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Florida insurance reforms deliver relief as
litigation drops and rates ease |
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Article Courtesy of Florida Politics
By David Sampson
Published January 21, 2026
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Florida has long been a national leader in many areas
— and today it stands out for its remarkable progress in repairing a
property insurance market that had been spiraling under the weight of
excessive litigation and legal system abuse.
By taking decisive action to curb unnecessary lawsuits and restore
fairness to its legal system, Florida stabilized its property insurance
market and delivered real benefits to consumers.
The 2022–2023 reforms enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature
are driving down rates, providing premium relief, and expanding coverage
options while preserving consumer protections.
This is a far cry from where Florida was just a few short years ago at
the height of the state’s insurance crisis. More than a dozen companies
had gone insolvent or stopped writing new policies, insurance rates were
skyrocketing, and the state-run insurer of last resort, Citizens, had
ballooned to more than 1.4 million policies.
Today, the Florida insurance market is experiencing strong growth and
stability, and Floridians are benefiting from improved affordability.
Seventeen new companies have entered the market to offer coverage since
the reforms were passed. More competition in the marketplace means
consumers have more options to shop around for the best policy at the
best price.
Those market improvements are now translating directly into lower rates.
Since November 2025, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR)
reports 73 rate-decrease filings and 94 filings requesting no increase.
Three major homeowners’ insurers in Florida have recently decreased
rates between five and eight percent. According to the FLOIR, the 30-day
average homeowners insurance rate request is -2.3%, compared to -0.5% a
year ago.
The Governor also recently announced that most Citizens policyholders
statewide will receive a premium decrease, with an average statewide
reduction of 8.7%. Policyholders in South Florida, which was once a
hotbed of claims-related litigation, will see the largest reductions
between 11% and 14%.
Auto insurance customers are experiencing similar benefits. In 2025,
Florida’s top five auto insurers, which represent 78% of the state’s
auto insurance market, decreased rates by an average of 6.5%.
Florida taxpayers also benefit from a reduced risk of statewide
assessments now that Citizens’ policy count has dropped from a high of
1.42 million in October 2023 to 395,144 in January 2025 – a nearly 73%
reduction and now its lowest level in 14 years.
Litigation trends are also dramatically improving as a direct result of
the reforms. In 2019, Florida accounted for more than 76% of all
homeowners’ insurance claims litigation nationwide, despite representing
just 7% of all homeowners’ insurance claims filed. In the post-reform
environment, personal insurance litigation filings fell for a second
straight year, dropping 23% from 2023 to 2024 and another 25% in 2025.
Florida’s progress has not gone unnoticed. Other states, such as Georgia
and Louisiana, have taken a page from Florida’s playbook and passed
their own legal system abuse reforms in the last year.
To maintain Florida’s positive momentum, it is critical for lawmakers to
remain committed to legal system abuse reforms, resist any rollback
attempts, and allow the reforms to continue working.
If the legal system abuse reforms stand strong year after year, Florida
will continue attracting insurers, strengthening competition, and
delivering stability and improved affordability for policyholders across
the state.
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