Most
Florida homeowners saw insurance changes, price hikes over the
last year
A survey conducted by
Redfin showed Floridians were plagued by insurance changes more
than any other state in the U.S. |
Article Courtesy of Channel 10 Tampa Bay
By Claire Farrow
Published April 21, 2024
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TAMPA — If you're a homeowner in
Florida, you're likely no stranger to the ongoing home insurance crisis
in the Sunshine State. In fact, most homeowners reported they were
affected by changes in insurance coverage or rising costs, according to
a recent survey from Redfin.
The company commissioned the survey,
which polled nearly 3,000 homeowners and renters across the
U.S. The results showed just over 70 percent of homeowners
in Florida said either they or the area they lived in was
affected by rising property insurance costs or had to change
coverage after being dropped from their policy.
It's the highest percentage of homeowners experiencing
insurance woes, with California — the other epicenter of the
crisis — only reporting 51 percent of homeowners seeing
changes. Overall across the country, only 45 percent of
homeowners experienced changes, Redfin reports.
Since 2017, 11 property and casualty
companies offering homeowners insurance in Florida have
liquidated, the National Association of State Credit Union
Supervisors (NASCUS) reported. More than half liquidated
within the past two years. Five companies went under in 2022
and two in 2023.
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The reason: Florida has seen a much larger risk in recent years for
disastrous flooding and damage from storms, particularly during
hurricane season.
One result of so many companies pulling out of Florida is that 12
percent of Florida homeowners reported that their company stopped
offering coverage, Redfin said. That percentage is much higher than the
8.3 percent of other respondents.
“Homeowners living in areas where insurance premiums are surging are at
risk of seeing their properties gain less value than homeowners in areas
with stable premiums—and in some cases, they may even lose money,”
Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement. “Homes
with low disaster risk and low insurance costs will likely become
increasingly popular, and thus more valuable, as the dangers of climate
change intensify.”
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