Hurricane Prep in Central Florida: What Smart Homeowners Do Before the Wind Picks Up
I love our lakes and sunshine—and I also know how fast insurance gets weird the minute the National Hurricane Center names a storm. Carriers can pause new bindings and coverage increases during tropical storm/hurricane watches and warnings. Translation: if you wait, you may not be able to start a policy, raise limits, or lower deductibles until the suspension lifts. Don’t roll those dice.
If You Already Own Your Home (do this this week)
Open your Declarations Page. Confirm your hurricane/wind deductible (it’s often a percentage, not $1,000), Additional Living Expense, Ordinance & Law, Water Backup, and Scheduled Valuables. If limits are thin, adjust now (not when a watch is issued).
Grab the easy discounts. A wind-mitigation inspection can cut premiums if you’ve got clips/straps, a hip roof, impact openings, or a secondary water barrier. Florida carriers must provide wind-mitigation discount info—make sure you’ve claimed what you qualify for.
Flood reality check. Homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding. If you add NFIP flood, the standard wait is 30 days (with key exceptions at mortgage closing/renewal). Private flood may have shorter waits, but don’t assume same-day. Start the quote now.
If You’re Buying (speed-run this the day you go under contract)
Ask your lender what they’ll accept for hazard insurance proof (binder + paid receipt) and whether they require flood.
Quote immediately with an independent broker (include Citizens as a backstop). If the home is older, schedule a 4-Point and Wind-Mitigation inspection with the general home inspection—one trip. Many carriers (and Citizens for 20+ year properties) require it.
Bind early. Once you pick a carrier, bind and pay to lock coverage. If a binding suspension hits mid-escrow, closings can stall without proof of insurance.
Condo buyers: verify the master policy and get an HO-6 with loss assessment; ask the association for the insurance certificate now.
Pro tip: If flood is required or you want it, leverage the no-wait exception at loan closing under NFIP rules—time it with your mortgage. Private flood may differ; confirm in writing.
If You’re Selling (remove insurance roadblocks for your buyer)
Assemble the insurance packet in your listing: roof age and permits, wind-mit report (if you have one), recent insurance-friendly updates (panel, plumbing, water heater, roof).
Consider ordering your own Wind-Mit and 4-Point on older homes to surface issues before you hit the market—older properties often trigger these asks anyway. Citizens explicitly requires 4-Point on homes 20+ years; other carriers commonly require them on 25–40+ year homes.
Fix the show-stoppers that spook underwriters: active roof leaks, brittle/expired shingles, double-tapped breakers/old panels, polybutylene plumbing, unpermitted additions. These can be cheap to fix now and expensive to explain later.
The “Named Storm” Line You Don’t Want to Cross
During tropical storm/hurricane watches or warnings for Florida, carriers (including Citizens) routinely suspend binding and coverage increases. That can mean no new policies, no higher limits, no lowering deductibles until the alert ends and the suspension lifts. Do your changes before that line gets drawn.
Quick Checklist (copy/paste this into your notes)
Owners: Review dec page → request wind-mit credits → quote flood (or confirm private flood timelines) → photo/video inventory → store docs in cloud.
Buyers: Quote + bind within 48 hours → schedule 4-Point + Wind-Mit with inspection → confirm lender’s proof requirements → line up HO-6/loss assessment for condos.
Sellers: Share roof/permit docs + any wind-mit/4-Point → fix obvious underwriting red flags → set expectations in remarks about age of systems.
If you want my binder-ready insurance checklist and a shortlist of responsive brokers/inspectors who can turn 4-Point/Wind-Mit quickly, say the word and I’ll send it. I’ll also sanity-check your dec page and flag gaps in plain English—no cost.
—Mike
(General info, not legal/insurance advice. Always verify specifics with a licensed insurance agent.)