Florida insurance questions, answered straight

It means we don't work for one insurance company — we work with many of them. When you ask us for a quote, we compare options across the carriers we represent and recommend the one that actually fits your situation and budget. A “captive” agent can only sell you their own company's product, whatever the price.

No. Carriers pay us a commission that's built into the premium whether you buy through an agent, a website, or an 800 number. The price you pay is the same — the difference is you get a local person who knows your policies and picks up the phone when something goes wrong.

Yes — that's one of the most common reasons people call us. Bring us your current declarations page and we'll re-shop your coverage across our carriers. Sometimes we find real savings; sometimes the honest answer is that your current deal is fair. Either way, you'll know.

For auto: your driver's license, current policy (if any), and vehicle info. For home: your address, roof age, and any inspection reports you have (wind mitigation or four-point). It takes about two minutes to send us a request through our quote form, and a licensed agent follows up with real numbers.

No. Policy reviews, coverage questions, claim guidance, and re-quotes are all part of what we do — there's no fee to talk to us.

Florida requires two coverages on registered vehicles: $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 of Property Damage Liability (PDL). That's the legal floor — it is not the same thing as being well protected, since $10,000 doesn't go far after a real accident.

PIP is Florida's “no-fault” medical coverage. After an accident it pays 80% of your reasonable medical bills and 60% of lost wages, up to your limit, no matter who caused the crash. One important catch: you must get initial treatment within 14 days of the accident or PIP won't pay.

We strongly recommend it. If you injure someone and don't carry bodily injury liability, their lawyer comes after your savings, wages, and assets. It's one of the cheapest ways to protect your financial life, and most drivers should carry meaningfully more than the minimums.

Roughly one in five Florida drivers has no insurance at all, and hit-and-run drivers count as uninsured too. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver can't. Given how common uninsured drivers are here, it's usually money well spent.

Usually not from the accident itself — Florida law limits surcharging you for not-at-fault accidents. But rates can still change at renewal for other reasons (your carrier's overall costs, your area, your vehicle). If a renewal jumps, have us re-shop it.

In general, auto insurance follows the car first. If you lend your car to a licensed friend and they crash it, your policy typically responds first. That's worth remembering before handing over the keys.

Collision covers damage to your car from crashing into something. Comprehensive covers most everything else that isn't a collision — theft, vandalism, fire, falling branches, floodwater, and (very relevant in Florida) hurricane damage to your vehicle. Lenders usually require both on financed cars.

The big levers: bundle auto with home or renters, raise your deductibles if you have savings to cover them, keep a clean driving record, ask about telematics/safe-driver programs, and re-shop every renewal or two. As an independent agency we can compare carriers for you in one pass.

Hurricanes, litigation costs, and expensive reinsurance (insurance that insurance companies buy) all stack up in Florida's rates. You can't control the weather, but you can control some of your price: wind mitigation credits, roof condition, deductible choices, and shopping multiple carriers all make a real difference.

Florida policies have two deductibles. Your “all other perils” deductible is a flat dollar amount (say $2,500) for ordinary claims like a kitchen fire. Your hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage — commonly 2%, 5%, or 10% — and applies only to hurricane damage. On a $400,000 home, a 2% hurricane deductible means you pay the first $8,000 of hurricane damage yourself.

It's a short inspection (around $100) that documents how well your home resists wind: roof shape, how the roof is attached, hurricane clips or straps, and opening protection. Florida law requires carriers to give discounts for these features, and the credits can cut the windstorm portion of your premium dramatically — savings of hundreds to thousands a year are common. The report is typically good for five years.

A four-point inspection looks at your roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Carriers usually require it on homes 20+ years old before they'll write a policy. It doesn't directly earn a discount, but passing it opens the door to more carriers — and more competition usually means a better rate.

Yes — in Florida it's often the single biggest factor in whether carriers will even quote your home. Many carriers won't write shingle roofs older than about 15 years. If you're getting non-renewed or quoted crazy numbers and your roof is old, a roof replacement often pays for part of itself in premium savings and carrier options.

Wind damage from a hurricane — yes, subject to your hurricane deductible. Flood and storm surge — no. That split surprises people every storm season: the wind tearing off shingles is a homeowners claim, but the water rising into your house is a flood claim that needs a separate flood policy.

Citizens is Florida's state-created insurer of last resort, for homeowners who can't find reasonable coverage in the private market. It works, but it has coverage caps, assessment risk (surcharges after bad storm years), and you can be moved back to a private carrier through takeout offers. If Citizens is your only option today, we can watch the market and move you when a better private option appears.

Replacement cost pays what it takes to rebuild or replace with new materials. Actual cash value subtracts depreciation — so a 12-year-old roof gets paid as a 12-year-old roof, not a new one. Replacement cost coverage costs a bit more and is almost always worth it.

Enough to rebuild your home at today's construction costs — which is not the same as your purchase price or market value. Construction costs in Florida have risen sharply, so a policy that was right five years ago may be underinsured today. We review this at renewal so a total loss doesn't leave you short.

It can — claims history follows you for years, and multiple small claims can make you hard to place. A good rule of thumb: insurance is for losses you couldn't comfortably absorb. If the damage is close to your deductible, it's often smarter to pay it yourself and save the claim record for when it matters.

No — this is the most expensive misunderstanding in Florida insurance. Homeowners policies exclude rising water: storm surge, overflowing rivers, rain accumulating and coming in at ground level. Flood coverage is always a separate policy, through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood carrier.

Everyone in Florida is in a flood zone — the maps just rate some zones higher than others. Around a quarter of flood claims come from “low-risk” zones, and in lower-risk areas the premium is often surprisingly cheap. If your home is anywhere water could conceivably go, it's worth pricing.

NFIP is the federal program: standardized coverage, capped at $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents. Private flood carriers can offer higher limits, replacement cost on contents, and additional living expenses if you're displaced — sometimes at a better price. We quote both and show you the tradeoffs.

Usually yes — NFIP policies generally take effect 30 days after purchase (with exceptions, like closing on a home loan). Private carriers often have shorter waits, around 10 to 14 days. The practical takeaway: you cannot buy flood insurance when a storm is already on the forecast map, so buy it before season heats up.

If water rising into your unit would cost you real money, yes. Renters can buy contents-only flood policies to protect their belongings. Condo owners should know the association's master policy may cover the building's flood damage but not your unit's contents or improvements — an individual flood policy fills that gap.

Your landlord's policy covers the building — not one dollar of your stuff, and not your liability. Renters insurance covers your belongings (fire, theft, hurricane wind damage), your liability if someone's injured in your place, and hotel costs if the unit becomes unlivable. In Florida it typically runs only $15–$30 a month.

The association's master policy generally stops at the walls — often literally, at the drywall or the studs, depending on the association. Your HO-6 policy covers everything inside: flooring, cabinets, fixtures, your belongings, your liability, and loss assessments the association passes down to owners. Reading the master policy is the key to setting your HO-6 limits correctly, and we do that with you.

When a big loss hits the condo association — say hurricane damage to the roof — the association can bill every unit owner a special assessment for its deductible or uncovered costs. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 pays that bill, up to your limit. In hurricane-prone Florida it's inexpensive and very worth having.

No — unless they're listed on the policy, a roommate needs their own renters policy. Married couples are typically covered together, but unrelated roommates each need coverage for their own belongings and liability.

Wind damage, yes — subject to any hurricane deductible on the policy. Rising water, no: that's flood, and it needs a separate flood policy even for renters and condo units. The same wind/water split that applies to houses applies here.

It's an extra layer of liability protection that sits on top of your auto and home policies. If a lawsuit or judgment blows past your auto or home liability limits, the umbrella pays the difference, typically in million-dollar increments. It protects your savings, your home equity, and future wages.

Anyone whose assets are worth more than their liability limits — which is most homeowners. Also anyone with extra exposure: a pool, a boat, a teenage driver, rental property, or a dog. If losing a lawsuit would change your family's life, you're an umbrella candidate.

Less than people expect — a $1 million umbrella often runs a few hundred dollars a year. Carriers usually require you to carry certain minimum liability limits on your underlying auto and home policies first, which we'll line up as part of the quote.

Two requirements come up most: workers' compensation (required for non-construction businesses with 4+ employees, and for construction businesses with even one employee) and commercial auto liability for business-owned vehicles. Beyond the legal minimums, most businesses also need general liability — landlords and clients usually require proof of it before you can sign a lease or a contract.

General liability covers injuries and property damage you cause to others. A BOP bundles that same general liability with commercial property coverage (your building, equipment, inventory) and usually business interruption income — and the bundle typically costs less than buying the pieces separately. For most small businesses, a BOP is the better starting point.

If a covered loss — like hurricane wind damage — shuts your business down, business interruption pays the income you lose and ongoing expenses like rent and payroll while you rebuild. In Florida, where a storm can close a business for weeks, it's often the difference between reopening and not.

If you're regularly driving for business — deliveries, client visits, hauling tools — your personal auto policy can deny a claim that happens during business use. Depending on how you use the vehicle, the fix is either a business-use endorsement on your personal policy or a commercial auto policy. Tell us how the vehicle is used and we'll place it correctly.

More people than owners expect — part-timers count, and corporate officers and LLC members can count too (though some can file exemptions). Construction is stricter: coverage is required with a single employee. Misclassifying workers to avoid comp is one of the costliest mistakes a Florida business can make.

Usually, yes. Homeowners policies give little or no coverage for business equipment and typically none for business liability. Depending on the operation, the answer might be a simple endorsement or a small BOP — often cheaper than people fear.

A certificate of insurance (COI) — a one-page summary showing your coverages and limits, often naming the landlord or client as additional insured. Once you're our client, we issue COIs same-day at no charge, usually within the hour for routine requests.