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Top-Ranked Insurance Lawyers in Winter Haven, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.27 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked insurance lawyers in Winter Haven, Florida are Stephen Keener Brooks (LexRank 80.00), Sherri Lynn Scarborough (79.00) and Robert Matthew Paine (73.60).

This ranking lists 7 insurance lawyers in Winter Haven, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 5 to 40 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
7
Fully verified
7 of 7

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Stephen Keener Brooks

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.7)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)
  2. No change

    Sherri Lynn Scarborough

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 33 years experience
    • Insurance · Personal Injury
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 79.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Reputation (4/20). 1.00 points behind #1, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.7)
    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 0.6)

    1.00 points behind #1 (Stephen Keener Brooks): Practice-area relevance −5.

  3. No change

    Robert Matthew Paine

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 39 years experience
    • Insurance · Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 73.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (0/20). 5.40 points behind #2, mostly reputation.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 19.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)

    5.40 points behind #2 (Sherri Lynn Scarborough): Reputation −4, Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  4. No change

    Nicholas Thaddeus Zbrzeznj

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 66.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (16.8/30). 6.80 points behind #3, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)
    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 19.7)

    6.80 points behind #3 (Robert Matthew Paine): Experience −13.2.

  5. No change

    Lydia Sturgis Zbrzeznj

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Insurance · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 61.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (16.8/30). 5.00 points behind #4, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)
    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 19.7)

    5.00 points behind #4 (Nicholas Thaddeus Zbrzeznj): Practice-area relevance −5.

  6. No change

    Jacquelyn Marla Codd

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 7 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 58.40: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (8.4/30). 3.40 points behind #5, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 16.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)
    • Experience 8.4/30 (ranking avg 19.7)

    3.40 points behind #5 (Lydia Sturgis Zbrzeznj): Experience −8.4.

  7. No change

    Denise Rayna Tessier “Denise”

    Independent practice · Winter Haven, FL

    Verified
    • 5 years experience
    • Guardianship · Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 49.33: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (6/30). 9.07 points behind #6, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.6)
    • Experience 6/30 (ranking avg 19.7)

    9.07 points behind #6 (Jacquelyn Marla Codd): Practice-area relevance −6.7, Experience −2.4.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 7 profile pages72 facts for 7 lawyers

Insurance market in Winter Haven

LexRanked tracks 7 lawyers in insurance law in Winter Haven, Florida. 7 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
7
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
7 of 7
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
14 years7 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Winter Haven

What sets these Winter Haven lawyers apart

Every lawyer in this ranking has a The Florida Bar license verified as eligible to practice, and every fact shown links to its source. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 7 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 5 to 40 (median 14)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Florida Coastal School of Law (2 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Winter Haven office address and insurance as a practice area on record. It compares 7 insurance lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in insurance, so the practice area is the one each lawyer lists on their Florida Bar profile, which The Florida Bar does not review. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

A Florida homeowner must give the insurer notice of a property insurance claim within 1 year after the date of loss, and a lawsuit for breach of the policy must be filed within 5 years of the loss.

Rule What it means
Notice of a property claim A new or reopened claim is barred unless notice reaches the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss; a supplemental claim within 18 months (Fla. Stat. § 627.70132(2))
Hurricane date of loss For hurricanes and other weather events, the date of loss is the landfall date or the date NOAA verifies the event (§ 627.70132(3))
Insurer response The insurer must acknowledge a claim communication within 7 days and pay or deny a property claim within 60 days after notice (§ 627.70131(1) and (7))
Lawsuit deadline 5 years from the date of loss for breach of a property insurance contract (§ 95.11(2)(e))
Bad faith An insured may sue an insurer that did not attempt in good faith to settle a claim, after 60 days written notice to the Department of Financial Services and the insurer (§ 624.155)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Polk County is in Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to report a property insurance claim in Florida?

1 year after the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, and 18 months for a supplemental claim (section 627.70132). For a hurricane, the date of loss is the date it made landfall.

How long does my insurer have to pay or deny a claim?

60 days after it receives notice of the claim, unless factors beyond its control prevent it (section 627.70131(7)).

What is a civil remedy notice?

A written notice on a Department of Financial Services form that must be filed 60 days before a bad-faith lawsuit under section 624.155. No suit lies if the insurer pays or corrects the problem within those 60 days.

How long do I have to sue my insurance company?

5 years from the date of loss for breach of a property insurance contract (section 95.11(2)(e)), but the claim itself must first be reported within 1 year.

Which court handles cases in Winter Haven?

State court cases in Polk County are heard in Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

7 of the 7 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Stephen Keener Brooks, Sherri Lynn Scarborough, Robert Matthew Paine, Nicholas Thaddeus Zbrzeznj and Lydia Sturgis Zbrzeznj and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Stephen Keener Brooks scores 80.00 and Sherri Lynn Scarborough 79.00, a gap of 1.00 points, mostly in practice-area relevance. Compare them side by side

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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