribute each element of damage to the correct peril and the correct policy, and prevent the gap where the two carriers try to shift liability back and forth.

This is one of the most common carrier errors we see in the Fort Walton Beach metro. Florida law distinguishes between hurricane deductibles — which only trigger during a storm the National Hurricane Center officially classifies as a hurricane — and standard wind deductibles that apply to all other wind events. After a tropical storm or severe thunderstorm that never reached hurricane status, the percentage-based hurricane deductible should not apply. Carriers apply it anyway because the dollar difference favors them by thousands. We review your declarations page against the official event classification and use Eglin AFB weather station data to prove which deductible category your loss falls under.

Prioritize safety first. Once conditions allow, photograph and video every area of damage — roof, siding, interior water intrusion, landscaping, fencing — before touching anything. Tarp open roof sections and board up broken windows to prevent additional damage, but do not throw away damaged materials or begin permanent repairs until the full scope has been documented by a professional. File a claim with your carrier and save the confirmation number. Then reach out to our team for a free inspection. Early documentation is the strongest tool we have against carriers who try to reclassify storm damage as pre-existing wear. Keep every receipt for emergency tarping, board-up, and temporary repairs — those costs are typically reimbursable under your policy.

Your claim does not move with you — it stays tied to the damaged property in Okaloosa County. But that does not mean you have to be here to manage it. When we represent you, the same Shoreline adjuster who inspected your property handles every carrier interaction, re-inspection, negotiation, and payment follow-up regardless of your location. We have settled claims for families who filed in Fort Walton Beach and closed from duty stations in other states. The carrier never gets the relocation gap it needs to stall or lowball your settlement.

Straightforward claims with solid documentation often settle within 30 to 60 days. Multi-peril claims — where wind and flood damage overlap — or disputed-coverage situations can extend to several months, especially if the carrier forces the claim into appraisal. Florida statute gives carriers 60 days to pay or deny after receiving your proof of loss, extending to 90 days following a declared emergency. Carrier response time is the biggest variable. Having professional representation from the start compresses the timeline because we submit complete documentation upfront and eliminate the back-and-forth rounds that drag out unrepresented claims.