Florida Hurricane Deductible: A Complete Guide for Homeowners

Florida homeowners are at risk of severe damage from violent storms during the June through November hurricane season. State law in Florida requires insurance companies to offer hurricane deductibles to their customers.^[1] A hurricane deductible is a special deductible that applies only to hurricane losses and operates separately from your regular home insurance deductible.

Here’s what you need to know about hurricane deductibles in Florida, including how they work and interact with standard home insurance coverage.

How hurricane deductibles work in Florida

Insurers must offer hurricane deductibles as part of standard home insurance policies. Hurricane deductibles don’t replace the existing standard home insurance deductible. You can use the hurricane deductible only for hurricane damage, while your regular deductible applies to everything else.

Once the National Hurricane Center of the National Weather Service declares a storm system as a hurricane, insurance companies do, too. Your hurricane deductible applies for the duration of a hurricane. Florida law dictates that this spans from the first hurricane warning or watch issued in any part of Florida by the National Hurricane Center to 72 hours after the termination of the last hurricane watch or warning.

Hurricane vs. named storm vs. wind/hail

Storm classification matters when determining whether hurricane deductibles apply. For a storm to be classified as a hurricane, the National Hurricane Center must issue a formal hurricane declaration. Otherwise, the storm may be classified as a named storm or general wind/hail, and your hurricane deductible wouldn’t apply.^[2]

Florida law sets hurricane deductibles and their triggers for all insurers regulated by the state, also known as admitted insurers. But these regulations don’t apply to surplus line insurers, which are non-admitted and can offer peril coverage with fewer regulations.

Here’s a closer look at the different types of storms and what kind of deductible typically applies.

Trigger	Applicable Deductible	Example
NHC hurricane declaration	Hurricane	Hurricane Helene
Named storm	Named storm	Tropical Storm Claudette
General wind/hail	All other peril	Unnamed storm

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Deductible options

You have a few different options for your hurricane deductible, including a specific percentage deductible. Florida state law requires insurers to show the dollar value of your hurricane deductible on policy declaration pages.

The insurance company must offer deductible amounts that equal $500 in hurricane loss.

Alternatively, the deductible amount can equal 2%, 5%, or 10% of your policy’s dwelling coverage limits, also known as Coverage A, unless that percentage is less than $500.

Insurers must also offer alternative deductible amounts to property owners based on how much they insured their home for. You can learn more about each applicable percentage deductible scenario below.

• Homes insured for $100,000 to $249,999: Instead of a $500 deductible, insurers can offer a policy with an agreement not to non-renew coverage for one year to reduce the hurricane loss. These policies can have a deductible of up to 2%.

• Homes insured for $250,000 or more: Insurers don’t have to offer the $500 deductible option but must offer the 2%, 5%, and 10% options.

• Homes insured for less than $500,000: Insurers can offer homeowners insurance policies with deductibles higher than 10% if the policyholder agrees to sign the following statement: “I do not want the insurance on my home to pay for the first (specify dollar amount) of damage from hurricanes. I will pay those costs. My insurance will not.” If the home still has a mortgage, the lender will need to approve and sign the same written statement and specified deductible.

• Homes insured for $1 million to $3 million: Insurers can offer 3%, 5%, and 10% deductibles instead of the 2%, 5%, and 10% deductibles.

• Homes insured for more than $3 million: Insurance companies only need to offer 5% and 10% deductibles.

Role of the calendar year

Hurricane deductibles work on an annual basis, meaning that they apply to all hurricane losses that happen during the calendar year if you stay with the same insurer. If you’re insuring more than one structure under a policy, the hurricane deductible applies to each structure separately.

It’s important to always file a claim for hurricane damage — even if it’s less than your hurricane deductible. This way, your insurer can credit the amount toward your hurricane deductible.

If you experience two hurricanes in the same year and didn’t use your full deductible, a deductible will still apply for additional storms. After the first storm, your deductible amount is either your remaining hurricane deductible or your all other perils (AOP) deductible, whichever is greater.

Keep in mind that once you meet your hurricane deductible in full, you’ll be charged the AOP deductible or standard deductible for any further hurricane damage. And if you switch insurers mid-year, your hurricane deductible resets with the new insurer.

Here’s a closer look at what happens with your hurricane deductible if you have storm damage from more than one hurricane in the same calendar year:

• Scenario one: Let’s say your hurricane deductible is $4,000, and the first hurricane caused $2,000 worth of windstorm damage. You’d pay for the repairs out of pocket and have a $2,000 credit toward that year’s hurricane deductible. If a second storm hits in the same year, and your AOP deductible is only $1,000, the higher hurricane deductible balance of $2,000 would apply.

• Scenario two: If a second hurricane causes $5,000 worth of damage, you still pay the $2,000 hurricane deductible since it’s greater than your AOP deductible. The $2,000 gets applied to your $4,000 hurricane deductible, and your insurer pays the remaining $3,000 in repair costs. Once you meet your annual hurricane deductible, the AOP applies to new claims.

What your hurricane deductible covers

Your hurricane deductible covers any hurricane-related damages that occur during the official hurricane period declared by the National Weather Service. But it does exclude flooding.

The deductible applies to various covered windstorm damages and covered hurricane losses, including:

• Windows and doors: Covers replacement or repair of broken window glass, damaged doorframes, and other window and door damage from extreme hurricane winds.

• Roof: Pays for replacement or repair of missing shingles, holes, structural issues, and other damage from high winds during a hurricane.

• Home exterior: Covers replacement or repair of hurricane damage to your home’s exterior, such as broken gutters or torn siding.

• Home interior: Pays for replacement or repair of hurricane damage to the interior of your home, such as rain damage from a hole in the roof.

• Other structures: Covers repair or replacement of fences, sheds, and other structures on your property after hurricane damage.

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What it doesn’t cover

Like standard home insurance deductibles, your hurricane deductible doesn’t cover flood damage. You’ll need to buy a separate flood insurance policy from an insurer or through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). State law doesn’t require flood insurance, but your mortgage lender typically will.

Additionally, if your insurance policy covers more than one structure, the hurricane deductible applies separately to each.

How to file a home insurance claim

Filing a home insurance claim after a hurricane is basically the same process as it would be for normal home damages:

• 

  1. Know your deadline

  Under Florida law, you must file property damage claims within one year after the date of loss, so it’s important not to wait to file a claim after a hurricane — even if the amount is below your hurricane deductible.

• 

  2. Prevent any further damage to your home

  Cover broken windows, put buckets under leaking roofs, and make any other possible temporary repairs.

• 

  3. Document the storm damage

  Take pictures and video of all your damaged property, and make a list of damaged items and any documents that prove you own them.

• 

  4. Contact your insurance company

  Call your insurance agent and start the claims process. You can typically call your insurance company at any time of day, as most have 24-hour helplines.

• 

  5. An adjuster will then come to your home and assess the damage

  It’s helpful to be there when the adjuster comes to provide any useful insight.

• 

  6. Review the offer from your insurer

  If you feel the offer is adequate, then the process is over. If you feel it’s insufficient, you can file an appeal.

Other coverages to consider in Florida

If you live in Florida, you can consider some other types of insurance. First, you should have flood insurance because standard home insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. Water damage from storm surges can be extremely expensive without coverage. The National Flood NFIP offers excellent flood insurance, which you have to get anyway if you’re in a high-risk area.^[3]

It’s also a good idea to have windstorm insurance in Florida. Your standard homeowners policy might already cover wind damage, but having separate windstorm insurance can provide extra protection against hurricanes and other windstorm damage.

You may also want to consider increasing your policy limits, especially for personal belongings and personal property coverage. Hurricanes can cause extreme destruction and damage above typical policy limits. This makes your premium more expensive, but the amount of money you save during a claim is often worth it.

Florida hurricane deductible FAQs