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The 2025 Florida Statutes
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F.S. 627.7073627.7073 Sinkhole reports.—(1) Upon completion of testing as provided in s. 627.7072, the professional engineer or professional geologist shall issue a report and certification to the insurer and the policyholder as provided in this section.(a) Sinkhole loss is verified if, based upon tests performed in accordance with s. 627.7072, a professional engineer or a professional geologist issues a written report and certification stating:1. That structural damage to the covered building has been identified within a reasonable professional probability. 2. That the cause of the structural damage is sinkhole activity within a reasonable professional probability. 3. That the analyses conducted were of sufficient scope to identify sinkhole activity as the cause of damage within a reasonable professional probability. 4. A description of the tests performed. 5. A recommendation by the professional engineer of methods for stabilizing the land and building and for making repairs to the foundation. (b) If there is no structural damage or if sinkhole activity is eliminated as the cause of such damage to the covered building, the professional engineer or professional geologist shall issue a written report and certification to the policyholder and the insurer stating:1. That there is no structural damage or the cause of such damage is not sinkhole activity within a reasonable professional probability. 2. That the analyses and tests conducted were of sufficient scope to eliminate sinkhole activity as the cause of the structural damage within a reasonable professional probability. 3. A statement of the cause of the structural damage within a reasonable professional probability. 4. A description of the tests performed. (c) The respective findings, opinions, and recommendations of the insurer’s professional engineer or professional geologist as to the cause of distress to the property and the findings, opinions, and recommendations of the insurer’s professional engineer as to land and building stabilization and foundation repair set forth by s. 627.7072 shall be presumed correct. (2) An insurer that has paid a claim for a sinkhole loss shall file a copy of the report and certification, prepared pursuant to subsection (1), including the legal description of the real property and the name of the property owner, the neutral evaluator’s report, if any, which indicates that sinkhole activity caused the damage claimed, a copy of the certification indicating that stabilization has been completed, if applicable, and the amount of the payment, with the county clerk of court, who shall record the report and certification. The insurer shall bear the cost of filing and recording one or more reports and certifications. There shall be no cause of action or liability against an insurer for compliance with this section.(a) The recording of the report and certification does not:1. Constitute a lien, encumbrance, or restriction on the title to the real property or constitute a defect in the title to the real property; 2. Create any cause of action or liability against any grantor of the real property for breach of any warranty of good title or warranty against encumbrances; or 3. Create any cause of action or liability against any title insurer that insures the title to the real property. (b) As a precondition to accepting payment for a sinkhole loss, the policyholder must file a copy of any sinkhole report regarding the insured property which was prepared on behalf or at the request of the policyholder. The policyholder shall bear the cost of filing and recording the sinkhole report. The recording of the report does not:1. Constitute a lien, encumbrance, or restriction on the title to the real property or constitute a defect in the title to the real property; 2. Create any cause of action or liability against any grantor of the real property for breach of any warranty of good title or warranty against encumbrances; or 3. Create any cause of action or liability against a title insurer that insures the title to the real property. (c) The seller of real property upon which a sinkhole claim has been made by the seller and paid by the insurer must disclose to the buyer of such property, before the closing, that a claim has been paid and whether or not the full amount of the proceeds was used to repair the sinkhole damage. (3) Upon completion of any building stabilization or foundation repairs for a verified sinkhole loss, the professional engineer responsible for monitoring the repairs shall issue a report to the property owner which specifies what repairs have been performed and certifies within a reasonable degree of professional probability that such repairs have been properly performed. The professional engineer issuing the report shall file a copy of the report and certification, which includes a legal description of the real property and the name of the property owner, with the county clerk of the court, who shall record the report and certification. This subsection does not create liability for an insurer based on any representation or certification by a professional engineer related to the stabilization or foundation repairs for the verified sinkhole loss. History.—s. 21, ch. 2005-111; s. 28, ch. 2006-12; s. 26, ch. 2011-39.
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Annotations, Discussions, Cases:
Cases Citing Statute 627.7073
Total Results: 13
82 So. 3d 47, 37 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 50, 2012 WL 224104, 2012 Fla. LEXIS 195
Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Jan 26, 2012 | Docket: 60306224
Cited 15 times | Published
the cause of the loss and issue a report. Section 627.7073 governs those sinkhole reports, and subsection
200 So. 3d 1207, 41 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 415, 2016 Fla. LEXIS 2148, 2016 WL 5477795
Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Sep 29, 2016 | Docket: 4448478
Cited 6 times | Published
methods, damages, and recommendations for repair.
§ 627.7073(1), Fla. Stat. During this initial claims process
166 So. 3d 202, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 8768, 2015 WL 3609892
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 10, 2015 | Docket: 2663355
Cited 3 times | Published
of the sinkhole activity in accordance with section 627.7073 constituted fraud and that as a result of
164 So. 3d 690, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 4390, 2015 WL 1380211
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 27, 2015 | Docket: 60248023
Cited 3 times | Published
the extent that Tower Hill is arguing that section 627.7073(l)(c) creates a presumption which justifies
158 So. 3d 671, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 20820, 2014 WL 7331095
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 24, 2014 | Docket: 2618727
Cited 2 times | Published
§ 627.707(2), (4), Fla. Stat. (2010). And section 627.7073(l)(c) does provide that this report “shall
36 So. 3d 136, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 6572, 2010 WL 1874367
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 12, 2010 | Docket: 1639037
Cited 2 times | Published
court erred in its jury instruction regarding section 627.7073.
The standard of review applicable to a trial
95 So. 3d 891, 2012 WL 1448576, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 6612
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Apr 27, 2012 | Docket: 60311331
Cited 1 times | Published
obtained the sinkhole report described in section 627.7073. It relied on that report to inform Ms. Colella
194 So. 3d 1064, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 9693, 2016 WL 3450426
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 24, 2016 | Docket: 3082299
Published
repair • the property. § 627.7073(l)(a). The report is presumed correct. § 627.7073(l)(c). If the professional
190 So. 3d 1092, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 2840, 2016 WL 746344
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 26, 2016 | Docket: 3039683
Published
issues a “sinkhole report” as described in section 627.7073. It is unlikely that this statute was written
198 So. 3d 45, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 16136, 2015 WL 6575711
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 30, 2015 | Docket: 3008646
Published
under the law applicable in 2010.
See
§ 627.7073(l)(c),: Fla. Stat. (2010). It also argues that
207 So. 3d 245, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 13737
District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 5, 2014 | Docket: 63631302
Published
be in compliance with the requirements of section 627.7073, Florida Statutes, and shall be issued to
981 F. Supp. 2d 1219, 2013 WL 5913515, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 156365
District Court, M.D. Florida | Filed: Oct 31, 2013 | Docket: 65995362
Published
the property and test for a sinkhole. Under Section 627.7073, Florida Statutes (2010), sinkhole loss is
Florida Attorney General Reports | Filed: Dec 10, 2008 | Docket: 3255923
Published
the clerk of court for recording pursuant to section 627.7073, Florida Statutes, be acknowledged and notarized
