Last year, Citizens also provided a one-day orientation session for its adjusters, said Justin Glover, a Citizens' spokesman. Licensing verification is done by the adjusting firm that hires the adjusters, he added. Citizens can double-check the license status on the Department of Financial Services website.

Despite those efforts, regulators have received 3,170 consumer complaints from South Floridians about adjusters stemming from just Wilma, with nearly 500 other complaints specifically about unsatisfactory settlement offers, according to the DFS.

``Lack of training and lack of knowledge of Florida insurance laws are the primary problems when you bring in these storm troopers,'' said Richard Wilson, a Tampa attorney who works with homeowners contesting insurance settlements.

Swain said the first adjuster to visit his home disappeared. Only after Swain filed a complaint with the DFS, which contacted Citizens, did another adjuster provide a settlement offer to repair his house.

However, Swain says the $22,000 offered is far from sufficient. He says he spent $13,800 to remove the ficus trees that crashed into his house - an expensive job because of the trees' massive size and the specialized, time-consuming work needed to avoid further damage to the house. Swain also has estimates from three contractors for the repair work, ranging from $31,000 to more than $50,000.

Initially, the second adjuster told him that he could reopen his claim if he needed more money to complete repairs, but a third adjuster said that Swain has Citizens' final offer.

His claim is now in mediation, and he is waiting for an estimate from a fourth contractor for the repair work. Citizens told Swain that yet another adjuster would visit.

Wilson says consumers are often left with settlement offers that are too low to cover repairs because these outside adjusters are not familiar with current prices for building materials and labor. Other experts say adjusters are using outdated or incorrect software for estimating rebuilding costs. Less experienced adjusters also can miss damage.

Adjusters typically use software provided by the insurance company that should incorporate current pricing for building materials and labor to calculate the cost of repairs to a damaged home. Adjusters work for a flat daily fee, so they don't benefit from providing low-ball estimates. But insurance companies can save money on claims if low estimates are accepted. It is important for consumers to know that they can contest these offers.

Steve Kanstoroom, an insurance activist who has been working with victims of Hurricane Isabel in Maryland for three years, found that adjusters working there for the Federal Emergency Management Administration to settle flood-insurance claims were using prices for materials and labor that were for new construction. Such costs are lower than for rebuilding existing homes.

When it comes to Wilma, ``same story, different storm,'' Kanstoroom said. He added that adjusters and their insurers will typically settle small claims quickly, but when the bill tops $15,000 to $20,000, negotiations get tougher and disagreements arise.

Sharon Davis needs to repair roof and interior damage after Wilma ripped through the Florida room of her Wilton Manors home. An adjuster visited her in December, nearly two months after the storm hit - and after she complained to Sen. Klein's office. ``It's been pretty much a nightmare,'' Davis says.

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