Daytona Beach Shores Business Owner Discusses Disaster Recovery Challenges
*Aileen Band, NFIB member and small business owner, speaks on the challenges of disaster recovery.
Daytona Beach Shores business owner Aileen Band recently joined the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) “Small Business Rundown” podcast to discuss the challenges small businesses face in the wake of natural disasters. Band shared her experiences dealing with the impact of hurricanes on her business, Tropical Manor, over the past few years.
Band stated that her business, which has been in Daytona Beach Shores for 70 years, was affected by hurricanes in 2022. She recalled the initial response by contractors, which was timely in mitigating the damage. However, the restoration process took far longer than anticipated.
“The initial response by the contractor was quite timely, covering the roofs and so forth and mitigating the water damage. But then we found that what was projected to be a four-month restoration process, actually turned out to be four times longer, approximately one and a half years… And our insurance costs have gone up about 70% since these two hurricanes, but we are really relieved to actually be able to continue to obtain property insurance.”
Band offered advice for fellow small business owners, highlighting the importance of careful planning and frequent review of insurance policies.
“I would again say just please carefully look at your property insurance policies before your seasons of bad weather approach just to make sure you’re properly covered.”
NFIB Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle also participated in the podcast, discussing the resources NFIB offers during natural disasters. Herrle emphasized NFIB’s advocacy at the State Capitol and highlighted the complex insurance market in Florida.
“In Florida, we have a lot of challenges in our insurance market,” Herrle explained. “I was so struck by Aileen’s comment that she has seen a 70% increase in her insurance, yet her attitude is she’s just so grateful to have it. And just let that sink in for a minute and realize what a challenge that is to business owners.”
He continued by saying that NFIB played an important role in the 2023 tort reform effort where they were able to address the challenges legislators faced when it came to rebuilding areas after natural disasters.
“Prior to the Tort Reform Act of 2023, despite all of our challenges with Mother Nature in Florida, Florida really had about 10% of all the homeowners claims in the nation. And yet Florida had 80% of the litigation surrounding homeowners’ insurance.”
