Coverage
Flood Insurance in Florida
Standard homeowners policies leave out flood, and FEMA traced almost one-third of 2014 to 2024 NFIP claims to areas outside its high-risk zones. We write NFIP and private flood from carriers we vet and quote both side by side.
Flood Zone Checkedbefore any quote goes outWhat’s Covered
What Flood Insurance in Florida Covers
The Building
NFIP building coverage reaches $250,000 for a one-to-four family home, and never more than the home’s replacement cost. Private flood policies can go higher for coastal homes that would cost more to rebuild.
Your Belongings
A separate NFIP contents limit of up to $100,000 covers furniture, clothing, and electronics. Contents are always settled at actual cash value, so a ten-year-old sofa is paid at its depreciated worth.
Below Elevated Floors
In a basement or under the lowest elevated floor in high-risk zones, the NFIP covers a listed set of items, including furnaces, central air units, and electrical boxes. Finished walls and most belongings there are not covered.
Rebuilding to Code
Increased Cost of Compliance coverage adds up to $30,000 for elevating, floodproofing, relocating, or demolishing a substantially damaged home to meet local floodplain rules. It counts inside the $250,000 building maximum, not on top of it.
Living Expenses
The NFIP pays no hotel, meals, or mileage while a flooded home is repaired. Florida’s preferred private flood form adds additional living expenses and replacement cost on contents, so we price it as an add-on.
Separate Deductibles
Building and contents deductibles are set separately on an NFIP policy, and the highest option for each is $10,000. The building minimum is $1,250 once building coverage tops $100,000.
Private Flood Options
Florida lets authorized carriers write five kinds of residential flood policy, from NFIP-matching standard forms to supplemental layers over other flood coverage. Federally regulated lenders must take any private policy written to the federal private flood standard.
Pairs With Home Coverage
Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, so the two work as a set. We line up the flood effective date with your home policy and send both declarations to your lender at closing.
Who It’s For
Who Should Carry Flood Coverage
Citizens Policyholders
Citizens already requires flood where dwelling replacement cost is $400,000 or more. On January 1, 2027, every remaining Citizens policy covering wind must add flood too.
Homes Outside Flood Zones
Between 2014 and 2024, 29% of NFIP claims came from areas outside high-risk zones, and your homeowners policy pays nothing for that water.
Buyers Closing Soon
Flood coverage bought with a mortgage closing, refinance, or loan increase skips the standard 30-day NFIP wait and begins the day the loan closes.
Newly Mapped Homes
When a map revision first moves your home into a high-risk zone, a one-day wait applies if you buy within 13 months of the new map taking effect.
Our Process
How We Quote Flood Coverage
Send Your Address and Dates
We look up your FEMA flood zone and your community’s CRS class. Tell us your closing date, because buying outside a loan closing means a 30-day wait, and coverage bought once a storm appears in the Atlantic arrives too late.
Two Quotes on Equal Limits
The NFIP rates your building on its own elevation, foundation, and distance to water. We request private quotes on the same limits so the comparison is even, and we flag any living expense or contents upgrade.
Sign, Bind, and Send Proof
Leaving an NFIP policy for private flood requires your signature on a Florida notice first. After you pick a quote, we issue the policy and forward the declarations to your lender or to Citizens.
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Common Questions
Florida Flood Insurance, Answered
FEMA prices each building individually under Risk Rating 2.0, which applied to new NFIP policies starting October 1, 2021. The rating weighs how often the area floods, the kinds of flooding, distance to water, the height of the first floor, the foundation, and replacement cost. You may submit an elevation certificate if you choose, but for policies effective December 1, 2026, one submitted for rating must carry a certification, photos, and the same address as the policy.
Most NFIP premiums cannot rise more than 18% per year at renewal, under 42 U.S.C. 4015(e), until they reach the full-risk rate. Adding coverage, lowering the deductible, or a change in your community’s CRS discount can raise the bill beyond that cap. CRS classes take 5% to 45% off premiums for every NFIP policy in a participating community, including homes outside high-risk zones.
Section 627.715, Florida Statutes, lets authorized carriers write residential flood on five bases. A standard policy matches NFIP coverage, a preferred policy adds outside water intrusion, living expenses, and replacement cost on contents, and a customized policy is broader than standard. A flexible policy can limit coverage, for example to the mortgage balance, and a supplemental policy sits on top of an NFIP or other flood policy.
You can return, though the discounted rate you left may not come back. Before you replace an NFIP policy with private flood, s. 627.715(8), Florida Statutes, requires you to sign a notice warning that leaving discounted NFIP coverage may mean paying the full-risk rate later. FEMA’s manual also does not count private flood as continuous NFIP coverage, so a Pre-FIRM discount can be lost.
No, Citizens accepts only certain types. Under s. 627.351(6)(aa), Florida Statutes, the flood policy must be an NFIP policy or a standard, preferred, or customized private policy, and flexible policies are not listed. Its dwelling limit must equal your Citizens dwelling coverage or the $250,000 NFIP maximum. The rule already covers high-risk zones, and from January 1, 2027, it reaches all other Citizens policies covering wind. Unit owner policies for condos are exempt.
Not from the NFIP, which stops selling and renewing policies during a lapse, but private flood stays available, so a home purchase can still close. Existing NFIP policies keep running and valid claims are still paid. Congress has authorized the NFIP through December 11, 2026. The program lapsed from October 1 to November 12, 2025, and again from February 1 to 3, 2026.
Get Started
Check My Flood Zone
Send your address, and we send back your FEMA flood zone, your community’s flood discount class, and a pair of quotes, one NFIP and one private.