Terms Used In Florida Statutes 627.70151

  • Appraisal: A determination of property value.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
An insurer that offers residential coverage as defined in s. 627.4025, or a policyholder that uses an appraisal clause in a property insurance contract to establish a process for estimating or evaluating the amount of loss through the use of an impartial umpire, may challenge an umpire’s impartiality and disqualify the proposed umpire only if:

(1) A familial relationship within the third degree exists between the umpire and a party or a representative of a party;
(2) The umpire has previously represented a party in a professional capacity in the same claim or matter involving the same property;
(3) The umpire has represented another person in a professional capacity on the same or a substantially related matter that includes the claim, the same property or an adjacent property, and the other person’s interests are materially adverse to the interests of a party; or
(4) The umpire has worked as an employer or employee of a party within the preceding 5 years.