VERO BEACH — A Vero Beach homeowner says skyrocketing insurance costs may soon force her out of her home, and her story is one many Florida homeowners know all too well.

Kelly Hagen reached out to share her frustration over the relentless rise in her homeowners insurance premiums. Her home, which has three bedrooms and two baths, is about 1,500 square feet and was built in 1994. "My homeowners insurance is $9,000 a year, which equates to $750 a month on top of my mortgage payment," Hagen said. "It went from $6,000 to the next year it was $8,000. Now it's over $9,000. I mean, it just keeps going up and up and up." Hagen says the financial pressure goes beyond the premium itself. Her insurance company requires impact windows — an expensive upgrade she has struggled to afford while working two jobs. "Impact windows are very expensive. I'm by myself. I work two jobs. I work a full-time job, and then I work Instacart nights and weekends," Hagen said. Her situation was made worse when she was turned away for a $10,000 My Safe Florida Home grant after it took too long to find a contractor — a roadblock many Florida homeowners have faced.

Kelly Hagen, a Vero Beach homeowner, says she may have to sell her 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house as insurance costs rise.

State leaders say now is the time for homeowners to shop around, pointing to new insurers entering the market with competitive rates. One new company, Stand Insurance, is offering to help homeowners connect with affordable contractors. Stand uses AI technology to study homes and then works to pair homeowners with vendors and contractors to make repairs.

"If you can actually help someone be safer and have their home be safer, it's beneficial to everyone involved; we don't have to pay out in claims and customers pay less in premiums," Dan Preston, the CEO of Stand Insurance, said.

For Hagen, the window to find a solution is closing fast.

"How much longer can you hang on with these increases in insurance?" WPTV consumer reporter Matt Sczesny asked her.

"Probably just a couple more months, and then I can't do it," Hagen said.

"What will you do?" Sczesny asked.

"I'm going to have to leave my house. I'll have to try and sell my house," Hagen said. "Leaving would be devastating."

Experts advise homeowners in similar situations to explore workable changes to their policy and shop around for lower premiums with other insurance companies.

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