Home › States › Florida

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What homeowners insurance costs in Florida: average premium, 2023 $2,779 a year in Florida vs. $1,737 countrywide · 3rd highest of 51 · All states (HO-3 policies; NAIC)

Florida's insurance market right now

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is the state agency that regulates insurers. Its market page, with data as of September 2026, reports:

• 7.71 million residential insurance policies in force.
• An average admitted-market homeowners premium of $3,736 including wind and $2,124 excluding wind. ("Admitted" means an insurer licensed and regulated by the state.)
• 1,883,487 policies approved for Citizens takeout in 2025.
• A -4.8% 30-day average requested change in homeowners rates (compared with -1.1% a year earlier).

OIR lists the main reform laws as SB 2A (December 2022 special session), SB 2D and SB 4D (May 2022 special session), HB 799, HB 837 and others in 2023, and HB 1611 in 2024. After these reforms, OIR says it has approved "twenty-one additional property & casualty insurers to enter Florida's market." Citizens, in a June 2026 release, put the number at 20 new companies since 2022.

Citizens' own count fell from a peak of 1,407,805 policies on Sept. 30, 2023 to 254,413 as of Oct. 9, 2026. In June 2026, when it had about 274,000 policies, Citizens said that was about 2% of the Florida residential property insurance market.

Hurricane Isaias (October 2026). Citizens said on Oct. 7, 2026 that Isaias was expected to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, On Oct. 12, OIR told insurers to file Isaias catastrophe claims reports, with deadlines of Oct. 13 and Oct. 15. If your home was damaged, see the repair-period protections in the nonrenewal section below. [1][2][9][10][11]

Last resort: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

Florida's residual market is Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, a not-for-profit government entity the Legislature created in 2002. A residual market is the coverage source for people the private market won't insure; Citizens calls itself "the state's insurer of last resort."

Citizens says it may write a new policy only when:

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

Only appointed Citizens agents can sell a Citizens policy. Use Citizens' Agent Look-Up to find one. By law, homes with a dwelling replacement cost of $700,000 or more aren't eligible, except in counties where OIR finds too little competition. In those counties the limit is under $1 million.

Flood insurance is becoming mandatory for Citizens customers. Most Citizens homeowners policies that include wind coverage must also carry flood insurance. Homes in a FEMA special flood hazard area already need it. Outside those areas, the requirement has phased in by dwelling value since 2024 and reaches all policies on Jan. 1, 2027. Policies without wind coverage and condo unit-owner policies are exempt. Citizens doesn't sell flood insurance. For flood coverage, see our sister site FloodHawk.

Citizens also checks private offers again at every renewal. Our Citizens page covers eligibility, coverage, takeouts and assessments. [3][4][12][13]

If your insurer drops you or cancels

Section 627.4133 of the Florida Statutes sets the notice rules for homeowner, mobile home, condo unit and other residential policies:

• Nonrenewal, cancellation or termination: at least 120 days' written notice before it takes effect, with the reason.
• Unpaid premium: at least 10 days' written notice of cancellation, with the reason.
• First 60 days of a new policy: at least 20 days' notice, unless there was a material misstatement or misrepresentation, or you didn't meet the insurer's underwriting requirements.
• After 60 days, the insurer may cancel only for a material misstatement, nonpayment, failure to meet underwriting requirements within the first 60 days, a substantial change in the risk, or when it cancels a whole class of policyholders. It also may not cancel based on credit information in public records.
• Renewal premium: at least 45 days' written notice.
• Late notice: If the insurer doesn't give the required notice (other than the 10-day nonpayment notice), your coverage stays in force until replacement coverage starts or until the full notice period has run after the notice is given, whichever comes first.

During a hurricane. If a cancellation or nonrenewal would take effect while a hurricane is underway, it is pushed back until the hurricane ends. Under state law, a hurricane lasts from the time a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends. This doesn't apply if you already have replacement coverage in effect.

After damage. An authorized insurer may not cancel or nonrenew a damaged home:

• Until 90 days after repairs, for hurricane or wind damage covered by an emergency declaration and an order from the Commissioner of Insurance Regulation.
• For other covered damage, until repairs are done or one year after the final claim payment, whichever comes first.

Before repairs, the insurer can still cancel on 10 days' notice for nonpayment. It can also cancel on 45 days' notice for fraud or a material misstatement related to the claim, for unreasonable repair delays you caused, or if it has paid the policy limits.

Claims that can't be the reason. A claim from an "act of God" can't be used as the reason to cancel or nonrenew, unless the insurer shows you failed to take reasonable steps it asked for to prevent repeat damage. The same applies to a single water-damage claim used as the only reason.

Exceptions. OIR can approve an insurer's early cancellation plan on 45 days' notice if it finds that necessary to protect the public or policyholders, for example because of the insurer's finances. When a private insurer takes your policy out of Citizens, Citizens gives 45 days' notice of nonrenewal.

If you think a notice broke these rules, contact your insurer first. Then you can ask the Department of Financial Services (DFS) for help (see "Where to get help" below). DFS lists policy cancellations and nonrenewals among the issues it handles. [5][14][15]

Roof age: what insurers can and can't do

Florida law (s. 627.7011(5), F.S.) applies to homeowners policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2022:

• An insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because of the age of a roof that is less than 15 years old.
• If your roof is 15 years or older, the insurer must let you get a roof inspection by an authorized inspector, at your expense, before it requires a roof replacement to issue or renew.
• If that inspection shows the roof has 5 or more years of useful life left, the insurer may not refuse or nonrenew solely because of roof age.

Authorized inspectors include licensed home inspectors, building code inspectors, general, building, residential or roofing contractors, engineers and architects, if the insurer approves them. Roof age counts from the last date the whole roof was built or replaced under the building code in effect then. This rule doesn't apply to mobile home policies.

Insurers often ask for inspections of older homes. See our guides to the four-point inspection and the wind mitigation inspection. [6]

Discounts for hurricane-proofing your home

Florida law (s. 627.0629, F.S.) requires every residential property rate filing to include "actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles" for homes with features shown to reduce windstorm losses. These include roof strength, roof covering, roof-to-wall strength, wall-to-floor-to-foundation strength, and opening protection (windows, doors, skylights). Since Oct. 1, 2023, insurers must describe the hurricane mitigation discounts they offer on their websites.

You prove these features with a wind mitigation inspection on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). OIR says a new version took effect April 1, 2026, and that the form is valid for up to five years if the home has no material changes and the form has no errors. OIR also says the discount forms themselves (OIR-B1-1699, OIR-B1-1700, OIR-B1-1655) have "updates pending." Our wind mitigation inspection guide explains the form.

Mobile homes: rate filings must include discounts for mobile homes built to the ANSI/ASCE 7-88 standard that meet state tie-down rules. Insurers may give up to 10% off for a current tie-down inspection. [7][16]

Grants: My Safe Florida Home

The My Safe Florida Home program is run by the Department of Financial Services. It offers free wind mitigation inspections to eligible homesteaded, owner-occupied, site-built homes, and grants of up to $10,000 for recommended upgrades. Grants are limited to low- and moderate-income homeowners, and the home must have an insured value of $700,000 or less and be built before 2008. Most grants require you to pay $1 for every $2 from the state; low-income homeowners don't have to match.

When we checked on Oct. 13, 2026, the program website and its support center said the program "is now accepting applications" and that inspections and $10,000 grants are available. Funding depends on yearly appropriations by the Legislature. Our guide has the full rules. [17][18][19][20]

Surplus lines: coverage outside the regulated market

Florida law allows surplus lines coverage when coverage "cannot be procured from authorized insurers." It must be placed through a licensed Florida surplus lines agent. A surplus lines insurer is an insurer that isn't authorized (licensed) in Florida but that OIR has made eligible to write coverage here. Before you buy, Florida law requires you to sign or acknowledge a disclosure that says, in part, "Coverage may be available in the admitted market." It also warns that surplus lines policyholders "are not protected under the Florida Insurance Guaranty Act" if the insurer becomes insolvent, and that these insurers' "policy rates and forms are not approved by any Florida regulatory agency."

Surplus lines offers and Citizens: for a primary home, the 20% eligibility test in the Citizens law refers to offers from authorized (admitted) insurers. For homes that aren't a primary residence, it also counts offers from approved surplus lines insurers in a takeout plan. More in our surplus lines guide. [12][21][22][23]

Flood is separate

Florida law requires every homeowners policy that doesn't include flood coverage to print this warning on the declarations page: "YOUR HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE POLICY DOES NOT INCLUDE COVERAGE FOR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM FLOOD EVEN IF HURRICANE WINDS AND RAIN CAUSED THE FLOOD TO OCCUR."

Citizens customers with wind coverage must carry flood insurance under the phase-in described above. For flood zones and flood insurance, see our sister site FloodHawk. [6][13]

Where to get help

• Questions and complaints: The Department of Financial Services' Division of Consumer Services handles insurance complaints, including cancellations and nonrenewals. Call 1-877-693-5236 (toll-free in Florida) or (850) 413-3089 from out of state, or file online through the DFS Consumer Assistance Portal. DFS asks you to contact your insurer first. It says insurers have 14 days to respond once a concern is filed, and it aims to resolve issues within 30 days.
• Finding a private insurer: The Florida Market Assistance Plan (FMAP, (800) 524-9023) is a free referral service. OIR's CHOICES tool shows sample homeowners rates by county.
• Hurricane Isaias damage: DFS said on Oct. 9, 2026 that if Isaias damaged your home, you can call 1-877-693-5236 to speak with an insurance expert about post-storm claims.
• The regulator: OIR's main line is (850) 413-3140. OIR sends consumers with complaints to DFS.

[4][8][15][24][25][26]

Questions people ask