Congressman Patronis Joins Senator Rick Scott to Provide an Update for Hurricane Isaias Recovery

October 13, 2026 Press Release DESTIN, FL – Today, Congressman Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) joined Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden, State Representatives Patt Maney, and other local officials to provide Northwest Floridians with an update on recovery efforts following Hurricane Isaias. Congressman Patronis said, “I want you to err on the side of caution. Your first call for any damage at your house needs to be to your insurance agent, your insurance carrier, the Florida Department of Financial Services, or even call our office. We will connect you or help connect you or help walk you through the process of getting in touch with your insurance carrier. Residents should remain vigilant against scams and verify contractors before agreeing to repairs. Never operate generators indoors or in enclosed spaces due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. EV owners should also follow manufacturer guidance for safely handling and charging vehicles that may have been exposed to floodwaters. Taking these precautions can help keep you and your family safe as our communities recover. Image To watch the press conference in full click here. Congressman Patronis: “Senator Scott has always said, which always stuck with me, is we can replace your stuff, but we can't replace you. And I've used that line over and over and over. And thank you for heeding the warnings for evacuation. This is why the outcome and loss of life was non-existent in Okaloosa County, but it also comes back from great leadership at the sheriff's office, emergency management, and the county commission, and all of our municipal leaders. I want to talk to you a little bit about now what's called the financial recovery. You're going to be approached because of this wind event that we dealt with. There's going to be down trees everywhere. The week before whatever this storm was called, Isaias, whatever, the week before we had all the rain, so the ground was soft. So you got all these trees that are down. That is definitely causing a challenge for our fiber companies, our power companies, our communication companies to do their job because the trees have to be removed. So now what you're being dealt with, you're getting very aggressive tactics by tree trimmers and tree remover operations that come door-to-door, and they're going to only want cash to do that transaction. I want you to err on the side of caution. Your first call for any damage at your house needs to be to your insurance agent, your insurance carrier, the Florida Department of Financial Services, or even call our office. We will connect you or help connect you or help walk you through the process of getting in touch with your insurance carrier. Your insurance carriers have been very good about doing pre-event emails. I got emails from my carrier saying, "Hey, a storm has hit. Can we help you file a claim?" So, look for those emails. They will hold your hand and walk you through the process. My carrier even has a smart app where you can take photos of the damage and upload it, where you're kind of your own adjuster. The good thing about it is if you took photos of your home prior to the storm to show what it looked like beforehand, and now you've got those photos after the storm showing the damage, that's just going to speed up the process because what the insurance company's trying to figure out is, what do I owe you? So, they're going to come out with their own adjuster, which is just a nice way of saying an investigator. They want to investigate the damage so they can figure out how much do I need to pay out to the Smith household. So, in saying that, now you're going to have the tree trimmers that are going to be predatory, but now you're going to have what are called public adjusters and attorneys and other type of contract management folks. They're not from here. They're not your neighbors. They are not your friends, okay? They're going to try to get in between you and your claim that you're going to get. In some cases, that's going to be the largest check you've ever had in your hands in your whole entire life. And those predators know that, and they will want you to sign a contract of management where they're going to get a piece of the action. Friends, please err on the side of caution and do not sign anything. I can't state that enough. There is not a single signature ever required to get a single dollar from your insurance company. Do not sign anything. As long as you're doing that, you allow your insurance company to assess the damage, get you your money, and you start the rebuilding process. These predators know that there's poor communications right now. They know that power is down. And you know what? They know you're vulnerable. And it's sad because they're going to come and they're going to be so courteous and nice. They're going to be carrying gas cans. They're going to have cases of water. They're going to try to get you to drop your guard. Do not take the bait. They're nice people, but they are not truly true to their word. They're just trying to make a living, and they're trying to do it off of your naivety and your own generosity because they feel like, you know, we all need help. But understand, as you'll see, what are called insurance villages that'll pop up in the region. I've talked to the CFO. They're going to bring insurance carriers together, and it'll be your opportunity to go sit face-to-face with your insurance company and work through those claims. The insurance companies, they want to close claims because when the claim is closed and they give you your money, they can go out and start focusing their resources on other open claims. If you've got any problems, again, insurance agent, insurance carrier, my office, or the Department of Financial Services, let us help you get through that. If you've got any problems with what you feel like is a predatory action, let us know. Or heck, call the sheriff. The sheriff don't want them here either. He will run them out of town. And again, it's going to be here for these first few weeks because they know that power is not established, communications aren't established, and they want to take advantage of you because you don't know where to turn. The last thing I'll leave with you is two things. Some of you are operating on generators. Please understand those generators can never operate inside of your house, okay? They have to be outside of your house. They cannot be in your garage. They can't be near an open window. But as you're running that generator for whatever comfort that you want, you need to get it away from your house and let it operate. There's some instructions that go along with it about cooling and shutting it down and how many hours they can operate. Please abide by those because we don't want to turn around and have a fire or an accident after the fact at your home. And then the last thing, if you're sitting with an e-bike or an EV or a golf cart that ended up getting caught up in the submerged water from flooding, understand that right there is an accident, a fire waiting to happen. Lithium-ion batteries and salt water don't mix. It looks totally fine, but as soon as you try to put a load on it or use it, you will short the battery. And a lithium-ion battery, even submerged underwater, does not extinguish. So, please don't have an accident after the storm, especially after we've done so well.” ###