Florida Clamps Down on Masqueraders Posing As Adjusters

Florida authorities are clamping down on unlicensed loss adjusters attempting to make a quick buck from residents affected by recent hurricanes.

Tom Gallagher, Florida Chief Financial Officer, has warned businesses and homeowners to verify the credentials of adjusters and police have swooped in to arrest individuals accused of being unlicensed.

At the same time the Florida Department of Financial Services established an “insurance supercenter” at the University Mall in Pensacola. It was established so consumers can contact customer service representatives from many of the major insurance companies.

“Pensacola residents with property damage now have a ‘one-stop shop’ to file insurance claims and get answers to insurance questions and concerns,” Gallagher explained.

He confirmed that two people, masquerading as adjusters, have been arrested in Fort Myers and charged with working as a public adjuster without a license. Gallagher said he was happy to see two unlicensed adjusters off the streets.

If convicted, James John Tomlinson and James Stephen Hudgens, who work for Fort Lauderdale-based Seabreeze Public Adjusters, could face statutory sentences of up to five years in prison in addition to fines of up to $5,000. The pair, whose Florida public adjuster licenses were allegedly cancelled in December 2002 after their required bonds lapsed, were tracked down after erecting advertising signs in Charlotte County.

According to the Division of Insurance Fraud and the Division of Agent and Agency Services, Bureau of Investigation, which made the arrests, the accused pair established Seabreeze Public Adjusters on Aug. 19, 2004, six days after Hurricane Charley struck Florida’s southwest coast.

Topics Florida