TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — On Tuesday night, 8 On Your Side reported Farmers Insurance was cancelling policies in Florida.
Then, viewers said they were getting dropped by a different prominent insurance company: AAA Insurance.
AAA Insurance tells 8 On Your Side they are not leaving the state. So, what’s happening? Investigator Mahsa Saeidi is looking into it.
On Tuesday, as our report was airing about Farmers Insurance, the emails started coming in. This time, from AAA Insurance policy holders who had just received a notice that no one wants, especially during hurricane season.
We met Walter Haller at his home in Largo. He said he wants to retire, but he’s working full-time to pay for insurance.
Yesterday was tough. First, his wife broke her arm.
“I had to come back from the emergency room, what do I find in my letterbox? A non-renewal from AAA,” said Haller. “I feel all the Floridians are being let down by their government.”
Like Walter, Kathryn Considine’s policy was cancelled too.
“I think of it as failing us,” she said.
This week, both AAA Insurance customers got a Florida Notice of Non-renewal Form in the mail.
By October, their home and auto insurance will be cancelled because of “Exposure Management,” according to the notice.
A spokesman from AAA insurance tells 8 On Your Side they’ve been “forced to make tough decisions while managing risk and catastrophe exposure,” and a “small number” of policies are impacted.
We asked how many. The spokesman stated it’s “proprietary.”
The company remains “committed to Florida” and is actively writing new homeowners policies, according to the statement.
But unfortunately, that excludes Walter, Kathyrn, and who knows how many others.
“It has me in a bit of a panic. Yes, I have a few months to get everything rearranged but what if I can’t find insurance? Now, what am I going to do? Move? Don’t know,” said Ms. Considine.
Michael Yaworsky is Florida’s insurance commissioner, and is in charge of policing insurers.
This morning, 8 On Your Side contacted his office to find out how many are getting dropped by AAA insurance. As of 6 p.m., we’re still waiting for the numbers.
Insurance agents tell me AAA insurance is a solid company with a great reputation.
But virtually every carrier in Florida says they’re losing money.
And if a company can reduce their exposure by dropping you, they might do the same.
Here’s the full statement from the company:
“AAA remains committed to the state of Florida and will continue providing home and auto insurance to our members. We are encouraged by the statutory changes that have recently taken effect and believe they will provide positive results. Those improvements will take some time to fully materialize and until they do, AAA’s Florida-based insurers, like all other providers in the state, have been forced to make tough decisions while managing risk and catastrophe exposure. This includes issuing a small number of non-renewals, which is a decision we do not make lightly.”
If you have a story you’d like to share, email Mahsa at MSaeidi@WFLA.com.