Storms are not hypothetical here. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reports 15,070 claims in St. Lucie County after Hurricane Irma, 7,340 after Hurricane Milton, 3,273 after Hurricane Ian and 883 after Hurricane Nicole. After a named storm, the first question on every one of those claims was the same: what is the deductible?
Wind Coverage Is Part of the Policy
Under s. 627.712, Florida Statutes, an insurer issuing a residential property policy must provide windstorm coverage. You can choose to exclude it, but only by personally writing or typing a set statement, signed and dated by every named insured, with written approval from any mortgage holder. That is not a box anyone should tick casually.
The Hurricane Deductible Is Usually the Big Number
Under s. 627.701, before issuing a personal residential policy the insurer must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent of the dwelling limit (the $500 option is not required when dwelling limits are $250,000 or more). The policy must carry a statement that it contains a separate deductible for hurricane losses, and the dollar amount of that deductible must be shown on your declarations page.
As plain arithmetic, on a $350,000 dwelling limit:
| Hurricane deductible | What you pay first |
|---|---|
| 2 percent | $7,000 |
| 5 percent | $17,500 |
| 10 percent | $35,000 |
Choosing a percentage is a trade: a higher deductible usually lowers the premium and raises what you carry after a storm. The right answer depends on your savings, not a rule of thumb, which is why pricing more than one percentage side by side matters.
It Applies Once a Calendar Year
For personal residential policies issued or renewed on or after May 1, 2005, the hurricane deductible applies on an annual basis to all covered hurricane losses in the calendar year, under policies from the same insurer or insurer group. If a second hurricane hits the same year, the insurer may apply the greater of what remains of the hurricane deductible or your regular deductible. Keep receipts for storm damage below the deductible; the insurer may ask for them to apply those losses to a later claim.
The hurricane deductibles guide walks through the rest.
