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State-created insurer · Florida

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Florida)

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What Citizens is

Citizens says the Florida Legislature created it in August 2002 "as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, government entity to provide property insurance to eligible Florida property owners unable to find insurance coverage in the private market." The law that governs it is s. 627.351(6), Florida Statutes. The law calls Citizens "a government entity that is an integral part of the state, and that is not a private insurance company."

A board of governors runs Citizens under a Plan of Operation approved by the Florida Financial Services Commission. That commission is made up of the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture. Citizens' premiums fund it, but Florida law requires assessments if it runs a deficit after a severe storm (see below).

This site is not Citizens and has no connection to it. We explain the rules from Citizens' own pages and Florida law. For anything about your own policy, contact Citizens or your agent. [1][8]

Contact, myPolicy, payments and claims

• Phone (claims, 24/7, and customer care): (866) 411-2742. Customer care hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET on weekdays.
• myPolicy is Citizens' online self-service tool. Use it to report a claim, view policy documents, see claims and billing, and in some cases pay. To register you need your policy number, your property or primary ZIP code, and the email address Citizens has on file. Log in to myPolicy.
• Paying: You can pay online or by phone at (866) 411-2742 from a U.S. checking or savings account, debit or credit card, or eCheck. Citizens says card payments carry a 2.35% service fee (minimum $1) and a returned check costs $15. Regular mail payments go to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, P.O. Box 17850, Jacksonville, FL 32245-7850.
• Deaf or hard of hearing: Florida Relay, (800) 955-8771 (TTY).
• Inspector General (misconduct by Citizens employees or vendors): Tell Citizens Hotline, (800) 593-7420.

Offices. Citizens lists two offices. The Jacksonville office is at EverBank Center, 301 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 (mail to Suite 1300; visitors go to Suite 300). The Tallahassee office is Citizens Centre, 2101 Maryland Circle, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Claim mail goes to P.O. Box 19700, Jacksonville, FL 32245-9700, and other mail to P.O. Box 17219, Jacksonville, FL 32245-7219.

Policy changes or cancellation: Citizens says to contact your agent. [2][4][5]

Who is eligible

Citizens says it may write a new policy only for property that meets one of these tests:

• Coverage is not available from a Florida-authorized insurer, or
• Premiums from Florida-authorized insurers are more than 20% higher than Citizens' premium for comparable coverage.

The same 20% test applies at renewal. For a primary home, if an authorized insurer offers coverage at renewal and its premium is not more than 20% above Citizens' renewal premium, you are no longer eligible for Citizens. For homes that aren't a primary residence, the law also counts offers from approved surplus lines insurers in a takeout plan.

How agents check. Citizens runs a Clearinghouse, required by s. 627.3518, F.S. Agents use it to compare private offers before they place or renew a Citizens policy. For new business, agents may have to upload proof of prior coverage and either a quote more than 20% above the Citizens premium or proof that no offers were available. Agents must also remarket Citizens policies at each renewal. Citizens says any offer not more than 20% above the Citizens renewal premium "will result in a nonrenewal of the Citizens policy."

Value limits. By law, a home with a dwelling replacement cost of $700,000 or more isn't eligible. The same goes for a condo unit with combined dwelling and contents replacement cost of $700,000 or more. In counties where OIR finds "there is not a reasonable degree of competition," the limit is under $1 million.

Opening protection. In the "wind-borne debris region," a home with an insured value of $750,000 or more isn't eligible unless it has the opening protections the Florida Building Code requires for a newly built home in that area. The law counts a home as meeting this rule if it has "shutters or opening protections on all openings" that met the Florida Building Code when they were installed.

Only appointed Citizens agents can sell Citizens policies. Use the Agent Look-Up to find one by ZIP code or county. [3][6][8][10]

Flood insurance requirement

Florida law now requires most Citizens homeowners customers to carry separate flood insurance. Citizens says most new and renewing personal residential policies that include wind coverage must have flood coverage by Jan. 1, 2027.

• Homes in a FEMA special flood hazard area (zones such as A, AE, V, VE) must already have flood coverage.
• Homes outside those areas, by Coverage A (dwelling) value:

Exempt: Florida law exempts "policies that do not provide coverage for the peril of wind" and "policies that provide coverage under a condominium unit owners form." Citizens' flood page lists condo unit-owner policies, tenant content policies, and policies that exclude windstorm or hail coverage as not required to buy flood insurance. The tenant (renters) exemption appears on Citizens' page but not in that part of the statute, so confirm with Citizens or your agent if you rent.

Citizens says your flood coverage must at least equal your Citizens dwelling (Coverage A) limit. If the National Flood Insurance Program can't offer that much, Citizens accepts the most you're eligible for ($250,000 dwelling under the NFIP regular program). You'll need to send proof of flood coverage and a signed flood affirmation form (CIT FW01). Citizens doesn't sell flood insurance. For flood coverage, see our sister site FloodHawk. [8][9]

Inspections and older roofs

Citizens says it "requires a four-point inspection for all property owner, dwelling and mobile home applications for properties more than 20 years old." A Florida-licensed inspector checks the electrical system, plumbing, heating and cooling (HVAC) and roof. Citizens says serious hazards, such as exposed wiring or active leaks, should be repaired before an application is submitted. Our four-point inspection guide explains the inspection.

Older roofs. Citizens says roofs older than 25 years (shingle or other "soft" roofs) or 50 years ("hard" roofs such as tile, slate, clay, concrete or metal) need documentation showing at least five years of remaining useful life, from a Florida-licensed inspector's roof inspection. If the roof has less than five years left, you must show proof of a full roof replacement before Citizens writes a policy.

Citizens may also send its own field surveyor, at no cost to you, and may require you to repair hazards it finds. See Citizens' Inspections page for the current forms. [11]

What Citizens covers

Citizens sells several personal policy types:

• Homeowners (HO-3): for detached single-family homes and duplexes where the owner lives in the home as their primary residence. It covers the house, other structures, personal property, additional living expenses and personal liability.
• Modified homeowners (HO-8): Citizens calls this "a highly restricted homeowners policy form." It covers 11 named perils and excludes water damage, which Citizens says is about half of its homeowner claims. It can pay "significantly lower" claim amounts, and it may not meet your mortgage lender's requirements. Citizens says to confirm with your mortgage holder before buying.
• Dwelling fire (DP-3, DP-1): for rentals and homes that don't qualify for HO-3 or HO-8. DP-1 covers fewer named perils.
• Condo unit owners (HO-6), mobile homeowners (MHO-3), renters (HO-4, MHO-4) and mobile home dwelling policies.
• Wind-only policies (such as HW-2 for homeowners): available "in certain areas of the state when all eligibility requirements are met." They cover only wind and hail damage, such as from hurricanes and tropical storms. Citizens' Wind-Only Eligibility tool checks an address.

Limits and exclusions vary by policy. Citizens says to check your policy or ask your agent to confirm your coverage and exclusions. [9][12]

Rates in 2026

Citizens' 2026 rates went down. In a March 4, 2026 release, Citizens said the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) had set its 2026 rates. Homeowners multiperil rates dropped by an average of 8.8%, homeowners wind-only rates by an average of 5.5%, and every Citizens personal lines policyholder got a cut of at least 2%. Citizens said the rates would take effect July 1, 2026 for new policyholders and apply to existing policies when they renew. (A December 2025 Citizens release had said the 2026 rates would take effect June 1, 2026. The later release, issued after OIR set the rates, says July 1.)

Florida law also limits yearly increases. In the statute's words, Citizens "shall annually implement a rate increase which, except for sinkhole coverage, does not exceed" 15% "for 2026 and all subsequent years" "for any single policy issued by the corporation, excluding coverage changes and surcharges." The law adds other exceptions:

• Policies that don't cover a primary residence "are not subject to the rate increase limitations" but "may not be charged more than 50 percent above, nor less than, the prior year's established rate."
• Citizens "may also implement an increase to reflect the effect on the corporation of the cash buildup factor" set in another statute, s. 215.555(5)(b).
• The limits "cease for any line of business" once Citizens implements actuarially sound rates for that line.

The law requires Citizens' rates to be "actuarially sound" and "not competitive with approved rates charged in the admitted voluntary market so that the corporation functions as a residual market mechanism to provide insurance only when insurance cannot be procured in the voluntary market." [8][13][14]

Takeout offers (depopulation)

Depopulation (also called takeout) is the state-required program that moves Citizens policies to private insurers that OIR has approved. If a private company selects your policy, Citizens mails you a Depopulation Packet. It lists each offer's estimated renewal premium, your estimated Citizens renewal premium, and coverage worksheets.

• If any offer is not more than 20% above Citizens' estimated renewal premium, you can't stay with Citizens. You can only choose among the private offers.
• If you're eligible to stay, you have to register that choice by the date on your Offer Form, online or through your agent. You must answer every future offer too.
• If you don't register a choice, Citizens assigns your policy to the company with the lowest estimated premium.
• Once your policy is assumed, the move is final. Citizens says there's no longer a 30-day window to return.

Citizens said in December 2025 that depopulation had moved more than 546,000 policies to private insurers that year. OIR reports 1,883,487 policies approved for takeout in 2025. (Approved means insurers were cleared to make offers; it's not the number that moved.)

When a private insurer assumes your policy, Citizens must give you at least 45 days' written notice of nonrenewal. Citizens says your agent can help you evaluate the offers and submit your choice. It points out that private policies may offer broader coverage and carry a smaller assessment risk. [14][15][16][17][18]

Assessments: the extra risk of a Citizens policy

If a major storm leaves Citizens without enough money to pay claims, Florida law requires Citizens to charge extra:

• Citizens policyholder surcharge: up to 15% of your premium, charged only to Citizens policyholders. Citizens' example: a $3,000 premium could mean an extra $450.
• Emergency assessment: if a deficit remains, up to 10% a year of premium on nearly all Florida property and casualty policies, Citizens and private (auto, renters, boat and pet included). It lasts as long as needed to cover the deficit.

For the 2026 hurricane season, Citizens says it has at least $9.6 billion in claims-paying ability, including $2.82 billion in reinsurance. It says that's enough to pay claims after a 1-in-360-year hurricane without levying assessments. [8][19][20]

Getting back to the private market

• At each renewal, Citizens requires agents to remarket your policy to confirm there are no other options. Citizens says any private offer not more than 20% above its renewal premium "will result in a nonrenewal of the Citizens policy."
• Citizens lists the private insurers in its Clearinghouse on a Find a Carrier page.
• The Florida Market Assistance Plan (FMAP, (800) 524-9023) is a free referral service to private insurers.
• OIR's CHOICES tool shows sample average homeowners rates for model homes in each Florida county. OIR says the rates are "for illustrative purposes only."
• A wind mitigation inspection can document features that earn discounts. The My Safe Florida Home program offers free inspections to eligible homeowners.

If you can't resolve a problem with an insurance company, the Florida Department of Financial Services' Division of Consumer Services can help with concerns such as claim disputes, premium issues, and policy cancellations or nonrenewals. It asks you to contact the company first. See its Get Insurance Help page or call 1-877-693-5236. For the full Florida picture, see Homeowners Insurance in Florida. [2][3][10][21][22][23]

Questions people ask