Florida Insurance Market Update 2025: What Homeowners and HOAs Should Know

If you live in Florida and your home insurance just got more expensive, or got dropped entirely, you’re not alone.

In 2025, homeowners and HOAs across the state are facing a harsh insurance landscape shaped by rising premiums, stricter underwriting, and ongoing fallout from recent hurricane seasons. Even well-structured and up-to-code properties are seeing coverage limits tighten and deductibles climb.

This guide breaks down what’s happening, what’s changed in Florida law, and what practical steps you can take to stay covered and lower your risk.

Why Are Florida Homeowners Seeing Higher Insurance Rates in 2025?

Insurance rates in Florida are rising in 2025 due to a combination of higher reinsurance costs, increased storm damage payouts, ongoing litigation issues, and a shrinking pool of private carriers.

It’s not just about hurricanes, though storms like Ian and Idalia had a lasting financial impact. The larger problem is that global reinsurance (the insurance companies buy for themselves) has become more expensive due to worldwide disasters and inflation. That added cost gets passed down to Florida policyholders.

Other factors pushing premiums higher:

• Legal system abuse: Florida historically allowed high volumes of claims-related lawsuits. While recent laws have curbed this (more on that below), the effects are still lingering in pricing models.
• Litigation history: Assignment of Benefits (AOB) abuse and roofing scams drove up claim volumes, making insurers more cautious.
• Carrier exits: Many insurers have pulled out or gone insolvent since 2020, reducing competition and leaving Citizens Property Insurance (the state-backed “insurer of last resort”) to pick up the slack.
• Storm frequency: Even without major hurricanes, high-cost events like hail, localized flooding, and wind damage have increased average claim severity.

If your premium jumped, or your coverage was denied or non-renewed, it’s likely because your insurer sees more risk than they’re willing to underwrite without raising prices or imposing new restrictions.

What’s Changed Recently in Florida’s Insurance Laws?

Over the past few years, Florida lawmakers have passed multiple reforms to stabilize the insurance market – including banning assignment of benefits, ending one-way attorney fees, tightening claim deadlines, and encouraging reinsurance – which are now helping to ease premium growth and improve coverage availability in 2025.

Key Florida Insurance Reforms (2022–2024)

Why This Matters to You

These reforms are already making an impact:

• Rate growth slowed dramatically in 2024-2025, with some carriers even filing for rate decreases rather than hikes
• Citizens Property Insurance policies are decreasing, signaling a healthier private market
• New insurance carriers are entering Florida, providing more choices and competition for homeowners

Florida has taken aggressive legislative steps since 2022 and it’s working. Laws aimed at reducing lawsuits, improving claims efficiency, and bolstering reinsurance are already translating into a more stable and competitive homeowners’ market in 2025.

Can Investing in Hurricane Protection Lower My Premiums?

Yes, some Florida insurers offer premium discounts for homeowners who install qualifying hurricane protection like impact-rated windows, shutters, and reinforced doors.

These discounts aren’t just marketing claims. Under Florida law, insurers must offer rate reductions for homes with approved wind mitigation features. If your home can better withstand wind and flying debris, it’s less likely to suffer damage and that means fewer claims and lower risk for the insurer.

Here’s how homeowners often reduce their premiums:

Wind Mitigation Inspection

This is your gateway to savings. A licensed inspector checks for features like a hip roof, reinforced trusses, secondary water barriers, and impact-rated openings. If you qualify, you submit the report to your insurer for a discount.

Impact-Resistant Windows & Doors

These products are tested to withstand windborne debris and pressure changes – major causes of storm damage. Storm Smart products meet and exceed Florida Building Code (FBC) and HVHZ (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone) standards, making them eligible for wind mitigation credits.

Quality Hurricane Shutters

Code-compliant aluminum shutters or Storm Catcher® Screens may qualify if they’re permanently installed and cover all openings. It’s important to ensure the installation is permitted and up to code.

Reinforced Garage Doors

A weak garage door can fail under pressure and allow wind to enter the home, causing catastrophic uplifts. Strengthening or replacing it is often overlooked, but it matters.

Roof-to-Wall Connections

If you’re reroofing, adding metal clips or straps that tie your roof more securely to the walls may boost your discount eligibility.

Pro Tip: Discounts availability vary by insurer, and not all upgrades are weighted equally. A small investment in one area may not yield major savings alone but when combined, the benefits compound.

Storm Smart protection products don’t just help in a hurricane. They can also make your home more “insurable” in a market where companies are increasingly selective. The right improvements lower your risk profile and that can translate to lower premiums or better odds of getting coverage in the first place.

How Are HOAs and Condo Associations in Florida Affected by These Changes?

HOAs and condo associations in Florida face rising insurance costs, stricter underwriting, and evolving coverage expectations and must now take proactive steps like negotiating group policies, passing mitigation measures, and planning for special assessments.

What associations are seeing in 2025:

• Higher master policy premiums as insurers reassess communal risk profiles after recent storms and litigation exposure.
• Stricter underwriting practices, often requiring roof inspections, mitigation upgrades, or higher deductibles before renewal.
• Shifting policy responsibility, where unit-owner interior coverage (HO6) falls on residents, but shared components like roofs, elevators, and exterior structures depend on the association.

Adjustments boards are making:

• Negotiating bulk discounts by investing in building-wide protective measures such as impact windows for common areas or building-wide shutter systems.
• Implementing annual inspections to maintain wind mitigation credits and satisfy carrier underwriting requirements.
• Planning capital improvements like reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, garage doors, and hurricane-rated entryways.
• Communicating with residents about their role in maintaining insurability (filling out wind mitigation forms, upgrading personal units, etc.).

By turning mitigation work into a shared benefit (and a shared investment), associations can both protect property values and keep insurance accessible. Meanwhile, informed homeowners can take complementary steps to strengthen their individual policies.

What Should I Do If My Insurer Cancels or Non-Renews My Policy in 2025?

If your insurance company cancels or non-renews your policy in 2025, act quickly – shop the private market, talk to a licensed agent, and explore Citizens Insurance as a last resort.

Thousands of Florida homeowners are in the same boat. Insurers are tightening their underwriting guidelines, and even well-maintained homes may be flagged due to location, age, or perceived storm risk. But there are steps you can take to stay protected:

Step-by-Step: What to Do Next

1. Contact a local, independent insurance agent.
   Agents with access to multiple carriers can shop your risk profile and may find options your previous insurance company wouldn’t offer.
2. Get a wind mitigation inspection.
   This simple report can unlock discounts and make your property more attractive to insurers. If you’ve made upgrades — like adding shutters, a new roof, or impact-rated windows – it matters.
3. Ask about surplus lines insurers.
   Some non-admitted carriers still provide hurricane coverage in Florida. They’re regulated differently but can be a viable short-term option.
4. Consider Citizens Property Insurance.
   As the state-backed insurer of last resort, Citizens offers policies when no private carriers will. Just know that it has strict eligibility rules and may require certain upgrades (like flood insurance or mitigation) depending on your home’s location and coverage level.
5. Strengthen your property.
   If you’re repeatedly being denied, it could be due to older roofing, lack of wind protection, or flood exposure. Investing in certified hurricane protection products (like Storm Smart’s shutters, screens, and impact glass) can improve both safety and insurability.

Pro tip: Don’t wait until storm season. Shopping for coverage or applying to Citizens takes time and last-minute applications may be denied if a storm is already approaching the state.

Want Help Making Your Home More Insurable in Florida’s Tough Market?

Insurance in Florida isn’t getting easier but protecting your home doesn’t have to be complicated. At Storm Smart, we help homeowners across the state strengthen their properties with code-compliant hurricane protections that insurers recognize and reward.

Whether you’re trying to avoid cancellation, reduce your premium, or simply make sure your family is safe when the next storm hits, our products are built for Florida’s toughest conditions:

• Impact-rated windows and doors that meet Florida Building Code and HVHZ standards
• Storm Catcher® Screens that block wind-driven flying debris
• Aluminum shutters that offer fast and secure all openings

Every home is different and so is every insurance policy. That’s why we encourage you to talk to our experienced product specialists. Scroll down to find the Storm Smart showroom nearest to you or give us a call.

We’ll walk you through the options, explain how they may improve your wind mitigation score, and help you prepare with confidence.

Your home deserves protection, and your policy should reflect that. Let’s make it happen.

Once a storm is named, insurers stop writing policies and making changes. The countdown helps you act early, so your home is ready, your coverage stays intact, and your premiums reflect real protection.