A Look at the Damage to Florida Lives & Crops from Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael has been labeled the “third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the United States.” As of November 26, more than 43 deaths in Florida have been linked to the disaster, with 23 of them all hitting Bay County alone. On Thanksgiving Day, thousands of Floridians remained homeless because they lost everything to the hurricane. In addition to taking human lives, Hurricane Michael has done significant damage to Florida’s panhandle crops, which will inevitably involve a number of complicated insurance claims to be filed, as we discuss below. Crop Producers Hardest Hit When the hurricane hit, bell pepper, squash, and tomato producers were only approximately five days into their season, and were the hardest hit, which included approximately 200 acres of bell peppers and anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 acres of tomatoes. According to reports, these producers lost approximately 90 percent of their crops. In addition, starting over with their crops has been tremendously difficult because the crop stakes were reportedly blown over and exposed to sun damage, and many of the packinghouses were also significantly damaged from the hurricane, leaving producers with nowhere to go to pack their products. Unfortunately, these effects are far from over: An estimated half of all growers in the region are small and independent, and only started out with 75 to 350 acres total to begin with. Only producing in that one area, it is impossible for them to make up production by growing in other regions, and harvest time is only 10 weeks out of the year. In other words 50 percent of their market year is now gone. Hurricane Michael Claims According to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the following numbers of claims have been filed for residential and commercial properties, including business interruption costs: Residential Property: 85, 017 Commercial Property: 6,830 Private Flood: 158 Business Interruption: 658 Other Business Loss Claims: 32, 693 The highest number of claims have been filed in Bay County (75,412), followed by Jackson (12,605), Leon (8,661), and Gulf Counties (7,231). The total estimated insured losses thus far come to $3,430,014,424. Of these claims filed, only a small number have been paid, while thousands of others are either currently classified as not paid or still open. If You Have Suffered Losses Due To Hurricane Michael, Contact Our Insurance Claim Attorneys While home damage is bad enough during a hurricane, damage to businesses and farming productions can be significant, especially when it comes to hurricanes that hit Florida. If you have suffered some type of damage, contact our Fort Myers hurricane insurance attorneys at HD Law Partners today to find out how we can help. We not only work with producers to file their insurance claims, but in appealing denied claims and in addressing unnecessary delays from insurance companies. Resource: mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2018/11/26/hurricane-michael–florida-death-toll-up-to-43-people thepacker.com/article/florida-panhandle-crops-hard-hit-michael pbs.org/newshour/show/many-hurricane-michael-survivors-spent-thanksgiving-homeless Posted in Fort Myers Hurricane Insurance Attorney | No Comments » Connect with us Archives May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 January 2025 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 November 13 Categories Alimony Appellate Arbitration Auto Accidents Auto Insurance Business Corporate Business Insurance Law Child Custody Child Support Criminal Law Divorce Family Law FEMA Insurance Payments Florida’s Mandatory 2‑Hour Legal Professionalism CLE: Foreclosure Defense Fort Myers Hurricane Insurance Attorney General Guardianship HD Law Partners Service HOA/Property Management Homeowners Association Homeowners Insurance Hurricane Claims Hurricane Insurance Insurance Bad Faith Insurance Claims Insurance Defense Insurance Litigation Landlord Tenant Law Enforcement Liability Loan Modifications Mold Water Damage Parental Rights Paternity Personal Injury Premises Liability Law Prenuptial Agreements Private Security Property Distribution Property Owner Law Sarasota Insurance Litigation Attorney Slip Fall Tampa Business and Corporate Attorneys tampa family attorney Tampa Insurance Attorneys Timeshare Timesharing Uncategorized HD Law Partners is proud to be your trusted full-service law firm Quick Links Property & Casualty Business & Corporate Litigation Family Law Contact Us Careers Get In Touch 2002 North Lois Avenue Suite 510 Tampa, FL 33607 813-253-5333 Contact Us