Does florida require hurricane insurance?

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Ryann Boehm asked a question: Does florida require hurricane insurance?
Asked By: Ryann Boehm
Date created: Wed, Dec 2, 2020 1:37 AM
Date updated: Fri, Dec 2, 2022 12:34 AM

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Top best answers to the question «Does florida require hurricane insurance»

Despite the high risk, Florida doesn't specifically require hurricane insurance. That's because hurricane insurance isn't a separate policy you can purchase. It's included in a standard property insurance policy.

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In Florida, hurricane insurance is required for people who own and carry a mortgage on houses or condos, including landlords, in the form of a windstorm insurance policy. The Florida legislature began requiring this policy, which is bundled into Florida homeowners , condo and landlord insurance policies at the time of purchase.

Florida law requires property insurance policies to include coverage for damage caused by wind during a storm that the National Hurricane Center declares to be a hurricane. Policyholders are eligible for premium discounts for installing certain wind resistant features on their homes.

• Hurricane coverage in Florida does not cover flooding, which can occur from heavy rainfall or storm surge. You will need a separate flood insurance policy (which we cover in depth here). • So when does your policy actually apply? Florida law is highly specific.

In Texas, just like in Florida, the state allows insurance companies to apply hurricane deductibles onto homeowner’s policies. Every state’s insurance department will have its own regulations that insurance companies must follow.

The Law. Florida law requires property insurers to offer hurricane windstorm coverage on standard homeowner's insurance coverage except, in some cases, in high-risk areas of the state. This means that insurers must offer windstorm coverage or not offer coverage at all.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. Florida is vulnerable to storms that approach from the Atlantic Ocean as well as through the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes bring extensive damage due to heavy winds, torrential downpours, and flooding. Fortunately, most Floridians are covered by hurricane insurance.

In Florida, along with 17 other hurricane-prone states, insurers can automatically tack on a hurricane deductible to a homeowner's policy. The deductible ranges from 1 to 5 percent of the value of a home. It applies to damage specific to hurricanes and is triggered by specific criteria, such as severe weather alerts.

Florida Building Code changed 3/2012, any new home constructed after that time MUST have opening protection in order to get insurance. So does any remodel of over 50% of the building. This new code applies to all homes in the wind-borne debris region , which in our area extends from the Gulf of Mexico to I-75.

Things are a bit more complicated for condominiums. As a result of the 2004-05 hurricanes, the Florida Legislature amended the Florida Condominium Act (Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes) to impose a “one size fits all” program for insuring condominium buildings.

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