The Lion Inside

Today, members of the Rotary Club of Lake City will visit 22 Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) learning centers in Columbia County to read the book, The Lion Inside.  With a grant from The Rotary Foundation, one thousand books have been purchased and will be given to every 4 year old.  Rotary believes that literacy is a key anecdote to poverty and leads to success in life.

Our message is simple:  You don’t have to be BIG and BRAVE to find your ROAR.  The Lion Inside story illustrates opposing feelings we all experience from time to time.  Sometimes we feel small and afraid like a little mouse, and other times we feel big and brave like a lion.  Even the smallest among us can have the heart of a lion.

Some of you might receive a mailer promising 30-50% savings on your homeowner insurance like I did last weekend.  The promise of savings caught my eye, so I took a close look.  I wanted to find out exactly how this company could save me 30-50%.

Marketing Claim #1 – “Basic Choice satisfies most mortgage requirements, but you don’t have to pay for coverages you may never use.”

• Our response – According to the People’s Trust website, The Basic Choice policy excludes water damage, vandalism, theft and sinkhole.  With water damage loss the most frequently reported claim in Florida, we wonder why they would promote a policy that excludes such an important coverage.

Marketing Claim #2 – “Our team of experts will explain the policy that covers major perils like fire, smoke, lightning, windstorm, hail, and more.  You can add Liability and Personal Property coverage too.”

• Our response – Why would People’s Trust ever sell coverage to a homeowner without liability and personal property coverage?  We believe those important coverages should be a part of every home protection plan.  Recovery from a catastrophic fire or legal claim is hard enough with adequate insurance.  Recovery without these key coverages will surely be many more times difficult.

Marketing Claim #3 – Regarding their Rapid Response Team (RRT) “Our unique, award-winning approach [to claims] gives you access to repair specialists who use top graded materials.”

• Our response – When we read the fine print, we see that homeowner would be required use a contractor of the insurance company’s choosing to make repairs following a claim.  We disagree with this approach.  We believe homeowners should remain in control of their money and the contractor who repairs their home.

Conclusion –  To most of us, our home is our most valuable tangible possession in life, and accordingly, it should be protected against catastrophic losses by the broadest insurance available from a financially strong and trustworthy insurance company.  Marketing practices that seek to encourage homeowners to purchase “bare bones” coverage is irresponsible.  In this case, the savings does not appear to be worth the sacrifice.

We are proud to support the Lake City Pop Warner Cheerleaders from the Richardson Community Center.  The girls worked hard this season to earn a trip to the Regional Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, FL in a couple weeks.  Join us in wishing the girls a safe and competitive and enjoyable day on the mat.

Ten miles east of Lake City in Olustee, the Public Safety Training Center at Florida Gateway College is a hidden gem in North Florida. Every day, students begin at 7AM with physical training, followed by a full day of classroom and hands on training. Today, the center hosted a local homeschool group to introduce the students to law enforcement, fire and EMT training. We learned public safety is serious business, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into training our first responders. We were also solemnly reminded that sometimes the cost of our safety is a life given in service. Join us in saying thank you.

Ten miles east of Lake City in Olustee, the Public Safety Training Center at Florida Gateway College is a hidden gem in North Florida. Every day, students begin at 7AM with physical training, followed by a full day of classroom and hands on training. Today, the center hosted a local homeschool group to introduce the students to law enforcement, fire and EMT training. We learned public safety is serious business, and we appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into training our first responders. We were also solemnly reminded that sometimes the cost of our safety is a life given in service. Join us in saying thank you.

We are grateful that our personal lines agent, Susie Shedron, was not hurt this week when a deer ran in front of her car on Tustenugee Rd. Insurance will fix the car, but people are much harder to fix. This prompts us to remind everyone to “watch out”. The weather is cooling, and deer are on the move. Exercise the most caution in the early morning and early evening. Call us if you need to make sure you have the right coverage. (386) 752-8660