The short version
Outside a declared emergency, a Florida public adjuster's compensation is generally capped at 20% of the additional amount obtained for the insured. For claims arising from an event that is the subject of a declared state of emergency, the cap is 10% of the additional payments for the first year after the declaration. Solicitation in person or by phone is barred before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m., and the contract must carry a statutory right to cancel.
The two fee caps
| Situation | Maximum compensation |
|---|---|
| Ordinary claim, no declared emergency | 20% of the additional amount recovered |
| Claim from an event under a declared state of emergency, first year after the declaration | 10% of the additional payments |
Read the base carefully, because it is the part people misremember: the cap applies to the additional amount obtained for the insured, not to the whole settlement. The statute is measuring what the public adjuster added.
The emergency cap is not merely lower — it is deliberately lower, and time-limited. Florida halves it for exactly the period when homeowners are most exposed to pressure and least able to compare offers.
Solicitation: the 8-to-8 window
Florida law bars a public adjuster from unsolicited in-person or telephone solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. During a declared emergency, further statutory limits apply to the timing and manner of solicitation, on top of the 10% fee cap.
The rule exists for an obvious reason: a knock on the door the evening after a hurricane is not a negotiation between equals. Restricting when and how contact may happen is the cheapest consumer protection available.
What the contract must contain
The cancellation right is the one to know. A homeowner who signs with a public adjuster days after a hurricane — the classic high-pressure moment — has a cooling-off period in which the signature can simply be undone. The exact length is set by statute; confirm the current period with the DFS rather than relying on a number quoted online.
How this fits the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights
Section 627.7142, the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights, applies to personal lines residential property insurance and summarises the rights and timelines a policyholder already has, so they can follow the claims process. It does not create new causes of action or change the policy — it makes the existing rules legible.
That is the same instinct behind the public adjuster rules: the fee caps, the solicitation window and the cancellation right all assume a homeowner who has just had a loss and is not in a strong position to negotiate.
Statutory caps, periods and solicitation rules change and are applied to specific facts. This page explains them in general terms for 6-20 exam study; it is not legal advice and not a contract template. Verify current requirements with the Florida DFS.
Where it is examined
Public adjuster compensation and conduct fall in Florida Insurance Law (Chapter 626) & Valued Policy Law — at 14%, the largest content area on the Florida 6-20 All-Lines Adjuster Examination — and in Adjuster Ethics, Licensing & Professional Conduct. The percentages and the 8-to-8 window are exactly the kind of hard numbers the exam tests directly, with the wrong answers built from plausible near-misses.
For the adjuster types themselves, see what a public adjuster is.
Three numbers, and the exam will ask for all of them
FLAdjusterPrep drills all 10 content areas with 300 exam-style questions and a plain-English explanation on every answer — including the Chapter 626 caps, deadlines and conduct rules.