Florida home insurance renewal checklist.

Review wind and hurricane details

Check whether your hurricane or wind deductible changed. Florida policies may include separate deductibles or limitations that matter more than the all-perils deductible after a storm.

The hurricane deductible is typically expressed as a percentage of your dwelling limit — commonly 2, 5, or 10 percent. On a $400,000 dwelling, a 5 percent hurricane deductible means $20,000 comes out of your own pocket before coverage kicks in after a named storm. If this percentage increased at renewal, the dollar amount of your exposure may have grown even if the percentage itself looks small. Always convert the percentage to dollars and compare it against the prior year's dollar amount.

Also review whether your policy has a separate wind deductible distinct from the hurricane deductible. Some Florida policies use the hurricane deductible only for officially named storms and apply a lower wind deductible (often a flat amount) for non-named-storm wind events. Others use a single wind-and-hurricane deductible for all wind-related losses. Understanding exactly when each deductible applies affects how you would handle a claim from a tropical storm that never reached hurricane classification.

Check whether the renewal changed the trigger for the hurricane deductible. Florida law defines when the hurricane deductible applies based on the National Hurricane Center's designation, but individual policy language can vary slightly, especially in non-admitted policies. If you switched carriers, do not assume the trigger language is identical to what you had before.

Ask about mitigation discounts

Florida homeowners may qualify for premium discounts tied to hurricane loss mitigation features. Ask whether the renewal reflects your current roof, opening protection, roof-to-wall connections, and any completed inspections or improvements.

Florida has some of the most robust wind mitigation discount systems in the country. The discounts are tied to the results of a standardized wind mitigation inspection (form OIR-B1-1802), which grades your home on factors including roof covering material, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection type, roof shape, and opening protection (shutters, impact-resistant windows, garage door rating). The combined discount on the wind portion of your premium can be substantial — in some cases exceeding 40 percent of the wind component.

If you have recently replaced your roof, installed hurricane shutters, added impact-resistant windows, or upgraded your garage door, your wind mitigation inspection results may have changed. An updated inspection can capture these improvements and potentially reduce your premium. The inspection must be performed by a licensed contractor, engineer, architect, or inspector. Results are valid for five years.

If your insurer is not applying wind mitigation discounts that you believe you qualify for, request a copy of the inspection results on file with the insurer and compare them against your current home's features. Errors in recorded wind mitigation results are not uncommon and can cost homeowners hundreds of dollars per year in missed discounts.

Compare before reducing coverage

If the renewal is painful, do not reduce coverage blindly. Compare dwelling limits, replacement-cost terms, roof settlement terms, water coverage, and exclusions before choosing a cheaper option.

The most significant coverage tradeoffs in Florida are often around roof settlement terms. A policy that covers your roof at replacement cost (RCV) will pay to replace a damaged roof with new materials at current prices. A policy that covers your roof at actual cash value (ACV) or through an age-based schedule will subtract depreciation, potentially leaving you with a fraction of the actual replacement cost. On a 12-year-old roof, an ACV settlement might pay 40 to 50 cents on the dollar compared to what replacement actually costs.

Water damage coverage is another key area. Florida has seen significant disputes about assignment of benefits (AOB) in water damage claims, and some insurers have tightened their water coverage terms. Read the policy language carefully to understand what types of water events are covered — burst pipes, appliance leaks, and roof leaks from a covered wind event may be treated differently under different policies.

Loss-of-use coverage (Coverage D) provides funds for temporary housing if your home is uninhabitable after a covered loss. After a major hurricane, this coverage can be needed for many months. Compare both the dollar limit and the time limit of loss-of-use coverage when evaluating quotes, not just the premium.

Official Florida resources

• Florida CFO homeowners insurance overview
• Florida homeowners insurance FAQs
• Florida OIR CHOICES rate comparison search

Contribute to the tracker

If you are a Florida homeowner, you can add your renewal change anonymously. RateReceipt asks only for Florida, renewal month, and two annual premium totals.

Florida has some of the highest homeowners insurance premiums in the country, and individual renewal increases can be difficult to contextualize without broader data. Anonymous submissions from Florida homeowners help build a picture of what is happening statewide across different counties, roof ages, and construction types.

Florida-specific items to check

• Hurricane deductible: usually 2%–10% of your dwelling limit, and in Florida it generally applies only once per calendar year.
• Roof age: older roofs can trigger nonrenewal or actual-cash-value roof settlement; have your roof's age and any updates documented.
• Wind mitigation: a wind-mitigation inspection (form OIR-B1-1802) can lower the wind portion of your premium.
• My Safe Florida Home: the state program has offered free inspections and matching mitigation grants.
• Last resort: Citizens Property Insurance is the state-backed insurer of last resort when private coverage is unavailable.

In addition to those key items, confirm whether your policy includes or excludes sinkhole coverage beyond the required catastrophic ground cover collapse protection. Check whether any flood exclusion language changed — standard homeowners policies do not cover flooding from outside the home, but some insurers define the boundary between wind-driven rain and flood differently, which can matter enormously during hurricane claims.

Review any discounts listed on your declarations page. Common Florida discounts include those for roof-to-wall connections (clips, single wraps, double wraps), roof shape (hip roofs generally score better than gable roofs), and new construction. If a discount that appeared last year is missing from this year's declarations, ask your insurer to explain the removal before accepting the renewal.

Why two similar Florida homes can pay very different prices

Florida pricing leans heavily on roof age, construction, wind-mitigation features, and prior claims at the property. Two neighbors with different roof ages or mitigation features can see very different renewals even on the same street.

Roof age is perhaps the single most significant factor. Many Florida insurers will not renew a policy on a roof that is 15 years old or older, and some require the roof to be under 10 years old. A home with a 5-year-old roof and documented wind mitigation features — hip shape, double wraps, impact windows, reinforced garage door — can pay dramatically less than an identical home across the street with a 14-year-old gable roof and basic shutters.

Claims history at the property level also affects pricing in Florida. Some insurers use property-specific claims data, meaning that claims made by a prior owner of your home can influence the rate you pay today. Reviewing the CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report for your property can reveal what claims history may be affecting your premium.

Before paying, compare your own annual premium year over year and confirm whether the hurricane deductible percentage or roof settlement terms changed. See the Florida renewal tracker for more.

Citizens Property Insurance: eligibility and how to avoid it

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is Florida's state-backed insurer of last resort. It was created to serve homeowners who cannot obtain coverage in the private market at a reasonable price. Citizens is not a preferred option for most homeowners — it is generally more restrictive in some areas of coverage, subject to special assessments when there are major losses, and carries a mandated "glide path" rate structure that limits how fast rates can increase in any given year, which has at times kept Citizens rates below market rates.

Eligibility for Citizens requires that either no private insurer is willing to insure your home at all, or that the cheapest available private market premium exceeds Citizens' rate by more than 20 percent. This 20 percent threshold is sometimes called the "glide path" eligibility test. If a private insurer will write your policy for within 20 percent of Citizens' rate, you are generally not eligible for Citizens.

The Florida OIR operates the CHOICES rate comparison tool, which allows homeowners to compare sample premiums from multiple insurers for their county and home characteristics. This tool can help you determine whether you genuinely need Citizens or whether a private market option is within reach. The OIR also publishes insurer financial stability data that can inform your evaluation of a smaller regional carrier.

Citizens operates a "takeout" program where private carriers can offer to assume Citizens policies. If your Citizens policy is selected for a takeout, you will receive a notice offering you coverage from a private insurer. Carefully compare the private insurer's terms before deciding whether to move or stay with Citizens. If the private insurer's rates and terms are acceptable, the takeout may be advantageous since the private insurer may offer broader coverage. If you choose to stay with Citizens, you retain that right, but future eligibility requirements may change.

Wind mitigation inspection: what it covers and how to get one

The Florida OIR Wind Mitigation Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) is a standardized document used throughout the Florida insurance market. It grades your home on six primary categories that influence how well the structure is likely to withstand hurricane-force winds. Understanding each category helps you know which home improvements might yield the highest insurance discount.

The six graded categories are: roof covering (the material and whether it meets current code), roof deck attachment (how the roof sheathing is nailed to the structural framing — the number and spacing of nails matters), roof-to-wall attachment (whether the connection is toenails only, clips, single wraps, double wraps, or structural wraps — each level increases wind resistance), roof shape (hip roofs, which slope on all four sides, score better than gable roofs, which have triangular end walls), opening protection (whether windows, doors, and especially garage doors are protected with shutters, impact-resistant glass, or impact-rated products), and wall construction type (CBS — concrete block — generally scores better than wood frame for wind resistance).

A licensed contractor, general contractor, engineer, architect, or wind mitigation inspector can perform the inspection. Results are valid for five years, after which the inspection must be renewed. The discount on the wind portion of the premium can range from 10 to 45 percent depending on the combination of features. In Florida, where the wind component often represents a significant share of total premium, this discount matters considerably.

The My Safe Florida Home program has at various times offered both free wind mitigation inspections and matching grants for eligible homeowners to fund improvements such as opening protection and roof covering upgrades. Check the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Financial Services for the current status of the program, as funding availability changes from year to year. If the program is active, the combination of a free inspection and a funded improvement can produce meaningful and lasting premium reductions.

Roof age rules and how they affect your policy

Roof age is one of the most consequential underwriting factors in the Florida homeowners insurance market. Many insurers require that a roof be less than 15 years old to renew a policy, and some set the threshold even lower — at 10 or 12 years. When a roof reaches the age limit, the insurer may decline to renew, offer a renewal only with ACV (actual cash value) roof settlement instead of replacement cost, or require a roof inspection before agreeing to renew.

If your roof is approaching the age threshold used by your insurer, proactive documentation can help. A certified roof inspector can provide a written report assessing the roof's current condition and estimated remaining useful life. In some cases, a condition-based report showing that a roof in good repair has significant life remaining has persuaded insurers to extend coverage even when the roof's age alone would normally trigger a nonrenewal. If your roof was installed with a longer-life material — metal roofing, concrete tile, or high-quality architectural shingles rated for 30 or more years — document the product specifications as well as the installation date.

Florida law has addressed some insurer conduct around roofs. Senate Bill 2-D, passed in 2022, prohibited insurers from refusing to renew coverage on a home solely because the roof was within 5 years of the end of its expected useful life, provided the roof passes an inspection. Senate Bill 2-A in 2023 further addressed fraud in the roofing industry and assignment-of-benefits abuse that had driven up claims costs. These legislative changes are part of an ongoing effort to stabilize the Florida insurance market, but individual insurer underwriting guidelines still vary significantly and should be verified with your specific carrier.

When a roof shifts from replacement cost coverage to actual cash value coverage at renewal, the financial impact on a future claim can be dramatic. An 18-year-old roof on a 20-year expected life cycle might receive only 10 percent of replacement cost under ACV. If that roof requires full replacement after a wind event and replacement costs $22,000, ACV might yield $2,200 — meaning the homeowner would need to cover $19,800 out of pocket beyond the deductible. This is the scenario that makes roof coverage terms as important as the total premium when evaluating a Florida renewal.

Sinkhole and catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage

Florida sits atop limestone geology that is particularly susceptible to sinkhole formation. As water erodes the limestone below ground, subsurface voids can develop. When the ground above collapses into those voids, the result can range from minor surface settling to catastrophic property damage. Florida's unique geology makes this a coverage question that does not exist in most other states.

Florida law distinguishes between two related coverages. Catastrophic ground cover collapse (CGCC) is required to be included in standard Florida homeowners policies. CGCC covers situations where there is an abrupt collapse of the ground into a void, resulting in visible damage to the structure and the structure being condemned. This is a relatively high bar — gradual settling that damages a foundation over time does not typically qualify as CGCC.

Sinkhole coverage is a separate, optional endorsement that covers loss resulting from sinkhole activity, which is defined more broadly to include gradual settlement and structural damage caused by subsurface void formation even before an abrupt collapse. This additional coverage is particularly relevant for homeowners in counties with high documented sinkhole activity, including Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, which have historically had the highest concentration of sinkhole claims in the state. The Florida Department of Financial Services publishes data on sinkhole-prone areas.

Check your renewal to confirm whether sinkhole coverage is included or excluded, and whether your county's geology warrants adding it. Sinkhole coverage does add to the premium, sometimes significantly in high-risk counties, but the cost of remediating sinkhole damage without coverage can be extremely high. If your policy does not include sinkhole coverage and you are in a susceptible area, ask your agent to quote the cost of adding it. Some insurers decline to write sinkhole coverage in the highest-risk counties, which may require turning to the surplus lines market or Citizens for that specific endorsement.