Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 — Florida homeowners are filing damage claims from sinkholes at a rapidly growing rate with claims this year totaling one-third more than the previous four years combined. State Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty briefed Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet on the trend Tuesday. He said the payout figure for this year could exceed $2 billion. McCarty attributed the trend in part to the role of public adjusters, who file claims on behalf of homeowners and receive commissions on claims paid.