Insurance appraisal in Florida
Florida leaves the appraisal clause to the policy, then surrounds it with more statute than most states: a state mediation offer on residential claims, a short list of reasons an umpire can be disqualified, and a presuit notice step that can end in appraisal. The Florida Supreme Court has also held that an appraiser paid on contingency is not "disinterested" under the policy wording it reviewed. Appraisal sets the amount of loss, and coverage questions stay with the court.
At a glance
- Name an appraiser
- Set by your policy. The State Farm Florida form quoted in Parrish gives each side 20 days after receiving the written demand.
- Choose an umpire
- The two appraisers choose the umpire. In that form they have 15 days.
- If they cannot agree
- Under that form, either side asks a judge of a court of record where the residence is located. Citizens policies effective December 1, 2025 or later also let a party ask the Division of Administrative Hearings to appoint one.
- Does appraisal pause the deadline to sue?
- Not by the policy alone. Florida allows five years from the date of loss to sue on a property policy (Fla. Stat. 95.11(2)(e)). If the insurer answers a presuit notice by requiring appraisal, though, section 627.70152 tolls the 95.11 periods while the appraisal is ongoing.
- Who may serve
- No appraiser license that we found. Where the policy says "disinterested," an appraiser paid a contingency fee does not qualify (Parrish, 2023). On residential claims an umpire can be challenged only on the four grounds in section 627.70151. More below
Deadlines in Florida
The clock
- Day 0Written demandEither party, in writing
- By day 20Appraisers named20 days for each side
- By day 35Umpire chosen15 days, or a court appoints
- On siteInspectionBoth estimates, line by line
- The awardAward signedAny two of three
- After the awardPaymentPer policy and state rules
Appraisal starts with a written demand from either side. In the State Farm Florida form the Supreme Court quoted in Parrish, each party names a qualified, disinterested appraiser within 20 days of receiving the demand. The appraisers then have 15 days to agree on a qualified, disinterested umpire, and after that either side can ask a judge of a court of record in the state where the residence is located to pick one. Your carrier's form may use different numbers, so read the Appraisal condition.
Florida adds steps around that clock. On a residential claim the carrier has to tell you about the Department of Financial Services mediation program, and if it does not, you are not required to go through appraisal before you sue for breach of contract. Separately, the carrier has to pay or deny a claim, or part of it, within 60 days after notice of the claim (section 627.70131(7)(a)), and that deadline is tolled while an appraisal or mediation is under way. We found no Florida statute that sets a payment deadline after the award, so check your policy's loss payment condition.
What the panel decides
Amount of loss, including cause once the carrier admits some covered loss
In Johnson v. Nationwide Mut. Ins. Co., 828 So. 2d 1021 (Fla. 2002), the Florida Supreme Court drew the line. When an insurer wholly denies that there is a covered loss, causation is a coverage question for the court. When the insurer admits there is a covered loss and only the amount is disputed, the appraisers decide the amount, and that includes excluding damage that came from non-covered causes. Whether the policy covers the claim is a judicial question, not one for the appraisers.
The policy can narrow this. Citizens' 2025 personal lines forms say appraisal may not proceed or continue until disputed coverage has been resolved.
Who may serve
Florida does not license appraisers as such, as far as we found. The policy sets the test. In Parrish v. State Farm Florida Insurance Co., No. SC21-172 (Fla. Feb. 9, 2023), the policy required a "disinterested" appraiser, and the Court held that a person cannot be disinterested if he, or a firm he has an interest in, will be paid a contingency fee as public adjuster on the claim. The Court rested that on the plain meaning of "disinterested," and distinguished "independent," so the exact word in your policy matters.
For umpires on residential claims, section 627.70151 lets a party disqualify a proposed umpire only if one of four things is true: a family relationship within the third degree with a party or its representative; the umpire previously represented a party on the same claim or matter involving the same property; the umpire represented someone else on the same or a substantially related matter involving the claim, the same property or an adjacent property, with interests materially adverse to a party; or the umpire worked as an employer or employee of a party within the past five years. Citizens' newest forms add that appraisers must be Florida-licensed property adjusters, and umpires must be licensed adjusters, general contractors or civil engineers with at least three years of experience.
The award
Under the usual form, the amount that two of the three agree on sets the amount of loss. Coverage and policy-meaning questions stay with the court (Johnson). Two Florida statutes touch what happens next. Under section 624.1551, paying an appraisal award is not the kind of adverse court ruling that opens the door to a bad-faith suit, but the gap between the insurer's appraiser's final estimate and the award may be evidence of bad faith. It does not by itself support a cause of action. We did not find a Florida statute or Supreme Court decision in our review that lists every ground for setting an award aside, so we do not give a complete list.
Points particular to Florida
Mediation first on residential claims. Under section 627.7015, the insurer must notify policyholders of the right to the Department of Financial Services mediation program when a policy issues or renews and when a covered first-party claim is filed. Mediation is available before appraisal or litigation. If the insurer fails to give the notice, or the insurer requested mediation and either side rejected the result, the policyholder is not required to submit to contractual appraisal as a precondition to a breach-of-contract suit. The program covers personal lines and commercial residential policies, not other commercial coverage.
Presuit notice can lead to appraisal. Under section 627.70152, notice of intent to initiate litigation, filed on the Department's form at least 10 business days before suit, is a condition of suing. If the claim is not a coverage denial, the insurer has 10 business days to make a settlement offer or require appraisal or another form of alternative dispute resolution. If that process is not concluded within 90 days after the 10-day notice period ends, the claimant may sue without further notice. The 95.11 limitation periods are tolled while the appraisal or ADR is ongoing.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation changed its personal lines forms for new and renewal policies effective December 1, 2025. The changes say appraisal may not proceed until disputed coverage is resolved, require Florida-licensed adjusters as appraisers, set qualifications for umpires, and add an alternative of requesting a hearing process before the Division of Administrative Hearings, with a rule that neither Citizens nor the insured can elect both that process and appraisal for the same dispute. If Citizens is your carrier, read the actual form and endorsements.
Claim notice deadlines still run. A new or reopened claim must be noticed within one year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months (section 627.70132). For hurricanes and other weather events, the date of loss is the landfall date or the date NOAA verifies the event. That section does not mention appraisal, so an appraisal does not change those periods.
Section 624.418 allows the Office of Insurance Regulation to suspend or revoke an insurer's certificate of authority for a general business practice of compelling insureds to participate in appraisal under a property policy. It is aimed at patterns, not a single claim.
Common losses in Florida
Each one links back to how we look at that kind of loss.
Questions
Does my Florida homeowners policy have an appraisal clause?
Almost certainly, but Florida does not write the clause into law that we could find. The wording is whatever your policy says, and several Florida statutes then govern how it is used. Look in your policy under Appraisal.
How long do we have to name an appraiser in Florida?
Your policy sets it. The State Farm Florida form quoted by the Florida Supreme Court in Parrish says 20 days after receiving the written demand. Check your own form.
Who chooses the umpire if the appraisers cannot agree?
Under the Parrish form, either side can ask a judge of a court of record in the state where the residence is located after the appraisers fail to agree for 15 days. On residential claims, section 627.70151 limits the reasons a proposed umpire can be disqualified to four conflict grounds.
Can the appraisers decide whether my loss is covered in Florida?
No. Under Johnson v. Nationwide, if the insurer wholly denies the loss, causation is a coverage question for the court. If the insurer admits some covered loss and the dispute is the amount, the appraisers decide the amount, including which damage came from covered causes.
Does demanding appraisal pause the deadline to sue in Florida?
Not by the policy's own terms. Florida allows five years from the date of loss to sue on a property policy. If the insurer requires appraisal in response to a presuit notice, section 627.70152 tolls the 95.11 periods while the appraisal is ongoing. Claim-notice deadlines under section 627.70132 are separate and keep running.
Can my public adjuster serve as my appraiser in Florida?
Where the policy requires a "disinterested" appraiser, no, if the adjuster or the adjuster's firm is paid a contingency fee on the claim. That is the holding in Parrish v. State Farm Florida Insurance Co. (Fla. 2023). Check whether your policy says disinterested, independent or impartial.
Before you decide anything
Has a claim in Florida stalled on the number?
Tell us what happened and where. We'll read the policy and tell you plainly whether appraisal fits.
When you write to us
- We read the policy, the estimates on both sides and the letters that came with them.
- We tell you plainly whether appraisal fits the disagreement, and if it doesn't, who can help.
- If it fits, we confirm next steps in writing before anything starts.
Reviewed against the sources listed, October 2026. General information, not legal advice.