DeSantis announces major insurance rate relief
across Florida
Citizens Property Insurance
customers to see average 8.7% premium reduction starting spring
2026 |
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Article Courtesy of WCTV Eyewitness News
By Cody Butler
Published January 14, 2026
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WATCH VIDEO |
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Ron
DeSantis announced significant statewide insurance rate relief for
Florida homeowners, with Citizens Property Insurance policyholders
across the state set to see meaningful premium reductions beginning in
spring 2026 at policy renewal.
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DeSantis said customers of the
state-backed insurer in three south Florida counties will
see the largest cuts. He said the reductions prove insurance
reforms passed in 2023 are providing relief to consumers.
“Floridians are seeing rate reductions in both auto and
homeowners insurance across the state, with additional
relief coming soon,” DeSantis said. “The reductions in
Citizens Insurance rates are the most significant in recent
memory. Premiums are lowering because we’ve enacted real
reforms and withstood the pressure to reverse course.”
Statewide premium reductions
Under the approved rates, the vast majority of Citizens
policyholders statewide will receive a premium decrease,
with a statewide average reduction of 8.7%. Over 330,000
policyholders across all 67 counties will see rate
decreases, and more than 150,000 policyholders will receive
reductions of 10% or greater.
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South Florida will see the largest reductions
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Broward County: Approximately 27,000 homes with
an average reduction of 14.1%
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Miami-Dade County: Approximately 42,000 homes
with an average reduction of 14.0%
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Palm Beach County: Approximately 26,000 homes
with an average reduction of 11.9%
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Monroe County: More than 1,000 homeowners will
see an average reduction of 11.3%
Insurance market improvements
The 2023 reforms made it harder for people to file frivolous lawsuits
against insurance companies by eliminating one-way attorney fees and
abusive assignment-of-benefits practices.
“Honestly they are kind of forced to do this because it is a competitive
market and if one is not, the other people can shift,” DeSantis said.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said the reforms addressed a
market near collapse. “Four years ago, our insurance market was near
collapse, which is why I stood alongside our Governor to create historic
lawsuit reform, cut out the waste, fraud and abuse, and strengthen our
insurance market,” Ingoglia said.
As of January 2025, Citizens policies in force declined to 395,144,
representing a 50% reduction from the prior year and the lowest level in
14 years.
Private market rate reductions
Since the reforms, 17 new insurance companies have entered Florida.
Recent homeowners insurance reductions include an 8.2% reduction for
Florida Peninsula customers, an 8% reduction for Security First
customers, and a 5.1% reduction for Universal Property & Casualty
customers.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky said the results stem from the tort
reforms. “We are seeing nothing but good news across all data points for
Florida’s auto and home insurance markets. These positive results are
entirely related to our historic tort reforms, driven largely by
Governor DeSantis’ leadership,” Yaworsky said.
Broader economic impact
DeSantis noted Uber reported Florida riders have saved tens of millions
of dollars since March 2025 due to lower insurance-related costs, with
year-over-year fare changes in Florida running up to six percentage
points lower than in other states.
Workers’ compensation rates declined by 6.9% in 2025, marking the ninth
consecutive year of rate reductions for employers.
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