First: make sure everyone is safe
Before anything about insurance, confirm your family is safe and your property is not dangerous to enter. Watch for downed power lines, gas leaks, and structural damage. No claim is worth a preventable injury.
Document everything before you touch it
The single most valuable thing you can do is create a thorough record of the damage before any cleanup or repair. Photograph and video every affected area — roof, exterior, interior, contents — from multiple angles. Date-stamp everything. This documentation is the backbone of your claim.
Make emergency repairs — and keep the receipts
Florida policies require you to prevent further damage. Tarp the roof, board broken windows, and stop active water intrusion — but only what is safe. Keep every receipt for materials and emergency services; those costs are typically reimbursable.
Do not throw damaged property away yet
It is tempting to haul everything to the curb, but damaged materials and contents are evidence. Photograph and inventory them first, and keep what you reasonably can until the loss is documented.
Report the claim — then get your own documentation
Notify your carrier promptly to start the clock, but understand that the adjuster they send works for them. Before you accept any scope or settlement, consider having a licensed public adjuster document the loss independently. It is often the difference between a partial payment and a full recovery.
If your storm claim has already been underpaid or denied, it is not too late — Florida law allows supplemental and reopened claims within statutory windows.