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July 1, 2021
Protecting Tomorrow, Today
13907 Carrollwood Vlg Run, Tampa FL 33618
813-963-6701
EPIC Changes at Professional Insurance Services
The summer is upon us and that means we’ve got some EPIC changes rolling in at Professional Insurance Services. Our agency is preparing to transition to a new software system, EPIC, to enhance your experience, bring ease of automation and build better customer support. We have been diligently preparing for this since January in an effort to make our conversion in July as seamless as possible.

During this transition throughout July, you may experience delays from our office. We look forward to the new servicing improvements we are making, and we thank you all for your patience during this time!

What Does Your Insurance Agent Do?
Insurance is a necessity. We all need it in some form, this non-tangible product that costs a lot and is not fun to talk about. We get it. Most people, like yourself, seek an experienced insurance agent to help them navigate the insurance process. But, what does your insurance agent do?

Some would say insurance agents are professionals at explaining and apologizing for situations that are out of their control. Bearers of bad news, but also solution wizards to help resolve that bad news. Can interpret the foreign language that is your insurance policy. Basically, your insurance agent is a resourceful middle person between you and your carrier. Your gateway to insurance.

Your insurance agent represents you to the insurance company. Your agent is not just a salesperson to you, they are also a salesperson for you to the insurance company. They are presenting your situation to the insurance company, trying to get a quote with competitive pricing and the best coverage. Your insurance agent is only as good as the information you provide, so the more information you provide only allows your agent to better advocate for you. They can use the information you provide to help avoid potential problems with a carrier, and navigate to the product that is the best fit for you at the best rate available for you. They cannot use the information to hand-pick a premium to fit within your predisposed budget, but miracles do happen.

As the client, you should always look to work with an insurance agent you trust this process to. Finding an agent that you trust to divulge your information to enables them to work more efficiently for you while knowing they are protecting you accurately. What does your insurance agent do? They should provide you peace of mind for protecting what matters most to you. 

Welcome to the Thunderdome
For the Florida property insurance industry, 2020 provided additional challenges on multiple fronts: specifically continued unfavorable development of non-hurricane wind claims. These claims, and the frivolous lawsuits from public adjusters or attorneys seeking inflated settlements have exacerbated business costs which translates to rate increases for homeowners. If you’re a Florida homeowner, chances are you have been impacted by a premium increase this past renewal term.
Without question, the market has hardened and there is limited capacity statewide. By the numbers, here are some of the changes to the Florida homeowners' market, 2020 to present:

  • 74 exposure management changes
  • 42 carriers (at least) took rate increases
  • 27 carriers filed for at least 10% or more in rate increases
  • 27 carriers closed for new business either across the state or in specific counties
  • 15 carriers applied minimum "roof age" changes state-wide or county-specific
  • 14 carriers added/changed their Water Damage limitations
  • 10 carriers changed minimum "year of construction" state-wide or county-specific
  • 53,200 policies from 3 carriers were approved for offload from the Florida OIR

Rate increases, capacity restrictions and cancellations have forced many homeowners back to seeking coverage from Citizens. The carrier of last resort has once again become the carrier of only resort for many. Citizens is currently growing by 4,500 policies per week, a fast clip only fueled by the evolving changes within the marketplace.

Want to know more about the marketplace conditions? Here are a few helpful resources.




Meet our Client
With over 200 slides, bounce houses, obstacle courses, and inflatable sports games for rent, it's easy to see why Bounce A Lot Inflatables is the top event rental company in the Tampa Bay Area.

Check out their website https://bouncealotinflatables.com/ to see what fun you could have at your next party!
 
Want to know more ...
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
We post fun features and info over on our social media feed weekly. If you're not already following us, what are you waiting for? Here's a sample of our Feature Friday introductions, you can visit our social feed to see more!

Welcome to the world, London Lee

We are happy to announce that Shawn Heuton and his wife, Taylor, welcomed in the newest member of the Professional Insurance family with the birth of their second daughter on June 23rd. Congratulations!

Something to Celebrate!
Wishing Jason Levy, the founder and President of Professional Insurance Services, a very Happy Birthday!
To celebrate an amazing Q1, our office was treated to an EPIC afterhours team building event! We divided into two teams and raced to see who could make it out of their Escape rooms first. It was an awesome time!