Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-BIZ-John Jacobsen-Insurance Is Great… Until You File A Claim

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 49

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Ever wondered why your premium climbs while your claim stalls? We talk with public adjuster and attorney John Jacobsen, a former insurance insider who now fights for homeowners across Southwest Florida, to reveal how property claims really get decided—and how you can tip the scales in your favor. John breaks down the insuring agreement at the core of every policy, the role of documentation and line‑item estimates, and why the appraisal process can transform lowball offers into realistic payouts that actually rebuild homes.

John’s story starts in Minnesota and winds through years defending carriers in bodily injury, malpractice, and property claims. That vantage point—the carrier’s mindset, playbooks, and pressure points—now powers his advocacy for policyholders. He shares a striking case where an initial $13,000 offer rose to $186,000 after a thorough assessment and persistent negotiation. We dig into how recent Florida reforms changed attorney fee recovery, why that matters for families with limited resources, and where public adjusters fit as a cost‑effective alternative to litigation when coverage and scope are in dispute.

Beyond the paperwork, we zoom out to the reality of living on the Gulf Coast: hurricanes, soaring premiums, and the haunting phrase “insurance poor.” John speaks candidly about the trend of owners who self‑insure, the scrutiny on carrier estimating practices, and the importance of asking hard questions before and after a loss. You’ll leave with practical steps: read your policy’s insuring agreement, request full estimate details, understand depreciation and code upgrades, and know your rights to bring your own adjuster to the table. 

If you’re navigating a claim or preparing for storm season, this conversation will help you secure fair value for your coverage and your home. Subscribe, share this episode with a neighbor who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest insurance question—we’ll tackle it on a future show.

Final Analysis
John Jacobsen
1-800-953-4670
john@finalanalysis.net
johnajacobsen.net

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Intro/Close:

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"Cabo" Jim:

Welcome, good neighbors. Today we have good neighbor John Jacobsen from uh I guess a public adjuster from Final Analysis, correct?

John Jacobsen:

That is correct, yes.

"Cabo" Jim:

Very good. Well, pleasure to have you on the show today, and uh pleasure to share your story with our listeners. So without further ado, let's let's jump right in and why don't you share a little bit about what you do?

John Jacobsen:

Yes, thanks. Uh I am, uh, as you uh correctly pointed out, a public adjuster uh as well as an attorney, although I'm primarily a public adjuster. And for those who don't know um exactly what that is, uh you can think of it this way: when you make a homeowner's claim, um, or if you're a business and you make a uh claim on your business for property damage, and uh your insurance company sends somebody out to uh write an estimate and assess the loss, uh they're sending an adjuster out there. Uh you as a policy holder uh have a right to uh have an adjuster there on your behalf, someone representing you in the claim. The motto of my company, final analysis is your insurance company has an adjuster, so should you. Uh and I'm here to make sure the insurance company lives up to what they promise in their policy. They have in their policy something called an insuring agreement, where they say what they will do in the event you have a claim that's covered on the policy, I make sure they do exactly what they say they're going to do.

"Cabo" Jim:

Very nice, very nice. And that's that's the important part of the process. So, how did you start setting up shop here in Southwest Florida?

John Jacobsen:

About uh seven years ago to be exact, uh, you may hear in my voice a slight accent. I'm originally from and started my career in Minnesota, uh, where I went to both college and law school and then found my way into working for insurance companies uh right after I got finished in law school, uh, where I did everything from uh bodily injury claims in auto accidents all the way up to I eventually did medical malpractice defense uh and then uh eventually found my way into property claims. Uh and uh that uh eventually led me down to Florida uh and to uh public adjusting. Like I said, I worked for insurance companies before. So I got a pretty good feel after about 20 years total working for insurance companies, how they think uh what their claim review process is, and uh how they, I'll just say it, try to get out of paying as much as much as they can or limiting paying as much as they can. Uh and uh I eventually found my way into uh public adjusting when I learned for the first time uh way back in 2009 when I was working for a Kemper insurance company that there was this field called public adjusting. Uh and uh I had never heard of that before. Uh I assumed policyholders just had to start a lawsuit if they weren't happy with what was going on in their case. So I uh inquired and I got my own public adjusting license. Uh I came down here to Florida in 2017 uh and started doing uh claims on behalf of uh settling Irma claims, hurricane IRMA claims, uh, on behalf of citizens and then eventually about six other insurance carriers. Then policyholders began hiring me to represent them in what's called the appraisal process, uh, where if you don't agree with what the insurance company is paying, you can contest it in appraisal, and I could represent them, and the insurance company has to have somebody who represents them, and we come do a um a neutral assessment of the property that invariably, in most cases, the policy holder almost always wins. Uh, and then I um found my way to Southwest Florida when initially I lived in the Greater Fort Lauderdale uh area, namely in Hallendale Beach. And one day when it took me a half an hour to go the six blocks just to get to I-95, I thought this is ridiculous. I had a claim in Naples around that time. I really liked it out there. I really liked the vibe of uh Naples all the way up to Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach. And I decided uh, you know what, I'm gonna live here, and when I've got cases in Miami, I'll just go and spend the day there where I don't have to deal with I-95 all the time.

"Cabo" Jim:

I I appreciate that. I was I was born and raised in Midwest, so Chicago traffic is not fun. Miami's not any fun either, for sure.

John Jacobsen:

So if I could interrupt, where where in Chicago? Because I was born and raised in the south side of Chicago.

"Cabo" Jim:

So I was in the uh I was born in Wisconsin, but grew up in the northwest suburbs. So I like tonight, Schomburg, uh, went to high school on Wakanda, which is out by Barrington. Yep.

John Jacobsen:

Oh, I I know Wakanda. They had a beach there, uh a lake there that had one of the better inland beaches I've ever seen in Illinois. But usually we had to go out to Michigan to the Warren Dunes if we wanted a real beach.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely, but now we have beaches all around us down here, right?

John Jacobsen:

We've got incredible beaches in Fort Myers Beach all the way down to Marco Island. So uh yeah, we I think we got the best beaches in the country down here.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely. So speaking of beaches, running a business down here in Southwest Florida by the beach sounds like a dream job, but we've all had storms, whether personally, professionally, that we've had to work our way through. Is there something that helped define who you are and maybe your proudest moment in getting through that?

John Jacobsen:

I've had a number of those where uh people have hired me to negotiate. Uh I had a time when I uh negotiated uh on behalf of borrowers who were facing foreclosure and um got in touch with their lenders and I had a hand in saving hundreds of people's homes in the upper Midwest where I used to live. Uh and down here, that same thing, whether I work for insurance companies or whether I uh worked for uh policyholders and claims, you know, I feel like when I'm working uh against insurance companies or banks, I'm on a mission. You might even call it a spiritual mission, because I feel like I'm dealing with uh institutional evil at its worst. And uh it's my job to take down those strongholds. But when the clients tell me thank you, uh, and when I see that I got them the money they otherwise would not have gotten when uh, you know, just as recently as a couple uh last month, I had a case that uh I had taken on where the insurance company only offered them $13,000. Uh but after my involvement, I got it to go up to $186,000. Uh that was uh you know 10 times more than the otherwise would have gotten. Uh and I've had plenty of instances like that. That's rewarding, not just because it's a notch in my gun, if you will, but it's because I see that I did something that the policy holder could not have done themselves uh because I knew how to battle them and uh I knew how to battle the insurance companies and like I said, take down those strongholds.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely. You know, and that's great. And then speaking along those lines, um, I do you see certain things changing or maybe trending in the industry?

John Jacobsen:

I do. Uh I unfortunately have recently observed that uh the insurance companies are trying to take away as much power as they can from the policy holders, requiring them uh to seek more help. I mean, just three years ago, uh Florida statutes changed and um uh they no longer allowed attorney's fees associated with every hurricane claim. So now uh if they hire an attorney, it's out of their own pocket. It's not the insurance company paying for it, and it's making it harder for people of less means uh to be able to uh take on and fight the insurance company. Uh so there have been some uh downward trends. Insurance companies, however, you might call it upward trend, are being held more accountable as we've seen more and more instances of insurer or carrier fraud uh that have been happening when they have done things all the way up to and including fixing estimates that they hire independent adjusters to do to make it look like they estimated a lot less than they actually did. Uh in an episode of 60 Minutes dealt with that about two years ago. Uh and um we're seeing more accountability of the carriers, although they're responding in ways, and sadly, much of this is legislative, where they're making it more challenging for the policy holders, like I said, especially those with less means at their disposal.

"Cabo" Jim:

Yeah, and insurance is definitely a big issue down here in Florida, whether it's uh insurance, flood insurance, hurricane insurance, it's uh it's become a major factor uh in owning homes down here. Um, and and for for the You know something? You're right.

John Jacobsen:

And it was in Florida where I learned a phrase for the first time. That phrase is being insurance poor. Where you're spending so much on insurance every month. Uh you know, I know what I have to spend on insurance every month between uh my home, uh my cars, my motorhome. Uh it's quite expensive, uh, you know, over $2,000 a month. And, you know, if I'm not getting value for that when I have a claim, you know, I've half jokingly said that uh insurance is a great product until you have a claim. Well, what the what is the purpose of having insurance? It's to be there when you have a claim.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely. I know a lot of people that, you know, sometimes forego the insurance and take the risk on themselves, and they end up better in the long run because they are able to recoup or get back to where they were a lot quicker than the people that have to file the claims and go through the whole process.

John Jacobsen:

And you've identified a major trend right now. Uh, there's more and more people, especially when they own their homes outright. That's quite common down here just because of all the wealth that's moving down to Southwest Florida. Uh, you have more and more people who can afford to buy their homes outright, and then they just don't carry insurance. They take on the risk. Uh and you know, on the one hand, I want to say, well, you really should be insured, but then when I see the shenanigans that the carriers are pulling, I can't quite blame them.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely. So living down the end of South Florida, you know, we're we're down here for a reason. Uh, running your own business could be very demanding of your time. When you get a moment of free time, is there something you enjoy doing?

John Jacobsen:

Yes. Uh I mentioned uh about two minutes ago that I have a motorhome, uh 2011 uh Winnebago sightseer. Uh, and I love going out and exploring different areas, although it takes five hours to get out of Florida. There's plenty to see uh here in Florida. Uh and uh last Christmas few days after Christmas, between Christmas and New Year, uh went down to a campground in the Keys and really enjoyed that for a few days. And as much as I can get out in the uh motorhome, uh, I I like to go out for a week or two at a time and just work from the road. There's something about moving and being on the move that I think defines who we are as Americans. Uh, because you know, we had westward expansion in this country in the 1800s as the United States expanded. And I think Americans are made to move, and there's something in us that wants to move. So I love doing so in my motor boat.

"Cabo" Jim:

There we go. And other people are just moving to Southwest Florida right now.

John Jacobsen:

Uh, yeah, that's another thing. I think one of the issues we have uh to bring it back into more um serious territory here is that Florida is just being overdeveloped. Uh we've got more and more people moving down here because they're fleeing the things that are going on in the states they're leaving. And uh because of that, we've gotten more and more development. You know, the Everglades used to be about uh I think I think I once heard uh 500% bigger than they are now, uh, just because of all the development that's happened, especially since the end of what World War II. Um and you know, we've got very little of the uh the Everglades actually left. Uh, because you know, I believe if it weren't for the Everglades, we would have the biggest population in the country. But right now, Florida's only number three behind California and Texas.

"Cabo" Jim:

Absolutely. Yes, yes. We a lot of people coming here, a lot of a lot of land to build, but not quite as much as you know, we would need to surpass those people. So is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about what you do that maybe they wouldn't be too familiar with?

John Jacobsen:

Yes. Uh they should know that if they have uh damage from a loss on their uh homeowner's policy, uh, and the insurance company, if they suspect they're not getting what they should be from their insurance company, there's someone out there who can look at their policy and tell them what's available to them that they may not be aware of, or uh look at the loss and tell them, hey, this is worth uh $25,000, not the $2,000 that they're offering you. And uh we do so uh usually based on about 10% of, we will recover 10% of what they recover, which is gonna leave them enough money to be able to do the work to restore their home. So I would just like to let them know uh they don't necessarily have to hire an attorney uh who would take a third or more of their um the damage to their home um to uh compensate themselves, but we can do so as public adjusters for considerably less.

"Cabo" Jim:

I love that. We appreciate what you do. So, how would our listeners go about contacting you if they had some questions or needed some advice?

John Jacobsen:

They can go to my website where I talk uh a lot more about public adjusting. I lay out exactly what I do, why I do it, and the states I'm licensed in, because I'm licensed in eight other states besides Florida. Uh, but that will uh tell them you know that much more. And uh that address is John A. Jacobson, J O H N A J A C O B S E N dot net. Uh, or I'm glad to even um if they want to give me a call, I'm glad to uh speak with them um directly, and my number would be uh there on my site, or um I can give it now if that's permissible.

"Cabo" Jim:

Yeah, absolutely.

John Jacobsen:

Okay. Uh it would be 239-919-6624.

"Cabo" Jim:

Very good. Um last words for our listeners other than that?

John Jacobsen:

Last words for your listeners. I would just say um don't be afraid uh to ask questions, especially of your insurance company. I'm in a business that has to speak truth to power all the time. Uh and I would tell them don't be afraid to speak truth to power. And if you don't feel able to do that, especially against an insurance company, I'm here uh to help them out. And I would take that same advice about speaking truth to power and apply it across the board. Uh, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself in uh any situation because there's so many people that and organizations for that matter that are looking to take advantage of you. It's a sad thing, but uh be empowered. How's that for nice pithy advice?

"Cabo" Jim:

I love it. I love it, and we appreciate what you do to help people uh in those situations as well. John, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a good neighbor, and we'll see you out on the beach here soon.

John Jacobsen:

Sounds good, Jim. Hope to see you on the beach myself.

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