Florida Hurricane Insurance

Find the Best Hurricane Insurance Options in Florida

Hurricanes are a type of tropical cyclone or severe tropical storm. Hurricanes form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. All of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal regions, including Florida, are susceptible to hurricanes. 

Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage to coastlines and even several hundred miles inland. They can produce winds exceeding 155 miles per hour, tornadoes, and microbursts. They can also cause storm surges along coastlines and heavy rainfall. However, most hurricane damage is due to flooding and flying debris. 

For Florida homeowners, hurricanes are a real cause of concern, making insuring your Florida home more complicated and, unfortunately, more expensive.

Read on to find out more about hurricane insurance in Florida and how an independent insurance agent can make sure you're getting the coverage you need for your Florida home. 

What Are the Best Hurricane Insurance Companies in Florida? 

Hurricane insurance in Florida is part of your homeowners insurance policy. It's important to discuss your hurricane coverage with your insurance company. How do you find the right insurer for your needs? 

Here are some of the best home insurance companies in Florida. They offer a mix of valuable coverage offerings and competitive pricing. 

• Progressive: Progressive is based in Ohio but offers home insurance across all 50 states, including Florida. Florida residents can look to Progressive for most of their personal insurance needs. 
• Stillwater Insurance Group: Stillwater is a national personal and commercial lines carrier with rock-solid financial stability. The company can help you with your home insurance needs in Florida. 
• Florida Peninsula Insurance Company: Florida Peninsula offers affordable homeowners insurance in Florida. 

An independent insurance agent in your area can help you learn more about these and other Florida home insurance companies. A local agent can help you get competitive quotes for the coverage that fits your needs.

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What Does Hurricane Insurance Cover in Florida? 

Hurricanes can cause a variety of types of damage to your home. The most common damages to your home from a hurricane or tropical storm are caused by:

In general, you need hurricane insurance for property damage caused by wind and water. With a combination of homeowners insurance and flood insurance, you will have protection for some of the damage caused by a hurricane. 

How Does Hurricane Insurance Cover Wind Damage? 

Most homeowners insurance policies in Florida cover damage caused by windstorms, hurricanes, and hail unless you sign to waive the coverage specifically. If, however, your home is located in one of the highest risk areas, called wind-pool areas, windstorm coverage is likely excluded from your regular homeowners policy, and you must purchase a separate windstorm policy.

Wind-pool areas include beachfront and coastal properties that are located within 1,500 feet of a major body of water. Keep in mind that most lenders require you to carry windstorm coverage if you have a mortgage. 

What Is a Hurricane Deductible?

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, your homeowners insurance likely includes a hurricane deductible. A hurricane deductible is separate from your primary home insurance deductible and is a percentage of your home’s insured value rather than a pre-determined flat dollar figure. Only 18 states allow for hurricane deductibles, and Florida is one of them. 

Hurricane deductibles apply only when your home has been damaged by a hurricane. They are typically 1% to 5% of the home’s insured value, so if your home is insured for $250,000 and you have a 2% hurricane deductible, you would have to pay the first $6,250 to repair damage to your home before your insurance coverage kicks in. 

Hurricane deductibles are subject to a “coverage trigger.” This means the hurricane deductible will only apply if that trigger comes into play. 

Florida law requires hurricane deductibles to be triggered by windstorm losses resulting only from hurricanes declared by the National Weather Service. Hurricane deductibles apply for damage that occurs from the time a hurricane watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida, up to 72 hours after such a watch or warning ends, and any time hurricane conditions exist throughout the state.

A Florida hurricane deductible applies only once during a hurricane season. If you are unfortunate enough to have damage caused by more than one named storm in a season, you’ll only have to pay the hurricane deductible once. 

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How Does Hurricane Insurance Cover Flood Damage? 

Your Florida homeowners insurance does not provide coverage for damage to your home and property due to floods, including flooding caused by hurricanes. Rather, you can get flood insurance offered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a federal program created by Congress in 1968 to help homeowners protect themselves from the financial devastation of floods. Homeowners, renters, condo owners, and business owners can buy NFIP flood insurance. 

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, Florida has about 1.7 million flood insurance policies in force, representing nearly 35% of all policies nationwide.

Keep in mind that there are a few private insurance companies in Florida that sell flood insurance. Here are two that we recommend:

• Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
• Progressive

A local independent insurance agent can help you decide whether NFIP or private flood insurance is best for your needs. 

How Much Does Hurricane Insurance Cost in Florida?

To get the best coverage for hurricane damage in Florida, you'll need a combination of homeowners insurance and flood insurance.

Florida has the most expensive home insurance in the nation, with an average annual cost of $2,437. Of course, the cost of insuring your unique home will depend on many factors, such as its size, age, location, and more. 

Flood insurance in Florida costs around $592 per year, on average. Again, many factors determine your cost for flood insurance, most importantly the flood risk for your home's location. 

An independent insurance agent in Florida can help you review your home and flood insurance options and help you find the most affordable coverage that also meets your needs. 

Florida Hurricane Insurance FAQs