Are South Florida Condos Unknowingly Slashing Coverage For Lower Insurance Premiums?

In this episode of The Peter Zalewski Show™, litigator Gina Clausen Lozier of the Clausen Choquette law firm discusses changes to condo association coverage since the Surfside tragedy.The weekly podcast The Peter Zalewski Show™ features interviews with South Florida business leaders focused on real estate, finance and the economy.The program - hosted by Peter Zalewski of the Miami Condo Investing Club™ - is broadcast live every Wednesday at 4 pm (Miami time) at MiamiCondo.Club and on Peter Zalewski’s social media accounts to watch the free live broadcasts.The objective of the show is to deliver straight talk, share institutional knowledge and provide data-driven analysis on the macro and micro economic forces shaping the tricounty South Florida region of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.Episode OverviewIn the April 9, 2026, episode of The Peter Zalewski Show™ podcast, host Peter Zalewski interviews litigator Gina Clausen Lozier of the Clausen Choquette law firm in Palm Beach County about how South Florida condo associations risk not being paid what they are owed when filing an insurance claim, and why it is becoming increasingly difficult for boards to fight back.The conversation explores how insurance costs are eating up a significant portion of what condo owners pay every month in maintenance fees, even as the actual coverage provided by those policies has in many cases gotten worse, not better.During the 64-minute episode, Clausen Lozier walks listeners through why the bills that arrive after a hurricane can be far larger than most condo boards ever expected, how Vintage buildings that are at least 30 years old could end up being paid less than expected to cover repair costs and why the same building inspections that were mandated to protect unit owners after the Surfside condo collapse in June 2021 could now be turned against condo associations when trying to collect on a claim.Clausen Lozier spent nearly a decade working for insurance companies before changing sides, and she brings that background and experience to every case she takes on today.After the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, she defended insurance companies against the volume of claims that followed and learned how the industry determines which claims to pay, which ones to drag out and which ones to settle for as little as possible.She now puts that knowledge to work for South Florida condo associations, most of which are run by volunteers who probably never expected their unpaid board positions to effectively turn into full-time jobs.The episode also takes a deep dive into the financial squeeze hitting condo associations right now due to rising maintenance fees, hefty special assessments and pricey insurance premiums resulting from post-Surfside legislation.Zalewski has previously described this growing financial pressure on cash-strapped unit owners as the Florida Condo Association Financial Cliff.For the first time, Florida condo associations are now required as of 2026 to start setting aside money for future repairs, and many buildings are scrambling to raise the funds through special assessments or by obtaining loans to pay for the necessary restoration work.Private lenders are increasingly offering to fill that financial gap for associations, but at interest rates of a reported 9% to 12%, further adding to the expenses of condo living in South Florida.Clausen Lozier pointed out that the condo associations unknowingly shopping for the inspection reports with the lowest estimates for necessary repairs could be creating legal complications in the future.The bottom line from this episode is that a lot of condo owners in South Florida are paying for insurance coverage that may not perform the way they expect when the time comes to actually use it.