Water, flood and storm damage insurance in Florida

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your policy wording controls what is covered.

Flood or wind: the first question

Most coverage disputes after a storm or a week of heavy rain come down to how the water got in.

FEMA notes that most homeowners policies do not cover flood, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management says manufactured home insurance does not inherently cover flooding either. Flood insurance is a separate policy for the building, its contents, or both. National Flood Insurance Program policies typically take 30 days to take effect, so buying one when the rain starts is too late. FEMA's NFIP line is (877) 336-2627.

When both wind and flood damage a home, document them separately: photos of the roof and window damage, and photos of the water line on walls.

Manufactured homes

About 38.9 percent of Okeechobee County's housing units are mobile homes, so these rules matter here. Florida Statute 320.8325 makes the owner responsible for installing the home according to state rules, and says insurers may write windstorm coverage only for homes installed that way. The same section also says that if an insured home is damaged by windstorm in a way that suggests improper installation, the insurer is not relieved of its policy obligations on that basis. Keep installation paperwork, permits and any tie-down inspection records with your policy.

The hurricane deductible, and the two-storm year

In 2004, Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne struck Okeechobee County three weeks apart. The National Weather Service counted 24 residences destroyed in Frances, then 565 destroyed and 1,111 with major damage in Jeanne. Florida's hurricane deductible rules address seasons like that. According to the Department of Financial Services:

• Insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent or 10 percent of the dwelling limit, with exceptions by home value, and the policy must show the deductible as a dollar amount.
• It applies to windstorm losses from the time a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning ends.
• It applies once per calendar year with the same insurer. For a second hurricane in that year, you pay the greater of the remaining hurricane deductible or the regular deductible.
• DFS recommends filing even when damage seems to fall below the deductible, so the amount is credited toward it.

As an illustration only, on a home insured for $193,000, about the county's median owner-occupied home value, a 2 percent deductible would be $3,860 and a 5 percent deductible would be $9,650.

Call about storm or flood damage

Deadlines on both sides

• Your deadline: notice of a new or reopened claim within 1 year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months. For hurricanes, the date of loss is landfall; for other windstorms and severe rain, the date the event is verified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• The insurer's deadlines: under Florida's 2022 reforms, generally acknowledge and begin investigating within 7 days, inspect within 30 days, and pay or deny within 60 days, with extensions possible in declared emergencies.
• Adjuster's estimate: within 7 days of assigning an adjuster, the insurer must tell you that you can request a copy of the detailed estimate.

Documenting the claim

1. Stop further damage with tarps, water shutoff and drying, and keep receipts.
2. Photograph and video every room, the cause and the water line before cleanup, including outbuildings.
3. Report the claim and record the claim number and every contact.
4. List damaged contents with approximate age and value.
5. Compare the adjuster's estimate with the provider's itemized scope.

If you disagree

The Department of Financial Services Consumer Helpline, 1-877-693-5236, takes questions and complaints. Its residential property mediation program covers houses, mobile homes and condominiums when the dispute is $500 or more after the deductible. The insurer pays the $350 cost, the conference is scheduled within 21 days of a mediator being assigned, and the outcome is not binding.

Contractors, licenses and your benefits

• Assignment of benefits. For residential policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, post-loss benefits cannot be assigned to a contractor, so the claim stays in your name.
• Licensing. Florida exempts minor work under $2,500 total, but not if it is part of a larger job or split up to avoid licensing. Roof, plumbing and electrical repairs need licensed contractors; tarping and debris removal do not, according to DBPR.
• Verify licenses at MyFloridaLicense.com or (850) 487-1395, and report unlicensed activity to (866) 532-1440.
• Pay as work is done, not all upfront.