When the adjuster comes out, the roof shingles are still there on the roof. No demolition has occurred yet. What happens is the roofing company claims to the

When the adjuster comes out, the roof shingles are still there on the roof. No demolition has occurred yet. What happens is the roofing company claims to the insurance company that they had to replace more boards, they needed more nails, and a bunch of other material costs they claimed they needed. Since the policy states that the coverage warrants a replaced roof (of the same type) in this instance, the roofing company is claiming that a replacement roof costs more than the estimate and thus should be covered. The insurance company could send another adjuster out to verify that the replacement roof costs as much as they did, but they'd have to verify how many boards are replaced (which means going without a roof until the adjuster verifies all the damaged boards), material cost for the roof, etc... That's a lot of investigation they need to do to fight a supposed excessive cost when the laws of the state make it very hard (and costly) for the insurance companies to win a denial that gets litigated. It's not unusual for insurance companies to pay more than an adjuster's estimate though. An adjuster can't always see all the damage (they can't see behind walls, can't see under existing roof shingles, etc....) and if the policy covers fixing the damage then that means covering all costs it takes to fix that damage (minus deductible). So it's a balance between making sure insurance companies have the ability to push back against scamming of policies and consumer rights of making sure consumers get paid out what they are adaquately owed. Right now the balance in Florida is too far in the consumers favor and that's causing insurance companies to get scammed, and thus leaving the state, causing all consumers to ultimately suffer.