News & Insights
Berger Singerman Hosts Third Annual Hurricane Preparedness Week Series to Ready Florida Businesses for Storm Season
May 29, 2018
MIAMI, FL – May 30, 2018 – Berger Singerman, Florida’s business law firm, is helping business owners and employees across the state prepare for storm season with their third annual hurricane preparedness week. From June 18 to June 22, the firm will provide numerous resources, including seminars, articles and blogs with key tips for businesses in industries including insurance, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, agriculture and real estate.
Last year’s Atlantic hurricane season brought 17 named storms to the U.S. and caused well over $200 billion in damages, the most ever recorded. Furthermore, Harvey, Irma and Maria, which impacted the Southeast U.S. coast, were recently named three of the top five costliest storms in history.
With another hurricane season around the corner, it is essential for businesses to be equipped with the necessary tools to ensure that they are prepared. Berger Singerman’s hurricane preparedness week content, which can be found on its blog, Doing Business in Florida, provides businesses with comprehensive information and tools that can be applied before, during and after a natural disaster. The featured topics include:
- Legislative update: a look at new laws arising out of Irma
- Irma by the numbers: an assessment of the destruction caused by Irma, including key teaching points
- Agricultural/produce: how to protect your crop/business/livelihood pre- and post- hurricane
- Cybersecurity: the vulnerability of your data during storms
- Construction issues: how to protect your construction site and your employees before a hurricane
- Basic insurance policy compliance: be aware of your obligations under the policy, including new provisions being utilized by insurance companies
- Import/export risks: the dangers faced by import/export businesses during a hurricane
- Deductibles: focusing on the burden of the wind deductible and how buy down deductible insurance can lessen the financial hardship following a storm
- Managing wind created openings: a guide to understanding policy coverage for wind created opening
- Government assistance: permitting construction/zoning in emergency situations
- Bankruptcy after the storm: what to do when the storm adversely impacts your business
- Cancellations, delays, closures: lessons to learn post Irma for the hospitality industry
- Best practices: when a pending storm threatens your deal’s closing date
- Price gouging: a summary of the law and consequences for violations; responding to government investigations
- Liability for damages caused by projectiles during hurricane events
Hurricane preparedness is critical to businesses in all industries, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach to address the countless issues arising after a natural disaster. Because of this, multiple attorneys across the firm’s Business, Finance & Tax, Business Reorganization, Construction Litigation, Cybersecurity and Data Breach, Dispute Resolution, Government and Regulatory, Insurance Litigation and Real Estate practice groups will be co-authoring these articles to tackle the complex problems faced by business owners during hurricane season.
Most recently, the firm’s insurance practice and two of its leaders, Gina Clausen Lozier and Michael Higer, the outgoing President of The Florida Bar, were recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. Their team was the only insurance practice to receive a ranking from Chambers USA in the state of Florida. Additionally, Berger Singerman’s Dispute Resolution team was recognized earlier this year by the Daily Business Review, being named the “2018 Midsize Litigation Department of the Year.”
For more information on all of the firm’s planned blogs, seminars, webinars and articles, please contact Gina Clausen Lozier at gclausen@bergersingerman.com, or Michael Higer at mhiger@bergersingerman.com.
