How we write and check what's on this site

Why we publish this

The guides on this site are about insurance for your home, your car and your business. Those are decisions with money and risk behind them, so you should be able to see how our articles are produced, who is responsible for them, and what happens when one is wrong.

Who writes and signs our articles

Every article carries the name of a licensed Florida insurance agent at Magnuson Insurance, and that agent is responsible for it. Our bylines are never a pen name or "staff". The agents who sign articles:

• Cameron Magnuson, Florida 2-20 General Lines (Property & Casualty) Agent and Florida 2-15 Life, Including Variable Annuity & Health Agent, license P224347 (opens in a new tab)
• Melanie Magnuson, Florida 2-20 General Lines (Property & Casualty) Agent, license E067342
• Latoya Wilson, Florida 2-20 General Lines (Property & Casualty) Agent, license P085659

Licenses can be checked on the Florida Department of Financial Services licensee search. The agency's own license is L104700 (opens in a new tab).

How an article is made

1. The topic comes from our work. We write about the questions customers ask us: roof age rules, wind mitigation credits, Citizens eligibility, flood zones, what a contractor needs to show for a license. We don't write about things we don't handle.
2. Every fact is checked against a primary source. Statutes are read in the current Florida Statutes on the Legislature's site, not summarized from someone else's article. Program rules come from the program itself: Citizens, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Department of Financial Services, the Florida Building Commission, county and city governments, the National Hurricane Center. Each article lists its sources at the end, and each source link is opened before the article is published.
3. Numbers come only from a source that states them. We don't invent statistics, average premiums or savings figures. If a number can't be confirmed, it's left out.
4. A licensed agent reads and approves the article before it goes live. The agent in the byline is accountable for what it says.

How we use AI writing tools

We use AI writing tools to help draft and edit articles and to check them against our style rules, the same way we use spelling and grammar tools. The tools don't decide what's true. The facts in every article are checked against the primary sources listed on it, and the licensed agent in the byline reads and approves the article before it's published.

Independence and how we're paid

Magnuson Insurance is an independent agency. We earn commissions from the insurance companies we place coverage with, which is how independent agents are paid in Florida. No company pays to be mentioned, recommended or reviewed on this site, and no article is sponsored. When we name a company, it's one we're appointed with and it's relevant to the topic. We don't rank companies or claim one is cheapest: pricing and underwriting decisions are each company's own, and they change.

Dates and updates

Every article shows the date it was published and, when it has changed in a way that matters, the date it was updated. Florida's insurance rules change often. When a statute, a program rule or a deadline in an article changes, we update the article or add a note; an older article is read against the law as it stood on its date.

Our tools and lookups

The flood zone lookup, the USDOT lookup and the business insurance lookup read public records from FEMA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Census Bureau and show what those records say. They are lookups, not determinations, and each page says so. The coverage notes in the business lookup are our working guide, not any company's appetite.

Reviews and testimonials

The reviews on this site are our customers' reviews on Google, shown as Google reported them to us, in the reviewer's words, with the good and the bad included. We don't pay for reviews or offer anything in return for them, and we don't edit them. A reviewer can ask us to take theirs off this site at any time.

What our articles are not

Our guides are general information about insurance in Florida. They aren't legal advice and they aren't a statement of what any policy covers: your policy's wording, the company's underwriting rules and Florida law decide that. Coverage can't be bound or changed through this website. Talk with a licensed agent about your own situation.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, tell us and we'll check it and fix it promptly, with a note on the article when the change matters.

• Email info@magnusonins.com with the page address and what's wrong.
• Call (863) 606-5147, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..