Harrison County moves to file insurance claim for courthouse flood and votes to buy down property deductibles

HARRISON COUNTY, Miss. — County staff told the Board of Supervisors on May 5 that data from the courthouse flood assessment has been collected and forwarded to the county's insurance adjuster, and recommended filing an insurance claim rather than paying entirely out of pocket.

Jennifer, the county's insurance coordinator, and consultant Frank Bordeaux briefed the board on cleanup and restoration costs and said the county's deductible under the prior carrier is around $100,000. The insurance advisor recommended filing a claim; "if you're going to have a claim, that's a good time to have a claim," the advisor said, explaining how loss history affects future premiums.

Separately, staff presented an option to purchase a deductible buy‑down with the county's new insurance program (referred to in the meeting as "Coast Guard Pro"). The board was presented with quotes showing potential reductions of the deductible schedule: for example, lowering a 3% per‑building deductible toward 1% at a quoted premium of $256,009.89 for the schedule in the presentation. Staff said the new policy applies deductibles per unit rather than to the total insurable value, which changes exposure calculations.

Board action and why it matters After discussion about the claim and the buy‑down cost and structure, the board voted in favor of purchasing the deductible buy‑down. Staff said they will continue to coordinate with the county's adjuster, Jennifer, and consultant on claim tracking and to monitor the potential size of the loss compared with the county's $100,000 deductible under a previous carrier.

Ending Staff will remain engaged with the adjuster and the insurer on claims review and will return to the board with updates on the courthouse restoration and claim handling.