To the Editor:
I am a snowbird in The Villages.
Last year there was activity in our area with roofers replacing roofs. A young man was walking around and he said there had been wind damage in our area and wondered if I would like a no obligation evaluation. I agreed and he climbed on the roof. He said he found several loose shingles and it should probably be replaced. I called my insurance company and they sent out an adjuster. A young girl from that company climbed on the roof and said that there were no issues, it looked great, and they would not replace it. That was fine with me as I could also see no damage. A few months later I got a letter from that insurance company based in Tampa stating due to the condition of the roof they would not renew the policy due to expire in May 2022.
When I got to Florida this year I contacted several insurers. I was told they would not write a new policy if the roof was older that 10 years old. I was in an extreme bind and what was worse roofing companies had a long lead time. I chose a roofer from Ocala that seemed honest and had been in business for some time. I was given quotes from several and this was a quote I could live with. I was given a quote with another that was $8,000.00 higher. I could afford $19,000 but I am sure others in The Villages will be hard pressed to pay for some of the larger homes. I have written Governor DeSantis of this situation, but have heard back. I am afraid there could be a lot of fraud if Villagers do not check with several roofers. Several insurers ask me to call back when i had the new roof.
Monty A. Ganshorn
Bridgeport at Lake Miona
