Storm history at the end of U.S. 1
Key West is the southernmost city in the continental United States, and being last on U.S. 1 means it absorbs weather the rest of the state only watches on radar. Hurricane Irma made direct landfall in the Lower Keys in 2017, driving wind and surge across Monroe County and leaving a long tail of roof, water, and structural claims that owners were still litigating well after the storm cleared. That history matters because carriers writing policies in the Keys price for catastrophe, and when a catastrophe arrives they often respond with offers that do not reflect the true cost of rebuilding here. If your home, condo, or vacation rental took damage, the burden of proving the full scope falls on you, and that is the burden Ocean Point Claims is built to carry.
Conch cottages, Dade County pine, and a historic-district scope problem
Much of Key West's single-family stock is genuinely old, with Conch-architecture cottages and frame houses that date back more than a century. Many are framed in Dade County pine, a dense, resin-rich heart pine that is no longer harvested and is effectively irreplaceable. When that framing, original siding, or period trim is damaged, a standard carrier estimate that calls for modern dimensional lumber and stock millwork does not put the property back the way it was. Repairs in the historic district can also trigger review by the Historic Architectural Review Commission, which constrains materials and methods in ways an out-of-state adjuster rarely accounts for. We document these period materials, the matching obligations under Florida statute 626.9744, and the real cost of like-kind restoration so the estimate reflects a Key West property and not a generic mainland tract home.
The claims we handle here
Ocean Point Claims handles the loss types that define this island: hurricane and named-windstorm damage, wind-driven and wind-borne-debris losses, roof damage, water intrusion from failed envelopes and plumbing, and the mold that follows in a hot, humid marine climate. We work residential Conch cottages and modern homes, condominium and association claims, and the substantial vacation-rental inventory where a covered loss also means lost rental income that owners frequently leave on the table. Whether your claim is new, underpaid, delayed, or already denied, we can review the policy and the carrier's position before you accept anything.
Why Key West settlements come up short
Keys settlements fall short for reasons specific to this market. Remote-location logistics, barge and ferry freight for materials, a thin pool of qualified island contractors, and historic-district requirements all raise the true repair cost above what a desk adjuster's software assumes. Carriers may also lean on policy language around flood versus wind, anti-concurrent-causation wording, or depreciation to narrow what they pay. Florida statute 627.70131 sets the timeline an insurer must follow when investigating and paying a claim, and statute 627.70132 preserves a supplemental-claim window when new damage surfaces after the first inspection, which is common once contractors open century-old walls. We hold carriers to those deadlines and that window.
How Ocean Point builds and pushes the claim
We start by reading your full policy, then inspect and document the loss in detail: photographs, moisture readings, scope notes, and material identification down to the period framing and trim that drive Key West repair costs. We prepare an independent, line-item estimate, present it to the carrier, and manage the back-and-forth so you are not negotiating alone. When an insurer ignores the statutory timeline, lowballs, or acts in bad faith, statute 624.155 allows a Civil Remedy Notice, a formal filing that puts the carrier on notice and creates real pressure. Our job is to make the carrier confront the full, documented value of your claim.
Fees, your rights, and how to reach us
Public adjusters in Florida work on contingency under statute 626.854, so our fee comes as a percentage of what we recover for you and nothing if there is no recovery. Florida law also gives you a 10-day right to cancel a public-adjusting contract after signing, with no penalty. Ocean Point Claims is headquartered in Hobe Sound and licensed to represent policyholders statewide, including throughout Monroe County and the Florida Keys, under Florida DFS license #W829547. Call (888) 824-1306, reach us through our contact page, or learn more about coverage across the state on our Florida statewide public adjuster page. You can also see every area we serve on our locations page or read about the broader Monroe County market.