TAMPA, Fla -- On St. Pete Beach, moving on from Hurricanes Helene and Milton remains a slow, painful process.
Sandy streets and debris-laden front lawns have yet to wash away while
efforts to repair and rebuild leave many property owners at the mercy of claims adjusters and insurance companies.
Reza Razavi is among them. He owns several properties near the water, each of which sustained some damage from Hurricane Milton. In one multi-unit rental overlooking the Gulf in Pass-A-Grill, about a foot of water ended up inside because of the storm, he said.
"We had to remove the flooring, the baseboards and drywall," he told us during a recent visit to the building. "We need funds to be able to complete our work," he said.
So, you can imagine Razavi's relief after he filed a flood insurance claim, and his insurance company sent him a $20,000 check to begin making the necessary repairs.
"They said, oh, we're going to give you an advance check so you can get things going. I was a little surprised to be honest with you in a very good way," he said.
Even though it was a partial payment, Razavi's insurance company check represented a giant step forward for him and his tenants, who were forced to move out until repairs were made.
"I never thought I would sit across from you and say, wow, fantastic, God bless insurance companies, but it helps," he said.
That is, until he went to TD Bank to try to cash the check, only to learn that the bank, which holds the mortgage on the property, wouldn't endorse it.
"They informed me that they won't endorse the check because they have requirements," he said.
Those requirements include notarized documentation detailing the need for the money and how it will be spent.
But despite providing documentation proving his damage, Razavi said the bank isn't budging. Instead, he's being asked to provide more paperwork, including a claim adjuster's report which is backlogged by at least a month.
Razavi isn't alone.
His neighbor also got an advance check from his insurance company worth $2500.
But TD Bank won't endorse that check either.
TD Bank isn't commenting on Razavi's check or his neighbor's. But a spokesperson isn't denying the delay in letting some Florida customers cash hurricane insurance checks.
In a statement, a spokesperson for TD Bank stated,
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We know that many Florida residents experienced heartbreaking loss with Hurricanes Helene and Milton and have begun the slow recovery process. TD is here to help, including depositing and endorsing many insurance checks for our customers. To avoid delays, we suggest customers contact their local store before coming in to deposit or endorse an insurance check, so they can ensure they have all required documentation to help assist in the process."
Karyn Roeling of Seibert Insurance said while mortgage or lien holders may ask for proof of work when an insurance company pays out a full claim with a big check, smaller, partial payments don't typically warrant a deep dive.
"I don't think it's right. You would hope that the bank knows that a catastrophe has occurred in the area. You would think that somebody at the bank could make an exception to say, yes, our normal protocol is this but we're not going to follow normal protocol because this is an unprecedented two events back-to-back," she said.
Razavi has filed a complaint with the state and recently took out an extra line of credit to finish repairs while the bank holds on to his recovery money.
"Why are you stopping homeowners from doing what they need to do, and at least get their properties under control so they don't have further damage," Razavi asked.
Less than two hours after Reporter Katie LaGrone contacted TD Bank, the bank finally deposited Razavi's check but put a hold on his funds until the end of this week.
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