The following letter was published in the Tampa Bay Times on July 21, 2019:

The news story and the subsequent editorial regarding insurance companies’ handling of Hurricane Michael and other catastrophic storms contained several one-sided assertions. That’s not surprising when both pieces failed to include comment from even one insurance company, association or advocacy group. I am writing on behalf of the Florida Property & Casualty Association, which represents several Florida-based home insurance companies. We were not contacted by your reporter or editorial writer.

The statistics show that Florida’s insurance industry rose to the occasion in back-to-back years of hurricanes, adjusting and paying the vast majority of claims. Of course, there will always be difficulties, such as sorting out flood and wind issues and dealing with tactics from aggressive public adjusters and attorneys, but insurers have been with the people of Florida through it all, through every storm. And every step of the way, we’ve done our best to help Floridians pick up their lives, rebuild their homes, and start over again in our great state. That’s something we’re proud of. It’s something we’ve worked for every day.

William Stander, Tallahassee

The writer is the executive director of the Florida Property & Casualty Association (FPCA).