Ever walk out to the parking lot and not recognize your car because it’s not the same color you remember? Covered from top to bottom in a lovely shade of yellow? No one likes pollen. It causes terrible allergies and constantly dusts our homes and vehicles.

It’s spring in our area (which often times happens the very next day after a winter freeze) and that’s typically a season most would welcome with open arms… and a box of tissues. It’s when all the pretty flowers bloom and the grass turns green again. But it also means all the plants and trees are releasing their tiny little pollen grains in an effort to fertilize others, causing some drug store visits and lots of cleaning for everyone. Here are some tips on how to combat this pollen apocalypse:

Vehicles:

• Try to rinse your car off every other day, even just with water if you don’t have time to fully wash it. The longer pollen stays on the vehicle, especially with the hot and sunny days we’re having, the worse it bakes into the paint and can cause long term, irreversible damage. Just kicking that dust off daily or every few days can be a big help to prevent the acidity in pollen causing some bad oxidation and staining.
• Next time you wash your car, use a different sponge for the paint surfaces and the non-paint surfaces such as wheels, chrome and glass.
• Adding a coat of good wax to serve as a barrier to protect the paint is also a good idea. The only thing to be sure of here is that you wipe it dry right before applying the wax so there is no pollen residue at all that would get worked into the paint.
• If your allergies are really bad, an interior cleaning or replacing the cabin filters can help with what makes its way inside.

Homes:

• Mix up a spray bottle with warm water & a few squirts of dishwashing liquid. These and an old rag can be used for columns, porches, patio furniture, grills/outdoor kitchens, toys, etc.
• For the actual house itself, you may want to use a pressure washer (even with just water) to knock off the yellow coating.
• If you’re noticing pollen making its way inside, try to convince the family (again) to leave their shoes at the door and not keep windows or doors open without a screen.
• If allergies are too much to handle, you can go as far as to empty your vacuum cleaner outside and wear a mask when you dust. May sound crazy but this stuff is no joke!

Allergy Relief:

• It’s been found that if you don’t like the idea of allergy medication or it doesn’t seem to work, you may find relief in home remedies such as apple cider vinegar, honey, saline rinses, nasal sprays, acupuncture or Vitamin C.

As of this day in late February, the pollen count in Gainesville, Florida is a whopping  10.5 out of 12 and has maintained that unfortunate score for the past few days in a row. It’s expected to be a way of life for the next four months until we shift from spring to the summer heat. Try not to let it hinder your time outdoors and use these tips to reduce your exposure.

A common misconception is that lien holders or car dealerships will take care of the insurance aspect of your transaction for you but this can be very misleading. Not that you shouldn’t trust your salesman if they offer to help but in order to be 100% sure you’re covered appropriately, it’s best to contact your agent or insurance company yourself.

In Florida, most auto insurance companies allow up to 30 days to add a newly purchased vehicle. This is extremely important, especially if you financed the car through a lien holder. They require specific coverage and can back charge high premiums if you do not carry it. This general rule of 30 days applies when you’re adding a vehicle to what you already own.

This is still very important when you are replacing a vehicle on your policy with a different one because most companies only allow up to 7 days to make that change on your policy. This is when you’re trading a vehicle in or selling it to replace it with another one. Sometimes you may want to carry different coverage so your policy needs to be reevaluated. Often times, people will not carry collision or comprehensive coverage on an older vehicle but they need to add it when they get a newer vehicle.

Your salesman or lien holder may have good intentions by offering to take care of this step for you but you should definitely follow up. That will ensure that it’s done and correct in order to prevent being stuck either without coverage or paying a much higher premium.

Follow these easy steps when you have a vehicle needing coverage:

1. Have the car’s VIN (vehicle identification number)
2. Talk to your agent or insurance company about coverage & be sure you understand what you need and have and that you’re comfortable with the limits and deductibles
3. Confirm the correct lien holder and how they’d like to be listed (if financing)
4. Follow up on the change by getting a revised declarations page and ID card for your records

Call it a type A “if you want it done right, do it yourself!†move but it’s very important and you can’t be too careful. As always, let us at McGriff-Williams know if you need anything or have additional questions.

While December 21, 2018 was the deadline for official decisions in order to prevent a government shutdown, agreements were not made. Now as we narrow in on the beginning of 2019, whether or not we’d like to start a new year in this way, there are many things still up in the air. One thing has been resolved though, after just a few days of major backlash.

FEMA, which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program, initially announced that there could be no business conducted regarding flood insurance until the shutdown was resolved. That included issuing of new business, renewals/reinstatements, or coverage changes on existing policies. Nothing. It was estimated that had this suspension continued, up to 40,000 real estate transactions (mainly the sale of homes in flood zones mandatory to carry special coverage) per month would be delayed. This would significantly affect homeowners, realtors, mortgage lenders, inspectors, and many other affiliates’ livelihood.

It was decided that this could drastically affect too many people in irreversible ways. Therefore as of December 28, just one week later, FEMA has reversed that decision and is now allowing all flood insurance business to continue for the time being.

Please contact [email protected] or (352)371-7977 with any questions regarding flood insurance in Florida.