1. Florida: Insurance Assistance Hubs in Destin and Pensacola, and claims mostly below the deductible
On Saturday, October 10, CFO and State Fire Marshal Blaise Ingoglia said the Division of Consumer Services was "working to set up insurance hubs" and that the Office of Insurance Regulation would issue a mandatory insurer data call on Monday. On Sunday, October 11, the first Insurance Assistance Hub opened in Destin, 36 hours after landfall, with 12 carriers on site, 9 AM to 4 PM, reopening Monday "for several days". By the CFO's Tuesday release there were two hubs, Destin with 16 carriers on day two and Pensacola with 20, at the University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Parking Lot B, 9 AM to 4 PM. Three fraud investigation teams (DFAST) were sent to Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Escambia and Walton counties; the release says criminals pressure residents to "sign over their insurance benefits". The helpline is 1-877-693-5236, the fraud hotline 1-800-378-0445.
What the carriers said at the Pensacola hub on Monday, as reported by Insurance Journal on October 13: few policyholders showed up, and "so much of what we have seen has been below the deductible". People's Trust had just over 400 Panhandle claims out of about 8,000 insureds; Universal P&C about 3,000 claims on about 20,000 Panhandle policies; Security First about 300 claims out of about 15,000 policies by Monday afternoon, about five of them severe. Verisk put insured losses across the storm's path at $1 billion to $2 billion; Hurricane Michael in 2018 cost Florida insurers about $9 billion. Insurers report claims data to OIR on October 13 and October 15. The same article records what agents saw on the ground: a roofing company and public adjusters wearing the roofer's shirt, knocking on doors and promising that carriers would pay full replacement cost. One agent's advice to her clients: "Shoo them away. Let's check with your insurance company first on what's covered."
Why a small contractor should care: a claim below the deductible is a cash job. The homeowner whose deductible is bigger than the damage is not waiting for an adjuster; they are choosing a contractor on price, speed and trust, like any other repair. The homeowner whose damage is above the deductible is being told by the state to call the insurer first and to ask the person at the door for a license. The contractor who promises what the insurer will pay is the one the agents are warning about.
2. NAHB, October 12: 25.8 million households with someone 55+, in houses with a median age of 37.8 years
NAHB's 2025 member census, published October 12: 16% of builder members built age-restricted housing for people 55 and older, a share that has stayed between 15% and 17% since 2009; 47,000 housing units started in age-restricted communities in 2025, up more than 9% from 2024. The household side is the part a remodeler reads twice: 25,849,000 households include a person 55 or older; 15% of them live in age-restricted communities, a record since 2015, and another 23% in communities where most neighbors are 55+. The median age of their homes is 37.8 years, up 1.5 years since 2021 and nearly five years older than in 2015. In senior communities 25.6% of the homes were built before 1970 and only 3.4% in 2020 or later.
A 38-year-old house with a 65-year-old owner who is not moving (NAR counted the two slowest months of the year for home sales in August and September) is where the walk-in shower, the grab bars, the wider door, the first-floor laundry and the new roof come from. New 55+ construction is 47,000 homes a year; the remodeling market is the 25.8 million.
What to do about it this week
- 01On a storm job, ask about the deductible before you talk about insurance. Below it, quote it as a cash repair with a plain price; above it, tell the homeowner to call the insurer first, then give them a written estimate with dated photos for the adjuster.
- 02Never say what the insurer will pay. Your paper is the scope, the price and the photos; the coverage decision is theirs.
- 03In Florida do not accept an assignment of benefits; it has been banned since 2023 (October 10 note). Payment comes from the homeowner, who is paid by the insurer.
- 04If you work the Panhandle, the hubs are where homeowners are this week: Destin and Pensacola, 9 AM to 4 PM. A business card with a license number does more there than a yard sign.
- 05For the 55+ client: build one "stay in your home" package (bathroom, doors, lighting, a ramp or a zero-step entry) and offer it on every estimate in a house older than 30 years.
Where WorkTime CRM helps with this
With the paper the adjuster and the homeowner both need, in one place.
- The estimate for the adjuster: the estimate prints the company name, phone, address and license number from Settings → Company, every line of scope with a price, and goes to the client as a link; the client portal behind that link shows the same estimate, the contract, the job photos with their dates and every invoice, so the homeowner can show one link to the adjuster instead of forwarding PDFs.
- The license and insurance the state tells homeowners to ask for: Settings → Company → Documents keeps both as a photo or PDF with the expiration date, ready to show from the phone.
- The receipts behind a storm price: snap each one into Receipts & documents and pick the project; the expense lands on that job with the original attached.