The Toomey Group Blog
Practical guidance for South Shore families and businesses — written by Chaz Toomey, right here in Ruskin. A new article publishes every day.
Most people never reread an insurance policy after they buy it. Fifteen minutes once a year catches gaps, closes them, and usually finds money.
Questions about anything you read here? I answer my own phone.
(813) 633-0006Florida gets more lightning than anywhere in the country, and the resulting surge claims are among the most common we see. Coverage depends on the cause, not the symptom.
The holidays bring crowded roads, porches full of packages, and houses full of guests. Each of those touches a different part of your insurance.
August puts thousands of buses, walkers, and brand-new teen drivers back on South Shore roads at exactly the same hour every morning. It is a good moment to look at your auto policy.
Hurricane season starts June 1, and carriers stop making changes once a storm enters the box. Everything you want to fix has to be fixed before then.
Moving to Florida changes almost every line of your insurance, not just the address. Here is the order I recommend tackling it in your first thirty days.
New construction usually earns the best homeowners rates in Florida, and buyers still leave money and protection on the table. Here is how to start the policy right.
Tampa Bay boating is one of the best parts of living here, and boat policies are full of details owners never read. Hurricane haul-out coverage is the one I check first.
Golf carts are everyday transportation in Sun City Center, and homeowners policies cover far less of that use than most residents assume.
South Shore has added thousands of homes in the last few years, and that growth changes risk in ways your policy has not caught up with. Here is what I am watching locally.
The truck you use for work is probably insured under a personal policy that excludes business use. That gap does not show up until the day you need it.
Florida's workers compensation requirements depend on your industry and headcount, and the construction rules catch a lot of small contractors off guard.
If someone told you to just get a million-dollar liability policy, that may not be the whole answer. Here is how general liability and a business owner's policy actually differ.
Most South Shore small businesses need four core coverages, and many are carrying only one of them. Here is the plain-English rundown I give new business clients.
Families almost always insure the paycheck and forget the person doing everything else. Replacing that work costs real money, and it starts the week after a loss.
That mortgage protection letter in your mailbox is a real product, but it is rarely the best value. A standard term policy usually does more for less.
Online calculators give you a number in thirty seconds and often miss half your obligations. Here is the worksheet I actually use at my desk with South Shore families.
Most young families need a lot of coverage for a limited number of years, which is exactly what term life is built for. The hard part is not choosing the product — it is choosing the amount.
Insurance pays what your car was worth, not what you still owe on it. When those two numbers diverge, gap coverage is what keeps you from making payments on a car you no longer have.
These two coverages get confused constantly, and in Florida the distinction matters more than most places. Hurricane and flood damage to your car falls under comprehensive, not collision.
Adding a sixteen-year-old to a Florida auto policy is one of the biggest premium jumps a family will ever see. There are real ways to soften it if you plan a few months ahead.
Roughly one in five Florida drivers carries no insurance at all, and almost none carry bodily injury liability. Uninsured motorist coverage is what protects you from both.
Personal Injury Protection is required in Florida and misunderstood by almost everyone who carries it. The 14-day rule alone catches people off guard every week.
There are real ways to lower a Florida auto premium and there are ways that just move risk onto your own shoulders. These are the nine I use most with South Shore clients.
In Florida, your roof's age matters more to an underwriter than your credit, your claims history, or your square footage. Knowing the milestones helps you plan instead of react.
Two policies can look identical on price and be wildly different when you file a claim. The difference usually comes down to whether your coverage is replacement cost or actual cash value.
Almost every Florida homeowners policy has two different deductibles, and most people only know about one of them. Understanding the difference is the fastest way to avoid a painful surprise after a storm.
Your homeowners policy does not cover flood, no matter how good it is. In low-lying South Shore neighborhoods, that gap is the one I lose the most sleep over.
A wind mitigation inspection usually costs less than a nice dinner out and can knock hundreds off your premium every year. Most South Shore homeowners either have never had one or are sitting on an expired report.
Every June I walk clients through the same short checklist so storm season never catches them off guard. Here is exactly what I tell people in Ruskin and across South Shore to do before a named storm shows up on the cone.