Laws can change as abruptly as the Florida weather, so we wanted to provide additional information about recent legislation that may impact Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (“Citizens”) customers. We’re here to provide resources to those Citizens customers who may be seeking flood insurance quotes in the near future and to any other FL residents who are looking for general information on flood insurance.

Want to see how much a flood insurance policy for your property may cost? At InsuraMatch, we work with multiple insurance providers and you can get a flood insurance quote online or submit a request for one of our sales advisors to give you a call.

Relevant Dates for Citizens Customers

Do you own a house in Florida? Is your home insurance policy through Citizens?  If so, you should know about some recent legislative changes.  On December 16, 2022, the Florida Governor signed SB 2-A, which provides that, under certain circumstances, Citizens policyholders must secure and maintain flood insurance to maintain their personal lines residential policies through Citizens. [1] Citizens policyholders whose policies do not provide coverage for wind are not required to purchase flood insurance to maintain their personal lines residential  policies with Citizens.[2]

How soon might you need to obtain flood insurance?  That may depend on a few different factors, such as the value of your property or whether your property is located within the special flood hazard area as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[3]

Looking to find out which flood zone your property is located in? You can use the Flood Map on FEMA’s website to identify your zone.

If your property is located in a FEMA special flood hazard area and your Citizens personal lines residential policy includes coverage for wind, you will need to obtain a flood policy that satisfies certain requirements to maintain your personal lines residential policy with Citizens by specified dates. Policyholders seeking new personal lines residential policies issued by Citizens on or after April 1, 2023, will need to have a flood policy at the time that the policy is issued. Citizens personal lines residential policyholders who have policies renewing on or after July 1, 2023, will need to have a flood policy in place by the time that their policies renew.

If your property is not located in a FEMA special flood hazard area and your Citizens personal lines residential policy includes coverage for wind, you will need to obtain a flood insurance policy that satisfies certain requirements to maintain your policy with Citizens as follows:

 

Effective Dates of Citizens Personal Lines Residential PoliciesProperty Values
On or after January 1, 2024Property valued at $600,000 or more
On or after January 1, 2025Property valued at $500,000 or more
On or after January 1, 2026Property valued at $400,000 or more
On or after January 1, 2027All other personal lines residential property insured by Citizens

 

If you’re a Citizens customer and you’re looking for flood insurance, give us a call at 844-232-2700.

Other Florida Property Owners

What does this new law mean for Florida policyholders who don’t have policies with Citizens? This new law only impacts Citizens policyholders; however, if you own property in Florida, you may want to consider a flood insurance policy as homeowners’ insurance policies generally do not provide coverage for flood damage.

Flood Policies for Renters

Don’t own a home? Do you need flood insurance if you’re a renter? As a renter, flood insurance may provide coverage for damage to your belongings as flood damage is generally not covered under a renters’ policy.  Learn how to prepare your rental against flooding here!

How Much Coverage Do I Need to Buy?

If you’re not sure how much flood insurance is required or how much you may need, call our licensed advisors at 844-232-2700 for more information or to get a quote over the phone.