Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters

What Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters does

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned public insurance adjusting firm founded in 1984 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The firm represents property owners — not insurance carriers — in the preparation, documentation, and negotiation of property insurance claims, specializing in hurricane and wind damage, fire and smoke, water and flood, sinkhole, business interruption, and large-loss claims (typically above $75,000). It is licensed to operate as a public adjuster in 16 U.S. states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and maintains offices in Tampa (executive HQ), Orlando, Palm City, Dallas, and Pittsburgh.

The service portfolio spans core claim representation (hurricane/wind, fire, water, sinkhole, business interruption, large loss, builders risk) plus ancillary offerings including appraisal and mediation, umpire services, expert witness testimony, pre-loss inspection, and risk management consulting. Technical operations rely on industry-standard property estimating platforms — Xactimate, Simsol, and Symbility — supplemented by physical diagnostics such as thermal imaging and moisture mapping to document hidden damage. There is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, or technology product disclosed; the core deliverable is human expertise delivered by licensed public adjusters, several of whom hold advanced credentials (CPIA, PCLS, WIND-F, WIND Certified Umpire/Appraiser) and prior carrier-side experience.

Revenue is generated exclusively on a contingency-fee basis: clients pay no upfront cost and the firm is compensated as a percentage of the final insurance settlement. The firm has accumulated over $210 million in client settlements since 1984 and reports a 97% success rate in securing better settlements without attorney involvement. Customer segments are horizontal — individual homeowners, condominium and homeowner associations, commercial and industrial property, hospitality, healthcare, education, state and local government, and attorney/CPA referral relationships — with go-to-market executed through 24/7 phone intake, a website claim submission form, in-person consultations, and referral partnerships. The firm transitioned to second-generation leadership on December 31, 2021, when founder Dick Tutwiler retired and Rick Tutwiler assumed the role of President & CEO.

Name

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters

Legal name

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters, Inc.

Website

https://publicadjuster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tutwiler & Associates is a family-owned public insurance adjusting firm founded in 1984 that represents residential and commercial property owners in property insurance claims across 16 U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands on a contingency-fee basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Insurance Adjusting

NAICS

Claims Adjusting (524291)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Catastrophe Claims & Loss Adjustment Services (FSAOACAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Insurance Replacement Cost & Damage/Loss Valuation (BPAJAKAL)

Keywords

• Public insurance adjusting
• Property claims representation
• Insurance claim management
• Loss consulting services
• Commercial property claims

Headquarters

HQ city

Flushing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency-Based Claims Representation: Public adjusting services where fees are contingent upon successful claim settlement. No upfront costs to clients - public adjusters negotiate directly with insurance carriers to maximize settlements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters represents property insurance policyholders in claims against insurance carriers, providing damage assessment, documentation, policy review, claim preparation, and direct negotiation to maximize settlements. The firm handles residential and commercial property claims arising from hurricanes, wind, fire, smoke, water, flood, sinkholes, business interruption, and other covered perils, supplemented by appraisal, umpire, expert witness, pre-loss inspection, builders risk, and risk management services.

Product overview

Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters operates as a public insurance adjusting firm offering a unified suite of claim representation services for property insurance policyholders. The core offering centers on property insurance claims representation, where licensed public adjusters advocate for homeowners, businesses, condominium associations, and commercial entities in disputes with insurance carriers. The company specializes in major claim categories including hurricane and wind damage, fire and smoke, water and flood damage, sinkholes, and business interruption losses. Beyond core claims handling, the portfolio includes ancillary services such as appraisal and mediation, umpire services, expert witness testimony, builders risk claims, and pre-loss inspection and disaster planning. The company serves diverse market segments including residential properties, commercial properties, condominium associations, apartment complexes, hotels, educational institutions, medical facilities, and government entities. Founded in 1984, the firm maintains offices in Tampa (executive), Orlando, Palm City, Dallas, and Pittsburgh.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Insurance Claims Representation Full-service public adjusting and claim representation for residential and commercial property insurance policyholders, including damage assessment, documentation, policy review, negotiation with insurance carriers, and settlement advocacy.
• Hurricane & Wind Damage Claims Specialized claim handling for hurricane, windstorm, and tropical storm damage to residential and commercial properties, including navigation of hurricane percentage deductibles.
• Fire and Smoke Claims Claims services for fire damage, smoke damage, and related property losses.
• Water, Flood Damage Claims Handling of water damage, flooding, plumbing leaks, frozen pipe claims, and water-related property insurance claims.
• Sinkhole Claims Specialized claim handling for sinkhole damage and stabilization issues covered under property insurance policies.
• Business Interruption Claims Claims services for business interruption losses, including documentation assistance and settlement negotiation for commercial policyholders.
• Large Loss Claims High-value property insurance claims typically exceeding $75,000 in losses, serving complex commercial and residential disputes.
• Builders Risk Insurance Claims Claims handling services for builders risk policies covering property under construction or renovation.
• Appraisal and Mediation Services Formal appraisal and mediation services to resolve disputed insurance claims through neutral third-party evaluation processes.
• Umpire Services Neutral umpire services for resolving disputes between policyholders and insurance carriers when appraisers cannot agree on a settlement amount.
• Expert Witness Services Professional testimony and expert witness services for legal proceedings involving property insurance disputes and litigation support.
• Pre-Loss Inspection & Disaster Planning Proactive property inspections and disaster planning services to help policyholders prepare for potential losses and understand their insurance coverage before damage occurs.
• Risk Management Assistance Consulting services to help property owners understand their insurance policies, identify coverage gaps, and improve their risk management strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% success rate in securing better settlements without requiring an attorney
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anderson-Kill Loss AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDick Tutwiler is a valued member of Anderson-Kill Loss Advisors, an organization of six of the most respected public adjusting firms across the United States. He is a contributing writer to Anderson Kill's 'The Loss Advisor', a quarterly publication distributed throughout the United States.
• United PolicyholderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDick Tutwiler is a frequent contributor as a United Policyholders featured expert, providing guidance to policyholders through their 'Ask an Expert' service.
• Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association (IAUA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRick Tutwiler is a member of the Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association, participating in professional certification and standards for property insurance appraisals.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• NAPIA (National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters): Trade association for U.S. public insurance adjusters; Tutwiler leadership holds board and committee roles. Not a competitor, but the industry body that defines standards, ethics, and visibility for member firms including Tutwiler.
• Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association (IAUA): Professional association for appraisers and umpires in property insurance disputes; Rick Tutwiler is a member. Adjacent ecosystem participant that overlaps with Tutwiler's appraisal and umpire service offerings.
• United Policyholders: Nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that educates policyholders and refers them to vetted public adjusters (Dick Tutwiler is a featured expert). A partner and ecosystem referral source rather than a competitor, but closely aligned in mission.

Broad incumbents

• Crawford & Company: Global independent claims management firm that adjusts property losses (primarily on the carrier side). Rick Tutwiler was trained at Crawford's University, making it both an alumni channel and the dominant incumbent in the loss-adjusting ecosystem Tutwiler operates in.
• Sedgwick: Large global claims management, loss adjusting, and managed-care services firm handling property and casualty claims primarily for insurance carriers. Overlaps with Tutwiler in property loss adjustment work but at much greater scale and from the carrier-side perspective.
• Marsh McLennan: Global insurance brokerage and risk advisory conglomerate whose Marsh LLC brokerage arm competes for property placement and risk advisory dollars adjacent to Tutwiler's policyholder-representation niche. Incumbent with much broader portfolio.
• Aon plc: Global insurance brokerage and risk consultancy with extensive property and casualty practices. Competes for the same commercial-property customer wallet at the placement/risk-advisory layer rather than claim representation.
• E.A. Renfroe & Company: Independent claims management and adjusting firm with property and casualty capabilities, serving both carriers and self-insureds. A broader incumbent offering comparable claims-adjusting services with deeper geographic and operational scale.

Direct peers

• Adjusters International: One of the largest independent public adjusting firms in the United States, representing policyholders on commercial and residential property losses. Directly comparable to Tutwiler in service model (contingency-based claim representation, catastrophe specialization, and multi-state coverage).
• Anderson-Kill & Olick: Law and loss-adjusting firm that represents policyholders in insurance recovery matters, including property losses; an existing Tutwiler partner via Anderson-Kill Loss Advisors. Direct peer in policyholder-side claim representation, though delivered through a legal/loss-advisor hybrid model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PublicIAdjuster
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PUBLICADJUSTER1
• Facebookfacebook.com/InsuranceClaimAdjusters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tutwiler-&-associates---public-adjusters-loss-consultants
• Instagraminstagram.com/tutwilerpublicadjuster

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tutwiler & Associates Public Adjusters