It is not one policy
People say “homeowners” and mean everything. In Florida you are usually stacking: a homeowners policy that includes (or is paired with) windstorm coverage, and a separate flood policy. Liability, flood, and wind can fail independently. Read the declarations page, not the binder email subject line.
Homeowners and windstorm
A standard HO-3 (or similar) pays for a lot of sudden damage — fire, theft, some water that is not flood. Wind from a hurricane is the expensive part on this coast. Some policies package it; some have a separate wind or hurricane deductible that is a percentage of the dwelling limit, not a flat $1,000.
A 2% hurricane deductible on a $400,000 Coverage A is $8,000 out of pocket for that event before the carrier pays. Know the number. Know whether “tropical storm” names trigger it. Ask.
Flood is separate
Flood — including storm surge and a lot of canal and rainwater that feels like “the storm” — is excluded from homeowners. NFIP (through FEMA) and private flood markets write it. There is typically a 30-day wait. You cannot bind your way out of a cone.
Zone X (moderate) is not zero. AE and VE cost more and lenders will require coverage. Elevation certificates change the premium. The coastal living cost calculator uses Flagler-typical ranges; your agent uses the parcel.
Deductibles
All-other-peril deductibles (the everyday ones) and hurricane / wind deductibles are often different. Percentage deductibles are the coastal default on wind. A cheap premium with a brutal hurricane deductible is not cheap. Run the math on a real event, not a broken dishwasher.
Citizens and the last-resort market
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is Florida’s insurer of last resort. Plenty of Flagler roofs land there because admitted carriers will not write the age, the roof, or the zone. Citizens is legitimate coverage with its own forms, caps, and surplus-lines neighbors when even Citizens says no.
An independent agent who actually places Flagler paper is worth more than a website that “compares 40 carriers” from another state. If the only offer is surplus lines with a roof exclusion, that is a buying signal.
The 4-point inspection
Carriers often require a 4-point on older homes: roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC. It is a snapshot of whether the house is writable, not a full home inspection. Aluminum wiring, an ancient panel, a roof at the end of its days — those fail a 4-point and stop a binder.
Order it early on 1970s–1990s ITT stock. Paying twice (inspector, then a carrier’s inspector) is still cheaper than discovering this after you are in love with the lanai.
The wind-mitigation inspection
Florida’s wind-mitigation form (OIR-B1-1802) is how you prove hip roof, deck nails, roof-to-wall connectors, opening protection, and secondary water resistance. Credits here are real money, every year, until the roof changes.
A prior owner’s form goes stale when the roof is replaced. Get a new one. Have the inspector in the attic. “I think they have straps” is not a credit.
Roof age, again
If you read nothing else: the roof year can make the house uninsurable at a sane price. Many carriers want 15–20 years or newer on shingles, with documentation. A cosmetic “re-roof” that left old decking may not count. If the seller will not credit a roof the carrier has already rejected, you are buying a construction project.
Ask the insurance agent before you offer
Call them with the address, the year built, the roof year if you have it, and the flood zone. Do this while you can still not sign.
- Will you write this roof, this year, this zone — today?
- Admitted, Citizens, or surplus lines?
- Hurricane deductible: percent of what, triggered by what?
- Flood: NFIP or private, wait period, elevation certificate needed?
- Any coverage A cap that is lower than replacement cost?
- What will you require at first renewal?
- If I install impact glass / a new roof, what does the premium do, and when?
After you own it
Photograph every room and the roof the week you close. Keep the wind-mit form and the flood policy with the deed packet. Sign up for ALERTFlagler. If you leave in summer, occupancy and vacancy clauses matter — so do shutters and a local key. After a storm, document before you demolish, and be suspicious of the contractor who knocks while the roads are still wet.