Author: admin

How Flood Insurance Supports Businesses in Flood-Prone Areas

Posted on by admin

Floods are among the top and most destructive natural disasters worldwide, especially in Pinellas County. For businesses operating in flood-prone areas, the risk of property damage, business interruption, and financial loss due to flooding is a constant concern. While many businesses invest in mitigation measures, one crucial component of their resilience strategy is flood insurance, which can provide a lifeline in the event of a flood.

Key Benefits of Flood Insurance for Businesses

There are benefits you will want to speak with the insurance agent about, and these are the primary ones you will not want to leave out. 

  • Property Protection: For businesses, property is a valuable asset. Flood insurance ensures that the financial burden of repairing or replacing damaged property is significantly reduced in the event of a flood. This can be a lifeline for business owners, allowing them to get back on their feet more quickly.
  • Business Interruption Coverage: Beyond property damage, floods can lead to business interruptions. This means lost income, increased expenses, and potential customer loss. Flood insurance can include business interruption coverage, compensating businesses for lost income, and assisting with additional expenses incurred during the disruption.
  • Asset Protection: Businesses often store valuable equipment, inventory, and supplies. Flood insurance protects these assets from damage or loss during a flood event, ensuring that businesses can continue their operations without significant setbacks.
  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance: In some cases, businesses located in high-risk flood areas may be required by law to have flood insurance. Compliance with these regulations avoids potential legal issues and ensures that businesses have the protection they need when floods strike.

Zenith Insurance Group Can Help You

At Zenith Insurance Group, we can help answer questions concerning flood insurance. We serve the Pinellas County area. Contact us today. 

Road Trips & Rentals: Ensuring You’re Covered While Driving in a Rented Vehicle

Posted on by admin

Road trips are a thrilling way to explore new places, but when you’re driving a rented vehicle, it’s crucial to consider insurance coverage. Rental car companies offer various insurance options, leaving many travelers confused about what they need. Here at Zenith Insurance Group, providing auto insurance policies to residents in the greater Pinellas County area, we want to help you navigate the ins and outs of rental car insurance to help ensure you’re adequately covered on your next adventure.

Understanding the Basics

Before hitting the road, it’s essential to understand the basic insurance options offered by rental car companies. These typically include collision damage waiver (CDW), liability insurance, personal accident insurance (PAI), and personal effects coverage (PEC). Familiarize yourself with these terms to make informed choices.

Check Your Existing Policies

Before purchasing additional rental car insurance, check your existing auto insurance and credit card policies. Some comprehensive auto insurance policies and certain credit cards provide coverage for rental vehicles. Knowing your current coverage can help you avoid unnecessary expenses.

Consider Your Destination

Destination matters when it comes to rental car insurance. If you’re traveling internationally, rental car insurance regulations may differ. Research the insurance requirements of your destination and ensure your coverage meets those standards.

Schedule A Consultation Today

Road trips in rented vehicles offer incredible adventures, but they come with responsibilities. Understanding rental car insurance options, checking your existing policies, and considering your destination’s requirements are essential steps to ensure you’re covered. With the right coverage, you can hit the road with peace of mind, ready to explore and create lasting memories. If you need help finding the right auto insurance coverage for you in the greater Pinellas County region, let Zenith Insurance Group assist you. 

What’s the difference between commercial insurance and commercial vehicle insurance?

Posted on by admin

As a business owner, you need insurance coverage to meet your legal and contractual obligations. It would also be best to have insurance at a level where you are comfortable with your risk exposure. One risk exposure hazard to some businesses is the failure to protect themselves with commercial vehicle insurance, relying instead on personal insurance coverage.

To avoid this and other commercial insurance mistakes, allow our Zenith Insurance Group team, serving Pinellas County, to create a commercial vehicle insurance plan that meets your business’s needs.

Commercial Versus Commercial Vehicle Insurance

Small businesses come in many shapes and sizes. Your commercial insurance needs depend on many issues, including your business type, the number of employees, and whether you use motor vehicles to conduct your business.

Business owners generally recognize that operating a business brings risks, so they acquire Workers’ Compensation, General Liability, Commercial Property, and similar coverages. Less recognized, especially by small business owners, is the need for commercial vehicle insurance. Some business owners believe their personal insurance policies provide adequate coverage when using their personal vehicles for business purposes, but that is untrue.

Only-commercial vehicle policies cover vehicles:

-Owned by the company or driven for work purposes by you or an employee

-That transport goods, tools, or people for work

So, if you use your personal vehicle for business purposes, you should acquire commercial vehicle insurance to ensure you have fully protected yourself and your business.

Consult With Us

Zenith Insurance Group proudly serves Pinellas County’s personal and business communities. Our commercial insurance experience means we can structure policies to protect your business and livelihood against unforeseen events. Call or stop in today to discuss your commercial insurance needs and options.

Does Florida home insurance cover hurricane damage?

Posted on by admin

At Zenith Insurance Group, we want you to fully understand how your home insurance helps protect you against financial loss related to your Pinellas County home. Late spring and summer bring hurricane season, but your home insurance protects your home investment against hurricane-strength winds.

Florida Home Policies Cover Hurricanes

Although some states require separate hurricane policies, Florida does not. Although you need flood insurance to cover rising water flood damage, every state in the US follows that federal law regarding flood insurance. Your home policy from our insurance agency protects your home from wind damage and water damage that occurs due to wind damage.

Damage Types Covered

Let’s consider what that means. If high winds tear open your roof, then water enters through that hole, your home insurance covers that water damage. If your home only undergoes rising water flood damage, only flood insurance covers it.

The majority of hurricane damage, including downed trees and limbs, missing shingles, roof damage, siding damage, and lightning damage, home insurance policies in Florida typically cover. The home policy only exempts rising water flood damage.

Request a Policy Review

Make an appointment with Zenith Insurance Group, serving Florida’s Pinellas County, for a home insurance policy review today. Let us help you ensure that your home insurance policy fully covers your home. Perhaps you chose an HO-1 or -2 policy when you first insured your home, but you now want improved perils coverage.

Contact Us Today

Contact us to enhance your coverage to an H0-3 or all perils policy, so you can fully protect your investment in your home against hurricanes and other perils. 

Three things that might surprise you about condo insurance

Posted on by admin

Condo owners in Pinellas County should be well-informed about condo insurance. If you own a condo, you can rely on Zenith Insurance Group to insure it and protect yourself financially. 

The following are three things that might surprise you about condo insurance:

You might be required to purchase condo insurance.

A lot of condo associations require residents to purchase condo insurance. Condo owners who borrow money to purchase their units are also required to purchase condo insurance by their lender. 

Condo insurance can cover additional living expenses.

Some condo owners don’t realize that their condo insurance policy comes along with additional living expenses coverage. This type of coverage pays for a hotel room or another type of temporary lodging when the policyholder’s unit becomes damaged to the point of being unsafe to live in. 

Your condo insurance needs depend on the master policy of your condo association. 

Condo insurance complements the master policy of the condo association. That’s why it’s important to know what type of master policy your condo unit has when you buy your own individual condo insurance policy.

Master policies at condo facilities can be bare walls, single entity, or modified single entity/all-in policies. If your master policy is a bare walls coverage policy, you need to purchase coverage for all your interior finishes.

On the other hand, you only need to purchase personal property condo insurance if your master policy is a modified single entity/all-in coverage policy that covers everything else for you. 

We Are Here To Help

Protect your condo with a condo insurance policy from Zenith Insurance Group. Get in touch with us online for a quote on a policy for your condo in Pinellas County. 

Insuring Your Classic Car Restoration Project

Posted on by admin

If you’re a classic car enthusiast in Pinellas County, your restoration project is more than just a hobby – it’s a passion. At Zenith Insurance Group, we share your passion for these unique treasures and understand the specific and challenging insurance needs of your classic car. Proper coverage throughout the restoration process is crucial to protecting your investment and ensuring your peace of mind.

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Special Considerations for Classic Car Restoration

It’s important to keep in mind the value of your vehicle, which may change during a classic car restoration process. Working with an insurance provider that specializes in classic car insurance can help ensure you have the right coverage in place throughout the entire project.

Coverage Options for Classic Car Restoration

During the restoration process, your car may be partially or completely disassembled, which can create insurance challenges. A comprehensive classic car insurance policy can provide coverage for damage to the car during the restoration process, as well as liability coverage in case someone is injured on your property.

The Importance of Proper Valuation

To ensure you have the right coverage, it’s important to have your classic car professionally appraised before starting the restoration process. This will help you accurately determine the car’s value and ensure you have adequate insurance coverage in place.

Protect Your Classic Car Restoration Project with Zenith Insurance Group

Insuring your classic car restoration project is essential for protecting your investment and ensuring you have the coverage you need throughout the restoration process. Don’t wait until it’s too late – contact us today to discuss your classic car insurance needs in Pinellas County.

What does renters insurance cover?

Posted on by admin

Renters insurance is an important form of coverage for tenants here in the Pinellas County area who rent their homes or apartments. It can provide financial protection against losses due to theft, fire, and other unexpected events. But what exactly does a policy from us at Zenith Insurance Group cover? 

What does renters insurance cover?

Generally speaking, renters insurance covers three main areas: Personal Property, Liability Coverage, and Additional Living Expenses.

Personal Property coverage compensates tenants for any damage or loss of their personal possessions, such as furniture, electronics, clothing, and more.

Liability Coverage provides protection from lawsuits if someone is injured in your rental home or apartment and you are found legally responsible for the incident.

Finally, Additional Living Expenses covers the cost of alternative housing should your rental property become unlivable due to a covered event. 

Renters insurance also typically includes coverage for Guests’ Property Losses where you are held liable when visitors’ possessions are damaged or stolen while on your premises. Depending on the policy specifics you’ve chosen, there may be additional coverage available as well including pet liability coverage in case your pet causes bodily harm or property damage; identity theft expense coverage; credit card fraud; and more. 

In many ways, renters insurance is like homeowners insurance – except tailored specifically to those renting a home rather than owning it. It’s an essential form of protection that helps give you peace of mind should something happen to your belongings while living in a rental property.

We Can Help!

For more information, or if you want to find a policy that meets your needs and your budget, give us at Zenith Insurance Group a call today. We are proud to serve the Pinellas County area and would be happy to help you.

What You Need to Know about RV Insurance Requirements

Posted on by admin

With its unlimited scenic vistas, The Sunshine State of Florida is the perfect place to begin your RV adventure. Before hitting the road, you’ll want to ensure everything is in place to keep you, your vehicle, and others on the road as safe as possible.

In Florida, any vehicle you can drive on its own requires insurance. In many ways, the requirements of RV insurance function quite similarly to the insurance required for any other operable vehicle in the state.

Florida requires all motorists to carry liability coverage. The exception arises in the care of towable travel trailers, campers, and fifth wheels, which fall under the liability coverage of the vehicle to which it’s attached. If the RV is only being towed and not driven, insurance is not legally required. Zenith Insurance Group is here to provide Pinellas County RV owners with more information. 

Florida RV Insurance Requirements

Large vehicles like RVs have the potential to cause significant harm in the event of a collision or wreck. There are specific minimum requirements that every registered vehicle in Florida must have:

  • A minimum of $10,000 for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 for Property Damage Liability (PDL)
  • Continual coverage, even if the vehicle is inoperable or not being driven
  • A policy from a licensed insurance carrier in Florida
  • Continuous Florida insurance coverage throughout the vehicle’s registration period

Full-time RV insurance is available for people who plan to spend more than 150 nights out of a year living out of their RV. This type of insurance is more of a mix between auto and home insurance. To better understand your RV insurance options, contact our experts at Zenith Insurance Group, serving Pinellas County and surrounding areas.

Four steps to purchasing motorcycle insurance

Posted on by admin

It’s vitally important to have motorcycle insurance coverage if you ride a motorcycle in Pinellas County. At Zenith Insurance Group, we’re here to help you meet your motorcycle insurance needs.

The following are four steps you should go through when you purchase a motorcycle insurance policy:

Make sure you understand the coverage options that are available to you

You don’t want to purchase motorcycle insurance before you understand different coverage options. When you buy a policy, you can purchase liability, collision, comprehensive, towing and labor, and rental reimbursement coverage. There are numerous additional types of coverage that you might also want to include on your policy. 

Decide which types of coverage you want your policy to include

Consider your unique coverage preferences. You should consider factors like the value of your motorcycle and your budget when deciding what coverage types to include. Remember that you are required by law to carry liability coverage in Oregon. 

Request motorcycle insurance policy quotes from different insurance providers

Whenever you buy any type of insurance, you should be sure to get quotes from a few different companies. This is important because insurance coverage offerings can differ widely among various providers in your area. We offer free quotes to compare from so you can choose the best provider. 

Evaluate the quotes that you get and choose a policy

Carefully look over the details of the quotes you get. When evaluating quotes, consider the value you get from each policy in addition to the premium costs.  Select the policy that is within your budget and best meets your coverage needs. 

Reach Out To Us

When you’ve gone through all these steps, you can insure your motorcycle in Pinellas County. Are you ready to get a policy quote? Contact us at Zenith Insurance Group, and we’ll provide you with a quote on a policy that offers you the coverage you need and want. 

How To Prepare Your Boat For Hurricane Season

Posted on by admin

At Zenith Insurance Group, we provide boat insurance to residents of Florida. We are here to provide you with tips ahead of the hurricane season for optimal protection of your watercraft. 

How To Prepare Your Boat For Hurricane Season

When Is Hurricane Season In Pinellas County, Florida?

Powerful storms batter the Florida coast every hurricane season, bringing unpredictable weather, strong winds, and heavy rains. The Atlantic Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, but storms outside this timeframe can occur.

For Pinellas County boaters, taking the proper steps to protect their vessels is critical.

How Can Pinellas County Residents Protect Their Boats?

While hurricanes pose a threat to boats along the Florida coast, there are actions boat owners can take to protect their investment in their boats. 

  • If you can trailer the boat, bring it out of the water and inland as part of an evacuation plan.
  • Remove all loose items from the deck, including small equipment such as outboard motors, sails, and expensive electronics, and store them somewhere safe.
  • Secure and lock all hatches, ports, and windows. 
  • Fully charge all batteries and turn off electronics, except for bilge pumps. 
  • If keeping the boat in the water, add extra dock lines. Give your anchor or dock lines more leeway than usual to accommodate rising waters.
  • Before hurricane season, purchase boat insurance from a reliable agency such as Zenith Insurance Group.

Even after making these preparations, never attempt to ride out a severe storm aboard your boat. These dangerous weather events are unpredictable and intense.

Can Boat Insurance Help? 

Hurricanes are unpredictable, and even the best preparations can fail. Boat insurance through a seasoned, reliable agency such as Zenith Insurance Group will protect your vessel. Ultimately, boat insurance is the best way for boaters to protect their investment from loss during severe weather.

Contact Us Today

If you want to prepare for hurricane season, reach out to the Zenith Insurance Group team today. Our professional agents understand boaters’ needs and will help you understand your coverage options. 

Archives

Categories