New surveys of Florida homeowners show continued concer
ns about property insurance, premiums and hurricanes, but policyholders seem to be breathing a little easier in recent months.
A poll by Florida Atlantic University found that 49% of respondents are concerned about the affordability o
f insurance due to the effects of climate change. And 36% said they had moved or are considering moving due to weather-related impacts.
“It’s no secret that Florida is at the epicenter of the national home insurance crisis,” said Lizzy Price, a spokesper
son for the Insurance Fairness Project.”High costs are hurting people, and in some cases even forcing them to leave the state.”
At least 61% of Floridians polled said they were concerned
bout hurricanes gaining in strength and causing storm surge in coastal areas.
The FAU survey echoes the results of a July survey by the University of Florida, which that the top issue f
acing Florida today is property insurance – ranking above housing costs, immigration, the economy, and pro
perty taxes, the Insurance Fairness Project noted.
In a separate survey of 1,000 Florida homeowners, 53% of respondents said that the Florida market has more carriers to choose from, a result that see
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ms to confirm that insureds have taken notice of reports that at least 17 property insurers have entered or re-entered t
he market since major legislative changes were enacted in 2023.
The survey was commissioned by Hi Marley, a firm that provides text messaging services for carriers t
o communicate with policyholders. Almost 40% of respondents said the Florida market is more stable than it was
three years ago. Some 43% noted that their trust in insurance companies increased in the past three years, and 46%
said that insurance companies are communicating more clearly.
But only 5% noted that their premiums have dropped in the last three years.
The results came the same week that another carrier announced it had decreased rates for proper
ty owners. Patriot Select, reborn from the remnants of Anchor Insurance, said it had reduced averag
e premiums by about 11.3%. Its policy count is now
up to almost 670, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Multiple carriers have announced rate decreases this year, including Security First, one of the larger Florida carriers. Th
e company in October filed for an 8% average statewide rate decrease for thousands of homeowners policies.