Though Tampa Bay is far removed from Hurricane Matthew's current track, the storm already is affecting property owners here — particularly those buying and selling a home.
When a hurricane or tropical storm threatens any part of Florida, state-run Citizens Property Insurance suspends writing new policies or adding coverage to existing policies throughout the state. For Citizens — which has about 103,000 Tampa Bay area policies — that suspension went into effect at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Other Florida property insurers are typically less restrictive and only suspend writing policies in those areas directly under a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning.
In a statement, Citizens said it has made initial contacts to deploy all the independent adjusters needed to service claims following the storm as it coordinates response efforts with state and local authorities.