Flood insurance in Florida
Your homeowners policy does not cover rising water.
Not storm surge. Not the canal coming over its bank. Not the water that came up the street and under your door. Flood is a separate policy, and in this state that is not a technicality.
Same storm. Two different policies.
After a hurricane, the first thing anyone works out is where the water came from. That answer decides which policy pays.
- Wind that takes the roof
- A tree through the window
- Hail
- Rain that gets in through the damage the wind just caused
Below this line, your homeowners policy pays nothing.
This is flood, and it needs its own policy- Storm surge off the Gulf or the bay
- A river, canal or lake coming over
- Street flooding and runoff after heavy rain
- Mudflow
The rule of thumb adjusters use: if the water reached your building from the outside — off the ground, off the street, out of the bay — it is a flood claim. If it came in through a hole the wind made, it is a wind claim. One storm can produce both, which is exactly why people end up with half a settlement.
Private flood, or the federal program.
Both are real options. Which one is right depends on your building, your elevation and how much cover you actually need.
Quoted online, usually in minutes.
- Priced by the carrier rather than by the federal rate tables
- Limits can go well above the federal caps
- An elevation certificate is often not required
- Waiting periods are typically shorter than the federal program’s
The federal program, through FEMA.
- Residential building coverage caps at $250,000
- Contents coverage caps at $100,000
- A 30-day waiting period applies in most cases
- Sometimes the only option, and sometimes the cheaper one
You do not have to be in a flood zone.
Zone X is not zone none. A great many Florida flood claims come from properties nobody considered at risk — and outside the high-risk zones, the coverage is usually cheaper rather than more expensive.
You cannot buy it once the storm has a name.
The federal program has a 30-day waiting period in most cases, and private carriers stop writing new business once a system is in the forecast cone. The time to sort this out is a quiet week in February.
Get a flood number in a few minutes.
The rater asks for your address and a few details about the building, then prices it. If the number looks wrong for your situation, call us and we will work out why before you buy anything.
Coverage descriptions here are summaries, not contracts. Limits, waiting periods and eligibility vary by carrier and by property — your policy language governs.