Insurance appraisal in Florida

At a glance

Name an appraiser

The policy form (most homeowners forms use 20 days).

Choose an umpire

If the two appraisers cannot agree within 15 days, either party may ask a judge of a court of record in the county where the property sits to choose the umpire.

If they cannot agree

A judge of a court of record in the county of the property, on request (policy form).

Suit deadline paused?

Not by statute. Florida allows five years from the date of loss to sue on a property policy (§ 95.11). Florida courts have allowed equitable tolling where a carrier induced delay, but do not rely on it.

Licensing

No appraiser license. The Florida Supreme Court has held that a public adjuster paid on contingency cannot be a disinterested appraiser (Parrish v. State Farm, 2023). Under § 627.70151 a proposed umpire on a residential claim can be disqualified for a family relationship with a party, prior work on the same claim or property, work on a substantially related matter adverse to a party, or an employment relationship with a party in the last five years.

The clock

Appraisal in Florida begins with a written demand from one party to the other. The deadlines in the table above run from that demand: first the period to name an appraiser, then the period for the two appraisers to agree on an umpire. Send the demand by certified mail with return receipt, and keep a copy with the policy.

Once the panel is complete, the appraisers inspect the property, prepare their estimates and work through the differences line by line. Only what they cannot settle goes to the umpire.

On the deadline to sue: Not by statute. Florida allows five years from the date of loss to sue on a property policy (§ 95.11). Florida courts have allowed equitable tolling where a carrier induced delay, but do not rely on it.

What the panel decides

Amount of loss, including causation, once the carrier admits some covered loss (Johnson v. Nationwide, 828 So. 2d 1021 (Fla. 2002)). Where the carrier denies the whole claim, coverage is for the court first. The method of repair is part of the amount of loss (Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Cannon Ranch, Fla. 2d DCA 2014).

Everywhere, including Florida, the panel leaves alone whether the policy covers the loss, how the policy language is read, and whether the carrier acted in bad faith. Those are for the courts. An award that strays into them is the one most likely to be set aside.

Who may serve

No appraiser license. The Florida Supreme Court has held that a public adjuster paid on contingency cannot be a disinterested appraiser (Parrish v. State Farm, 2023). Under § 627.70151 a proposed umpire on a residential claim can be disqualified for a family relationship with a party, prior work on the same claim or property, work on a substantially related matter adverse to a party, or an employment relationship with a party in the last five years.

Whatever the statute says, the policy standard is the one that decides most challenges: an appraiser must be competent and impartial, or in some forms disinterested. The contractor who will do the work, a public adjuster paid a share of the claim, or anyone employed by a party does not meet it. We are paid a flat fee for that reason.

The award

An award is treated as binding on the amount of loss. Courts set awards aside only on narrow grounds such as fraud, mistake, an appraiser exceeding the authority the clause gives, or a partial appraiser.

Points particular to Florida

Before either side can require appraisal on a residential claim, the carrier must notify you of your right to the Department of Financial Services mediation program (§ 627.7015). If it fails to, you are not required to submit to appraisal.

Under the pre-suit notice statute (§ 627.70152), a carrier may respond to your notice by requiring appraisal. If that appraisal is not concluded within ninety days, you may file suit.

Citizens Property Insurance forms now require both parties' written consent to appraisal (personal lines from December 1, 2025). If Citizens is your carrier, appraisal is a request rather than a demand.

Notice of a new claim must be given within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within eighteen months (§ 627.70132). Appraisal does not extend those.

Since the 2022 reforms, a carrier that compels appraisal simply to delay payment may face discipline (§ 624.418), and an award well above the carrier's estimate may be evidence in a bad-faith action (§ 624.1551).

Common losses in Florida

The disputes we see most often in Florida arise from:

• Hurricane and tropical storm
• Roof and wind damage
• Water and plumbing
• Sinkhole (separate rules)

Flood is insured separately, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program, under federal rules rather than Florida's. Its appraisal clause settles price only, and its deadlines are its own. How a flood claim works

Authorities

• Fla. Stat. § 627.7015 (mediation)
• Fla. Stat. § 627.70151 (appraisal; conflicts of interest)
• Fla. Stat. § 627.70132 (notice of claim)
• Parrish v. State Farm Fla. Ins. Co., SC21-172 (Fla. 2023)
• Johnson v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 828 So. 2d 1021 (Fla. 2002)
• The general guide to insurance appraisal

Statutes, regulations and case law change. This page was reviewed against official sources in October 2026 and describes the general rule; it is not legal advice about your claim.

Questions about appraisal in Florida

Nearby: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia