Florida Home Inspector Accused of Reusing Photos in 200+ Insurance Inspections, Costing $88,000

A Florida home inspector has been arrested after allegedly using the same stock photographs in more than 200 wind-mitigation and home inspections, leading to significant financial losses for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) revealed that the inspector conducted fraudulent inspections in various counties, including Hernando, Hillsborough, and Pinellas, between 2017 and 2019. His actions reportedly led to over $42,000 in underpaid premiums due to inaccurate wind-mitigation reports, while Citizens incurred an additional $38,000 in reinspection costs.

The alleged scheme not only deprived the insurer of premiums but also placed it at risk of paying out on invalid claims. DFS also noted that some of the reused photographs did not reflect actual mitigation work, resulting in about $7,000 in refunds to homeowners. Investigators confirmed that the inspector acted alone, and his actions were unrelated to the My Safe Florida Home program. He is now facing criminal charges that could lead to up to five years in prison if convicted.