Hurricane Deductibles in Florida: How the Percentage Works
A hurricane deductible is a separate deductible that applies to wind damage from a hurricane. On most Florida homeowners policies it is a percentage of the dwelling (Coverage A) limit, and the policy must show it as a dollar amount. Insurers must offer choices of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent of the dwelling limit, with exceptions that depend on the dwelling limit. The deductible applies on an annual basis, across all covered hurricane losses in a calendar year with the same insurer or insurer group (s. 627.701, Fla. Stat.; Florida CFO).
Last updated November 4, 2026. Facts checked November 2, 2026 against the sources at the end of this page.
At a glance
| Amount | $500, 2, 5 or 10 percent of the policy dwelling limit must be offered, unless the percentage works out to less than $500 (s. 627.701(3)(a)) |
|---|---|
| Shown as dollars | The insurer must display the actual dollar value of the hurricane deductible on the declarations page at issuance and on the renewal declarations page or premium renewal notice (s. 627.701(4)(b)) |
| When it applies | Wind damage during a "hurricane": a storm system declared a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center, from when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning ends (s. 627.4025(2)(c)) |
| How often | Once on an annual basis for all covered hurricane losses in a calendar year, under policies from the same insurer or insurer group (s. 627.701(5)(a)1.) |
| Later storms that year | The greater of the unused part of the hurricane deductible or the deductible for other perils (s. 627.701(5)(a)3.) |
| Not covered | Flood. A hurricane deductible applies to wind damage, and flooding needs a separate flood policy (see our flood insurance guide; Florida CFO) |
The options an insurer must offer
Before issuing a personal lines residential policy, and with each renewal notice, the insurer must offer alternative hurricane deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent of the policy dwelling limits, and the offer must say which deductible applies if you do not choose (s. 627.701(3)(a)). The law then adjusts the menu by dwelling limit:
| Dwelling limit | What the insurer must or may offer |
|---|---|
| $100,000 to under $250,000 | May offer, instead of a $500 option, a policy with up to a 2 percent hurricane deductible and a promise not to non-renew for reasons of reducing hurricane loss for one renewal period |
| $250,000 or more | Need not offer the $500 option, but must offer the 2, 5 and 10 percent options |
| $1 million to under $3 million | May offer 3 percent instead of the 2 percent option |
| $3 million or more | Need not offer the 2 percent option |
(s. 627.701(3)(c)-(d)). A policy on a risk valued at less than $500,000 may not carry a hurricane deductible above 10 percent unless the policyholder personally writes out and signs a statement accepting it, and any mortgage holder approves (s. 627.701(4)(d)).
Surplus lines insurers are not bound by the same filing rules, so their deductibles may differ from the above (Florida CFO). Read your policy and ask your agent.
Worked example 1: what a percentage means in dollars
Made-up policy: dwelling (Coverage A) limit of $400,000, and a $1,000 deductible for other perils.
| Hurricane deductible | Dollar amount | If covered hurricane wind damage is $50,000, the policy pays |
|---|---|---|
| 2 percent | $8,000 | $42,000 |
| 5 percent | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| 10 percent | $40,000 | $10,000 |
This ignores other policy terms such as coverage limits and any depreciation holdback. The point is the size of the amount you carry yourself. Insurers price the options differently, so the choice trades the premium you pay now against what you would owe after a storm. The dollar figure must be on your declarations page, so you can see what you would owe. Your agent can show what each option does to the quote.
Worked example 2: two hurricanes in one calendar year
Same made-up policy: 2 percent, which is $8,000, and a $1,000 deductible for other perils. The CFO's guide works the same kind of case through with its own numbers.
- First hurricane. Covered wind damage is $5,000. That is less than the $8,000 deductible, so the insurer pays nothing and you pay for the repair. The $5,000 is credited toward the hurricane deductible for the year, leaving $3,000.
- Second hurricane, same year, same insurer. Covered wind damage is $20,000. The deductible is the greater of the $3,000 left and the $1,000 deductible for other perils, which is $3,000. The insurer pays $17,000.
- A third storm that year. The hurricane deductible has now been met, so the $1,000 deductible for other perils applies to later claims.
The law lets the insurer require you to report hurricane losses below the deductible, or keep receipts and records of them, so they can be counted toward later claims (s. 627.701(5)(a)3.). The CFO advises filing a claim even when the repair costs less than the deductible, so the insurer has a record of the credit (Florida CFO).
If you change insurers mid-year
The annual rule follows the insurer or its group. If a storm damages your home, and you then move to an insurer outside the original group, the CFO says the hurricane deductible applies in full to a later claim with no credit for the earlier one. If you were offered a lower hurricane deductible on a new or renewal policy after a hurricane loss, the insurer must tell you in writing that the lower deductible does not apply until January 1 of the following calendar year (s. 627.701(5)(a)4.).
What counts as a hurricane for the deductible
The deductible does not apply to every windstorm. Under s. 627.4025, a "hurricane" is a storm system that the National Hurricane Center has declared a hurricane, and its duration for the policy begins when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida and ends 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida ends (s. 627.4025(2)(c), Fla. Stat.). Hurricane coverage includes interior damage from rain if the wind first damages the building and opens a way in. A storm the National Hurricane Center has not declared a hurricane does not meet this definition; how your policy treats other windstorms is in the policy itself.
When a hurricane deductible applies, no other deductible under the policy applies to that loss, and a separate roof deductible does not apply to a hurricane roof loss (Florida CFO; s. 627.701(10)).
Things to check on your policy
- The dollar figure. It must be on the declarations page. If the policy has an inflation guard, the insurer must warn that the hurricane deductible may be higher than shown when a loss occurs, because the dwelling limit grows (s. 627.701(4)(c)).
- Wind-mitigation credits. When you have taken hurricane mitigation measures, the insurer must offer you the option of a lower hurricane deductible or a discount (s. 627.701(9)). See the wind mitigation guide.
- Condo and commercial policies. The rules above are for personal lines residential policies. Commercial residential policies, such as a condo association's, can instead have a deductible per hurricane (s. 627.701(5)(b)).
- Flood. A hurricane deductible does not make flood a covered peril; see the flood insurance guide. Your declarations page carries a notice that homeowners insurance does not include flood damage even if hurricane winds and rain caused the flood.
Hurricane deductible questions
How does a hurricane deductible work in Florida?
It is a separate deductible for covered wind damage during a hurricane. It is usually a percentage of your dwelling limit, shown as a dollar amount on the declarations page. On a $400,000 dwelling limit, 2 percent is $8,000 and 5 percent is $20,000.
Does the hurricane deductible apply to each storm?
It applies on an annual basis. All covered hurricane losses in a calendar year count toward one hurricane deductible if they are under policies from the same insurer or insurer group. For a later storm that year the insurer may apply the greater of the unused part or the deductible for other perils.
What are the hurricane deductible options?
Insurers must offer $500, 2, 5 and 10 percent of the dwelling limit, with exceptions by dwelling limit: for dwelling limits of $250,000 or more the $500 option need not be offered, from $1 million up to $3 million the insurer may offer 3 percent instead of 2 percent, and at $3 million or more the 2 percent option need not be offered.
Does the hurricane deductible apply to flooding?
No. The deductible applies to wind damage from a hurricane. Homeowners policies do not cover flood, so flood needs a separate flood policy.
When does a storm count as a hurricane for my policy?
When the National Hurricane Center has declared the storm system a hurricane. The policy period of the hurricane runs from a hurricane warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning ends.
What if my repair costs less than the hurricane deductible?
Insurers may require you to report the loss or keep records, and the Florida CFO advises filing the claim anyway, so the amount can be credited toward the deductible if another hurricane hits that year.
Can I lower my hurricane deductible?
The insurer must give you notice of the deductible options at each renewal. If you have taken hurricane mitigation measures, it must offer a lower deductible or a discount. If you are offered a lower deductible after a hurricane loss, it will not apply until January 1 of the following year.
Talk to an agent
Your agent can check your policy and show the dollar amount of each hurricane deductible option, so you can compare it with the premium.
More Florida homeowner guides
- All Florida insurance guides
- Wind mitigation inspection
- Roof age and home insurance
- 4-point inspection
- Water damage and home insurance
- Buying a home in Florida: insurance checklist
- Homeowners insurance in Florida
Local pages that discuss deductibles: Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Doral, Homestead, Kendall, Hialeah, Cape Coral and all areas we serve.
Sources
- s. 627.701, Fla. Stat. (options, annual application, later storms, mitigation option, roof deductible)
- s. 627.4025, Fla. Stat. (what a hurricane is and when it starts and ends)
- Florida CFO: Florida's Hurricane Deductible (consumer guide, example, surplus lines, changing insurers)
- s. 627.7011(4)(b), Fla. Stat. (flood notice on the declarations page)
This page is general information, not advice about your policy. Coverage, discounts and eligibility vary by insurance company and policy, and your policy documents control. Best One Insurance is an independent insurance agency, not an insurance company. Licensed in Florida (DFS agency licenses L035127 and L087202).
