JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the past two weeks, storms have torn the roof off a hangar at a nonprofit near the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, set a Waycross church on fire after a lightning strike, and dropped a tree onto a Jacksonville couple’s home just days after they closed on it for the first time.
Now, with the National Hurricane Center monitoring a system in the Gulf that carries a 30% chance of tropical development through Sunday, a local attorney says homeowners and renters across Northeast Florida need to act before the next storm arrives, not after.
Recommended Videos
“Most people do not think about their legal rights until after the damage is already done,” said Gene Nichols, an attorney with Nichols and Pina in Jacksonville.
Nichols says the first and most important step any homeowner can take right now has nothing to do with sandbags or shutters.
“The best thing that you can do as a homeowner from a legal standpoint is make sure, one, you’ve got your homeowner’s coverage and that it’s up to date,” Nichols said.
He says key things to look for in your policy include whether it covers the full replacement cost of your home, what your deductible is before coverage kicks in, and whether it covers additional living expenses if a storm forces you out of your home temporarily.
Nichols says one of the most common and costly mistakes he sees is homeowners waiting until after a storm to open that policy for the first time.
“You have to check your policy and make sure it covers what you want, or up your policy in case you need it,” he said. “Because while you may go an entire year and you didn’t even have a branch drop, it was worth every penny that you paid insurance in case this happens to be the year.”
Nichols says the next step is documentation. Before any storm moves in, walk your property and record a video of its current condition. And if a storm does hit, document the damage immediately after as well. That before and after footage, he says, becomes your evidence when you file an insurance claim.
What first-time homeowners need to know
That lesson is already hitting close to home for a Jacksonville couple. Olivia and Jon became first-time homeowners and had a tree destroy their house before they ever had the chance to move in. A GoFundMe campaign organized by a friend has raised nearly $2,000 toward their insurance deductible and repair costs.
Nichols says their situation raises a legal question many storm victims never think to ask.
“It’s going to be a question of whether or not there’s any liability on the prior homeowner, or whether it’s going to be an insurance issue,” he said. “The sad thing about it, of course, is they hadn’t even moved in yet.”
He says cases like theirs underscore why understanding your policy before signing closing documents is critical.
“Hopefully they’ve got an insurance company who is going to step up and do the right thing,” Nichols said.
And for anyone worried their coverage will fall short, he offered this.
“No insurance is going to cover all of your losses, but you do everything that you can to make sure you have a policy that is going to cover as much as you possibly can.”
For renters dealing with a broken air conditioner during this week’s dangerous heat, Nichols says your landlord’s legal deadline to respond may depend less on state law and more on what you signed.
“Unfortunately, most renters are in the position of fix it on your own,” he said. “Have documentation. Do not call your friend to come fix your AC. Call a company, call a reputable company, or call a licensed and insured company. And then if your landlord is unwilling to do something about it, number one, you have AC, and then number two, you end up calling a lawyer to go after the landlord.”
He says renters should not assume their landlord has a state mandated deadline to act.
“Any requirement for a landlord to respond appropriately is going to be based upon the lease agreement,” Nichols said.
His advice is to read that lease now, document every call and text with your landlord, and keep every receipt for any repairs you pay for out of pocket.
What’s forming in the Gulf
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a surface low in the northeastern Gulf that carries a 30% chance of tropical development through Sunday. If it develops, it would become the second named Atlantic tropical storm of the 2026 season. The next name on the list is Bertha.
Meteorologists at News4JAX say a dry pocket of air is limiting storm development across much of Northeast Florida today, but interior portions of Southeast Georgia and parts of North Central Florida could still see scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Heat index values are expected to peak between 100 and 107 degrees.
Residents are urged to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity during peak heat hours, and monitor updates on the Gulf system through the weekend.
How to help
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Olivia and Jon cover their insurance deductible and out-of-pocket repair costs.