Florida Hurricane Insurance Act

Hurricane Coverage

• Florida Statute 627.0629 requires that property insurance include hurricane coverage, both residential and commercial. The coverage includes damage that occurs during a windstorm in a hurricane, such as sleet, hail, rain, sand, dust or snow that damages the inside of a building.

Legal Definitions

• The Florida Statutes define "windstorm" as hurricane-caused wind, gusts, rain, cyclones, tornadoes or hail that causes property damage. They define "hurricane" as a storm that the National Weather Service labels as a hurricane.

Insurance Discounts

• Property owners who install hurricane-proof upgrades to their home can qualify for insurance discounts up to 42 percent off premium prices, according to Florida Statute 627.0629. To be approved for a discount, it's likely that homeowners will need to have a certified inspector verify that hurricane-deterring improvements were made.

Hurricane Deductable

• Deductibles for hurricane damage is a set percentage from the insurance policy, and the deductible may be a more-costly one than deductibles for other kinds of damage.

Florida's Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

• The Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a nonprofit organization that provides affordable property insurance to Floridians. The agency is state-run, and it gives credits for properties that have modified materials to better withstand hurricane damage, such as roof, window, wall and shutter improvements.