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Property insurance fraud a growing problem in Florida

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Property insurance fraud a growing problem in Florida


BOCA RATON, Fla. — WPTV has brought you a series of stories about the rising costs of property insurance that many Florida residents are calling a crisis.

This has come with several arrests across the Sunshine State related to property insurance fraud — a crime that continues to grow.

At a bond hearing on Oct. 31, Naser Hasan Al-Sweity, the owner of Florida P&C Insurance in Boca Raton, was arraigned on 23 embezzlement and fraud charges.

The charges ranged from misappropriation of insurance funds to fraudulent use of personal identification and organized scheme to defraud.

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Similar charges were also brought against four Miami men who were accused of carrying out an insurance fraud scheme in September. Investigators said they attempted to defraud an elderly homeowner of $57,000 in insurance claims.

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Naser Hasan Al Sweity appeared in a Palm Beach County courtroom on Oct. 31, 2023, to face embezzlement and fraud charges.

Also, a group of four people were arrested in Tampa in December in a roofing fraud scheme.

There was also one arrest in Lee County in December in a $214,000 fraud scheme.

“How big of a problem would you say this is in Florida?” WPTV reporter Jessica Bruno asked Stacey Giulianti, the co-founder of Florida Peninsula Insurance Company in Boca Raton

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“Insurance fraud nationwide is a $300 billion a year annual problem,” Giulianti said. “That’s a huge amount of money and in Florida, it’s between $40-$50 billion.”

Stacey Giulianti (left) explains to WPTV investigative reporter Jessica Bruno what residents can do to avoid becoming victims of insurance fraud.

WPTV

Stacey Giulianti (left) explains to WPTV investigative reporter Jessica Bruno what residents can do to avoid becoming victims of insurance fraud.

Giulianti said a lot of these bad actors tend to take advantage of communities that have been affected by a natural disaster, like a hurricane.

“One of the biggest ways are out of state, unlicensed contractors and repair personnel coming in, especially after a storm, and they take money upfront to do a job, and they don’t actually do the job,” Giulianti said. “They take the money, they disappear and they’re gone.”

As we start a new year, Giulianti offered some important reminders for homeowners.

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“First of all, many insurance companies offer preferred contractors or preferred vendors and those people have been background checked, they’ve been checked out,” Giulianti said. “So if your insurance company offers something like that, utilize that service, it’s a great way to go.”

Residents can also look up the company’s licenses by going to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website.

“Type in a name or company name and you’ll find out if they’re licensed in the state of Florida and if it’s an active license,” Giulianti said. “It’s gonna take everybody, customers, the state of Florida and the insurance companies working together to stop this type of fraud.”

The legislative session begins this week and several bills related to property insurance will be up for debate.

WPTV will be live at the state Capitol this week speaking with local lawmakers about the insurance crisis.

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Florida

Destination Known for Former Florida Gators Guard

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Destination Known for Former Florida Gators Guard


Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported Thursday that former Florida Gators guard Zyon Pullin signed a two-way player deal with the Miami Heat after going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

It’s no surprise that Pullin stayed in Florida to sign with the Heat. Miami hosted the guard in early June. Furthermore, his college production more than shows that he can hang with almost anyone in this year’s draft. 

With the Gators, Pullin averaged 15.5 points per game, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He also set Florida’s single-season record with a 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, which was the best ratio by an SEC player since 2000.

Moreover, he reached double figures in 23 straight games to start his career, which set a new program record.

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As a result of his terrific performances in his only season with the Gators, Pullin was named to first-team All-SEC. 

This might not be how Pullin hoped to make an NBA roster, but the most important thing is that he has a chance in the league with the Heat. 

Pullin will get the chance to learn from one of the best coaches the NBA has ever seen in Erik Spoelstra. Moreover, the Heat have a great culture and are known to give chances to anyone regardless of their draft position.  

Miami currently has multiple players who were undrafted but earned significant minutes during the regular season the past couple of years. Jamal Cain, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin are the most notable examples. 

Robinson and Martin have earned second NBA contracts too, which is no small feat for an undrafted player. 

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The Heat are as good of a landing spot as any for Pullin. Now, the ex-Florida guard must prove he belongs.

As a two-way player, Pullin can play with both the Heat and for the organization’s G-League affiliate. However, he will not able to play all 82 games at the NBA level.

The league rules state that “players under NBA two-Way contracts may be active for up to 50 games with their NBA team.”



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Time frame to report construction defects in Florida to shift from 10 to 7 years starting July 1

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Time frame to report construction defects in Florida to shift from 10 to 7 years starting July 1


FLORIDA – Florida construction law is changing, cutting the amount of time homeowners have to file construction defect claims by 30%.

Beginning Monday, July 1, the time frame to report construction defects in the state of Florida will shift from 10 years to seven years.

The change in the law affects anyone who owns a home that was recently built, but it especially impacts homeowners in that 7-to-10-year time frame.

The News4JAX I-TEAM receives complaints regularly about construction defects in newer-built homes. Most recently, we heard from a Middleburg homeowner dealing with mold, humidity, and improper ventilation issues.

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“It’s a brand-new house. It’s unacceptable,” homeowner Erin LePage said last year. “If we could have been here for our walkthrough, it would have been different.”

RELATED | ‘It’s unacceptable’: Middleburg homeowner says new build troubled with mold, humidity, ventilation issues

Brian Crevasse, a board-certified construction attorney, said this change will impact hundreds of thousands of people in Florida — if not more.

Senate Bill 360 was signed into law last summer changing the time limit from 10 years to seven years.

Crevasse said this is a real concern because he deals with clients who are often past the seven-year threshold when reporting construction defects.

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“Oftentimes, these defects are actually concealed. And you wouldn’t be able to necessarily see that you have water intrusion, just by taking a walk around the building and looking at it, you would have to actually remove some of the exterior facade to look for the types of issues that we typically see,” Crevasse said.

The new law also changes when the countdown starts for filing claims. Previously, the time frame started when you got possession of your home or when construction was finished.

MORE | Worried about construction fraud? Here are some ways you can protect yourself

“If you are a homeowner or association that was built, you know, seven to 10 years ago, you know, you’re going to want to run out and get counsel as soon as possible to see if there’s a way to file by Monday. And then, for everybody else that may have homes that are four or five, six years old, you know, you’re just going to want to be extremely diligent about pursuing any potential issues that you might see with your home going forward so that you don’t run out of time at that seven years,” Crevasse said.

The new law starts the countdown from the earliest of the following events:

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  • When the building gets a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy

  • At the completion of the building

  • At the abandonment of construction, even without completion

Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.



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BBB warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida

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BBB warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida


HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla — The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about unlicensed workers in Florida. Operating without a license is illegal in the state, and the BBB wants homeowners to know what to look out for.

“This is very important as we’re heading into hurricane season,” said Bryan Oglesby of the BBB.

He explained that this is an issue that follows a big storm or hurricane. Each year, the BBB hears from consumers whose homes were damaged by a storm.

“They receive that knock on the door. They had damage to the home, the person was there to help. They paid money up front and the person never came back to finish the job and that is what we want to warn consumers of,” Oglesby said.

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He explained that those workers flock to Florida after a big storm. Some come for the business opportunity to make money fixing up homes. In other cases, some unlicensed workers will take the money and not come back to do the work.

“These are usually storm chasers, out of town companies that come in knocking on doors offering to do work,” Oglesby said.

He said hiring any unlicensed worker is a risk for the homeowner. In Florida, operating without the proper license is illegal. During a state of emergency, the crime is bumped up from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

Oglesby wants consumers to be proactive and get a list of trusted and licensed professionals together so you have it on hand.

“As opposed to reactive to the unlicensed guy that knocks on your door, the scammer that’s trying to take advantage of you when you’re in an emotional state,” Oglesby said.

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The BBB has an online toolto help find licensed professionals in your area.

Florida man’s journey to citizenship stalled by deportation
Yanara Perez-Sanchez spoke with ABC Action News about her family’s struggles since her husband Felix was ordered to a 5 year mandatory stay in Honduras because of a missed immigration appointment in 2004.

Florida man’s journey to citizenship stalled by deportation





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