A Florida real estate broker whose insurance claim for damaged pool lights was denied in 2024 allegedly returned the following year with a new explanation for the damage and altered paperwork supporting the repairs.
Niya Curinton Dix, 50, was arrested in Alachua County and charged with five felonies following an investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Investigators say her December 2025 claim blamed lightning for damage to the pool’s electrical system and included documents listing thousands of dollars in repair work. A pool company later told investigators that documents submitted under its name had been altered.
The case came to the attention of state investigators after Dix’s ex-husband received information about the insurance payment and questioned paperwork that he believed resembled documents from an earlier, denied claim.
The First Pool-Light Claim Was Denied
Dix filed a property-loss claim with Florida Farm Bureau in September 2024 for damage to lights in her swimming pool. A quote submitted with that claim reportedly stated that several of the lights had been flooded for a long period.
Florida Farm Bureau denied the claim because the damage did not appear to have resulted from a storm. A representative of the pool company later told investigators that the lights were known to have been damaged since at least August 2024.
Investigators also reviewed documents from the first claim and reported finding discrepancies between paperwork supplied by the pool company and documents submitted to the insurer.
The Second Claim Blamed Lightning
In December 2025, Dix submitted another claim involving the pool lights. This time, the claim stated that lightning had struck the breaker serving the pool lights and pump and damaged the computer board.
The paperwork included an October 2025 invoice attributed to the pool company and listing $13,381 in proposed work. When a Florida Department of Financial Services investigator contacted the business, a representative said the estimate and invoice submitted with the claim had been altered.
The representative said the company did not perform some of the work listed on the document, including an electrical-panel replacement. The prices listed for the lights were also allegedly higher than their actual prices.
According to the sworn complaint summarized by the Alachua Chronicle, the pool company had prepared a legitimate $1,225 quote for a leak-detection dye test and hydraulic-cement repair. Investigators say that material appeared to have been copied into the document later supplied to Florida Farm Bureau, with the price changed from $1,225 to $13,381.
Other Businesses Questioned Documents Bearing Their Names
The December claim also included an estimated $12,558 invoice attributed to Envisio Partners. Investigators determined that Envisio provides strategic-planning and performance-management services rather than pool repairs. The company did not respond to an investigative subpoena, according to the complaint.
Another affidavit was submitted using the name Before and After Projects. Its owner told investigators that his company had not performed the services listed on the document. He also said the telephone number and signature appearing on the paperwork did not belong to his business and that he considered the affidavit fraudulent.
Her Ex-Husband Questioned the Insurance Payment
The Florida Department of Financial Services received a tip on February 4, 2026, after Dix’s ex-husband received a letter concerning the December claim. He contacted Florida Farm Bureau and was reportedly told that payment had been issued in his name, Dix’s name and the mortgage company’s name.
After reviewing documents connected to the claim, he noticed that some of the pool-repair estimates appeared identical to paperwork from 2024. He also told investigators that he had not endorsed an insurance check and believed the repairs to the pool had never been completed.
Florida Farm Bureau later told investigators that the December 2025 claim had been paid electronically into an account determined to be solely owned by Dix.
She Faces Five Felony Charges
Dix was booked into the Alachua County Jail on August 8. She is charged with insurance fraud involving less than $20,000, two counts of forgery, use of another person or company’s identity and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Judge Susanne Wilson Bullard set bail at $25,000 in the warrant, and Dix was released from jail. No plea, conviction or final resolution has been reported.
Keep the Original Estimates and Invoices Behind an Insurance Claim
Property owners should submit repair estimates, receipts and contractor documents in the form provided by the business that created them. Changing a price, description of work, cause of damage, signature or company information before submitting a document to an insurer can turn a disputed claim into a potential fraud investigation.
If an insurer denies a claim, the appropriate response is to challenge the decision through the insurer’s appeal or complaint process or provide legitimate additional evidence supporting coverage. A prior denial does not justify changing documents or describing old damage as a new covered event.
Florida residents who believe an insurance claim contains fabricated or altered documents can report suspected fraud to the Florida Department of Financial Services. The department’s Bureau of Insurance Fraud investigates homeowners and other insurance fraud, and its fraud hotline is 1-800-378-0445.