I used to be celebrating a win over a loopy case at a Florida Affiliation of Public Insurance coverage Adjusters (FAPIA) assembly within the late Nineteen Nineties. My consumer’s soon-to-be ex-husband, who was not on the title to the property, appeared to have burned down the household residence—the police arrested him a block away from the home whereas he was sitting on a park bench with three empty gasoline cans subsequent to him. The insurance coverage firm lastly agreed to pay the complete declare to my consumer earlier within the day. I used to be very jubilant.
Mark Boardman got here as much as me and requested, “Chip, what’s your final purpose?” I instructed him, “To be the perfect.” For over 25 years, Boardman has been reminding me of that day. He could be needling me and asking how I’m coming together with reaching that purpose.
I’m going to overlook telling him about my successes and failures. I’m going to overlook going as much as Gator soccer video games and visiting with him and Karen at their primary Gator-decorated home. I’m going to overlook speaking about Gator basketball with Mark. I’m going to overlook speaking concerning the upcoming political agenda in Tallahassee, the place he all the time appeared to have insider information.
My lately written suggestion about public adjusters having to boost the bar to acquire a license will not be a brand new thought. I voiced it as soon as to Mark Boardman, and he did one thing about it. He responded with the concept public adjusters must be required to have an apprentice interval earlier than they follow public adjusting and obtain a full license. I believed it was a terrific thought. I instructed him that I doubted if he might ever get it by the legislature or get hold of sufficient help to make it a actuality. He wrote the legislation, lobbied for it and appeared to get the Florida public adjuster apprentice legislation handed virtually by himself.
Mark liked to poke at and needle others. He was particularly gifted at doing this to the opposing coach at Gator basketball video games. I liked it when he invited me to attend video games with him as a result of his seats had been proper behind the opposing crew’s coach. The everyday dialogue would normally comprise a few of the following:
“Coach, your guard seems to be fairly drained, do you assume it’s time to present him a breather?”
“Coach, it is advisable to hold beneath management, centered and never get upset with the ref’s horrible calls.”
“You’re doing nice, Coach. Simply hold ignoring the scoreboard and give attention to the basics.”
“I like your composure—most coaches could be dropping it after these previous couple of calls.”
“That was a daring name Coach, not what I anticipated. You have to see one thing we don’t. Too unhealthy it didn’t work.”
“Coach, is your zone protection meant to depart that shooter open within the nook?”
“Seems to be like your bench is admittedly quiet tonight—are they okay?”
It might go on like that your complete recreation. Most coaches would snicker. Some would get upset after which crack a smile. One rotated and shook Mark’s hand.
Mark’s father was a lobbyist for Florida’s Dairy Farmers. Mark discovered nicely and used this data to assist FAPIA. He would invite me as much as Tallahassee and all the time to the Governor’s Membership to fulfill lobbyists and politicians. Mark appeared to know all of them. He was instrumental in acquiring FAPIA’s first lobbyist, Previous Senate President Ken Plante.
Mark’s lobbying efforts had been on his personal time and dime. He did it as a labor of affection, supporting all public adjusters and policyholder rights. Mark Boardman was all the time in Tallahassee combating and testifying concerning the nuanced insurance coverage points that matter. He did this for about three a long time. A lot of this work was completed with no fanfare and infrequently with out appreciation.
Mark was actually not afraid to publicly focus on and debate his views and opinions. Conferences between Mark and different public adjusters about the precise plan of action would change into fairly pointed, if not near combative. An instance of him publicly explaining his views was in an Insurance coverage Journal article about impartial adjusters wrongly having their stories modified by desk adjusters:
‘It’s extraordinarily widespread,’ mentioned Mark Boardman, president of Claims Administration Providers Inc., primarily based in Maitland, Florida. ‘Can I show it? No. However I’ve had quite a lot of anecdotal conversations with adjusters about it.’
Impartial adjusters are completely different from public adjusters, and are sometimes employed by insurance coverage corporations to complement in-house adjustment workers. Till now, many have been reluctant to talk out concerning the purported practices, fearing that they might lose out on insurance coverage firm enterprise, Boardman defined.
Each public adjuster in Florida ought to pause for a second to thank Mark for the contributions he made for different public adjusters. I had the prospect to say so privately to him after I discovered how sick he turned. He gave the impression to be appreciative and advised that everyone ought to give again by taking part extra in politics to any extent they’ll.
Going to Gainesville for soccer video games and basketball is not going to be the identical with out my previous Gator buddy. Going to the Governor’s Membership and into legislative rooms in Tallahassee with out Mark being there or calling to counsel a approach to politically deal with a problem will appear completely different sooner or later. I assume in the long run, when our pals cross, all we have now left are recollections of them, these occasions, these intimate discussions, the frequent challenges we confronted, and the occasions we shared with one another.
Thought For The Day
“Typically you’ll by no means know the worth of a second till it turns into a reminiscence.”
— Dr. Seuss