Why did your Florida home insurance go up? Here’s how to get better coverage from a stronger carrier.
If your renewal jumped even though you never filed a claim, you’re not alone — this has been a statewide, market-wide trend. The good news: Florida’s market is stabilizing, more carriers are competing, and an independent advisor can re-shop your policy for a stronger carrier and the right coverage — not just a lower number.
Re-shop your renewal in 3 steps
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The short answer
- Why did my home insurance go up in Florida? Premiums climbed across the whole state from 2022 to 2025 because of several compounding forces — the litigation/AOB crisis, sharply higher reinsurance costs, rebuild-cost inflation, and catastrophic hurricane losses — not anything you did.
- Your rate can rise even with a clean, claim-free record, because Florida property insurance is priced largely on statewide and regional risk, not just your individual claims history.
- The market is now stabilizing: AM Best reports Florida insurers turned their first underwriting profit in eight years in 2024, roughly 18–20 new carriers have entered since the reforms, and Citizens recommended its first average rate decrease in years for 2026.
- Your dwelling (Coverage A) limit is based on what it costs to rebuild today — not your home’s market value — so rising labor and materials costs can push it up even when your home’s sale price is flat.
- The cheapest quote can be a trap: a teaser-low premium may hide a weaker carrier, an actual-cash-value roof settlement, a higher hurricane deductible, or big first-year discounts that quietly disappear at renewal. Lead with carrier strength and the right coverage, not price alone.
- As an independent agency, Cornerstone shops many financially strong Florida carriers for you and re-shop when your rate or carrier service goes outside the norm — and you don’t pay more for an independent agent, because the commission is built into the premium either way.
Why did your home insurance go up in Florida? Florida homeowners premiums climbed sharply from 2022 to 2025 because of several forces stacking up at once — a years-long litigation and assignment-of-benefits (AOB) crisis, sharply rising reinsurance costs, construction and rebuild-cost inflation, and catastrophic hurricane losses like Hurricane Ian. In most cases your increase reflects this statewide, market-wide trend — not anything you did wrong.
So if your renewal went up even though you have a clean record and a well-kept home, take a breath: you’re not alone, and you have options. The smartest move isn’t to panic-pay the renewal or chase the lowest sticker price — it’s to make sure you’re with a financially strong carrier carrying the right coverage, then let an independent advisor re-shop the market for you.
Have your renewal in hand? Let’s re-shop it for you
The best way to re-shop is to complete our quote request form — it takes a few minutes and gives us exactly what we need to compare your renewal against many financially strong Florida carriers. Don’t want to fill out a form? Get us your dec page in one click with Canopy Connect instead. Either way, most quotes come back quickly, often the same day. Get a free quote, or call or text a licensed Florida advisor at 813.920.8181.
The real reasons Florida home insurance went up (the macro picture)
No single thing caused Florida’s run-up in premiums — several pressures compounded. Here are the big, market-wide drivers behind the increases of 2022–2025:
- The litigation & AOB crisis. Excessive litigation was the central driver. In 2022, the Insurance Information Institute reported Florida was the site of roughly 79% of all U.S. homeowners insurance lawsuits over claims while its insurers received only about 9% of U.S. homeowners claims. Over a ten-year period Florida insurers paid out about $51 billion, of which roughly 71% went to attorneys’ fees and public adjusters rather than to policyholders — alongside fraudulent roof-replacement schemes. These figures describe the pre-reform period — the 2022–2023 reforms have since sharply reduced this litigation.
- Reinsurance costs. Reinsurance is, in the Insurance Information Institute’s own words, “insurance for insurance companies” — a way for your insurer to transfer part of its risk to a larger reinsurer so it can still pay big claims. Florida carriers are unusually dependent on it: AM Best reported active Florida specialist insurers had a ceded-reinsurance leverage ratio of about 519% in 2024, versus a U.S. composite average of about 62%. When global reinsurance prices spike, much of that cost flows through to homeowners — which is one reason rates can rise even if you never file a claim.
- Hurricane & catastrophe losses. Hurricane Ian (September 2022) caused an estimated $50–65 billion in insured losses, among the costliest U.S. hurricanes on record. That sent Florida property-catastrophe reinsurance renewals up substantially heading into 2023 — a major contributor to that year’s round of rate increases.
- Rebuild-cost inflation. Your policy pays to rebuild your home at today’s labor and material prices. Construction costs have risen sharply (industry estimates put residential reconstruction cost up roughly 60%+ over the past decade), so the amount it takes to rebuild — and therefore your premium — can climb even in a flat housing market.
The 2022–2023 reforms changed the trajectory
Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 2-A on December 16, 2022. It eliminated one-way attorney’s fees in property insurance suits, prohibited assignment of post-loss benefits (AOB) on residential and commercial property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, allowed binding arbitration clauses, restructured bad-faith litigation, and shortened claim-reporting deadlines. These measures were designed to cut the litigation-driven costs that had been pushing rates up — and, as you’ll see below, they’re starting to work.
And the reasons specific to your home (the micro picture)
On top of the statewide pressure, a handful of property-specific factors can move your number. It’s worth checking these on your renewal before you pay it:
- Roof age and condition. Roof age is one of the biggest factors Florida insurers weigh, and an older roof can change both your eligibility and how a roof claim is paid (more on that below).
- Wind-mitigation credits. Florida law (Fla. Stat. 627.0629) requires insurers to build “actuarially reasonable” credits for wind-resistant features — roof shape, roof-deck and roof-to-wall attachment, secondary water resistance, and opening protection — into their filed rates. If your wind-mitigation inspection has lapsed or was never on file, you may be paying more than you should. Credits are documented on Florida’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802), and a completed form is typically valid for up to five years, subject to the current form instructions.
- Claims history. This works differently in Florida than many homeowners assume. A single past claim usually isn’t a flat premium surcharge — but filing a non-hurricane claim (such as water damage, liability, or theft) can cost you a claims-free discount, which raises what you pay at your next renewal. A clean record still doesn’t make you immune to a market-wide increase.
- A higher Coverage A limit. If your dwelling (Coverage A) limit was raised to keep up with rebuild costs, your premium follows it up. That’s usually protecting you — we’ll show you how to confirm it’s right.
- Location and county. Where your home sits — wind exposure, distance to coast, county — shapes the regional risk your rate is built on.
Wait — aren’t Florida rates supposed to be stabilizing in 2026?
Yes — and this is the part the static carrier pages tend to miss. As of 2025–2026, the Florida homeowners market is stabilizing, not stuck in crisis:
- Insurers are profitable again. AM Best reported Florida’s property insurers posted their first underwriting profit in eight years in 2024 (an underwriting gain of about $206.7 million), and a follow-up report found gains increasing sharply, with litigation costs down and reinsurance pricing beginning to soften.
- Competition is returning. Roughly 18–20 new property insurers have entered Florida since the reforms, bringing hundreds of millions in new capital. The Insurance Information Institute reported more than 185 residential rate filings over two years reflecting flat or decreased rates.
- Citizens is shrinking and cutting. Citizens, the state insurer of last resort, fell from a peak of about 1.42 million policies in October 2023 to below 400,000 by late December 2025 as private carriers took policies back. For 2026, Citizens recommended its first average rate decrease in years (a 2.6% average decrease in its December 2025 board recommendation; regulators ultimately approved a larger average decrease, reported around 8.7%).
Why this matters for you: more competing carriers and softening rates mean more strong-carrier options are open to you than in years — which is exactly the moment a market-wide re-shop pays off: you can move to a stronger carrier and the right coverage, often at a fairer price. One honest caveat: AM Best cautions this recovery is fragile, and a single major hurricane could slow it. So we don’t promise your rate will keep falling — we promise to put you with a carrier built to last. For a fuller breakdown of where Florida’s market stands in 2026, see our 2026 Florida homeowners insurance reality check.
Run the rebuild number: is your dwelling (Coverage A) actually right?
This is the single most misunderstood line on a Florida renewal. Your dwelling coverage (Coverage A) is based on what it costs to rebuild your home today — not what it would sell for. Those are different numbers, and confusing them is how homeowners end up either overpaying or dangerously underinsured.
- Replacement cost value (RCV) is the amount to rebuild or repair your home today with like-kind, like-quality materials at current labor and material prices, with no deduction for depreciation.
- Actual cash value (ACV) is that cost minus depreciation for age and wear — so an ACV settlement pays you less.
- Market value is what your home would sell for, and it includes the land. It’s a separate number from rebuild cost entirely.
Because insurers set Coverage A on rebuild cost, your dwelling limit — and your premium — can climb even when your home’s market value is flat, simply because labor and materials cost more to rebuild than they did a few years ago. That’s often the protection working as intended. Inflation-guard endorsements (industry estimates put these around 2–4% a year) and extended-replacement-cost endorsements (typically adding 10–50% above the limit) exist specifically to keep your coverage in step with rebuild-cost inflation.
The underinsurance trap
Many replacement-cost policies include a coinsurance / insurance-to-value requirement — commonly the “80% rule.” If your dwelling coverage is set below roughly 80% of full replacement cost, your payout on a partial loss can be reduced proportionally (a “coinsurance penalty”) — quietly leaving you exposed long before a total loss. Provisions vary by policy, so it’s worth having an advisor confirm your Coverage A is set correctly. Want a second set of eyes? Request a free review or call or text 813.920.8181.
Is it worth switching — or should you stay?
An honest answer: not every increase is a reason to switch. Sometimes the smartest move is a full policy review of what you already have — not jumping carriers. Carriers add new discounts over time, and a review can catch ones you’re not getting yet, such as:
- Water shut-off & leak-detection device discounts — for a smart water-monitor or automatic shut-off system.
- Military and first-responder discounts.
- Bundle discounts for keeping your home and auto with the same agency.
A review can also true up your Coverage A or revisit your deductible. Other times, re-shopping is clearly worth it.
Re-shopping usually makes sense when:
- Your renewal jumped well beyond the single-digit increases typical of the current market.
- Your carrier non-renewed you, or you’re worried about its financial strength.
- You haven’t had your coverage compared across carriers in two or three years.
- You’ve added a wind-mit feature, a newer roof, or other changes that should earn credits you’re not getting.
Staying (and adjusting) can be the better call when: your carrier is strong, your coverage is right, and the increase simply tracks the market — in which case capturing missed discounts or fixing your limits beats a wholesale switch.
You don’t have to do the legwork: the Agent-of-Record letter
Here’s the part most homeowners don’t know. If you simply want a local independent advisor to take over and service your existing policy — handle changes, and re-shop when your rate or carrier service goes outside the norm — you can sign an Agent-of-Record (AOR) letter naming us as your representative on that policy. No need to cancel and re-buy. And because we represent many carriers rather than one, we can re-shop your coverage among our appointed financially strong Florida companies when a rate increase or service problem warrants it and move you to a better fit — a stronger carrier, the right coverage, and a fair price — for free, with you doing none of the legwork. If a brand-new carrier is the right answer, we write a fresh policy effective at your old one’s expiration so there’s no gap in coverage.
Want us to handle it? Start your free re-shop or call or text a licensed Florida advisor at 813.920.8181 — most quotes come back quickly, often the same day.
Independent advisor vs. captive agent vs. buying direct — who actually re-shops for you?
When your rate jumps, the channel you bought through decides what happens next. A single-carrier (captive) agent can only re-rate you within their one company. A direct/online purchase leaves you to compare companies, set your own limits, and handle renewals yourself. An independent advisor represents many carriers, so we can compare your renewal across the market and move you to a stronger fit. Here’s the honest comparison — including the truth about cost.
The honest comparison
| What matters when your rate goes up | Independent multi-carrier advisor (Cornerstone) | Captive / single-carrier agent | Online / direct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of carriers shopped | Many financially strong Florida carriers compared for you | One — their single company only | One — that company’s own product only |
| Free re-shop when it’s warranted | Yes — when your rate or carrier service goes outside the norm, we re-market across our carriers | Re-rates within one carrier only | You re-shop yourself, manually |
| Financial-strength vetting | Yes — we screen carrier financial strength before placing you | Limited to their one carrier | On you to research |
| Claims advocacy | Yes — a local advisor to help you navigate a claim | Yes, for their one carrier | Self-service; no agent in your corner |
| Bundle home + auto + umbrella | Yes — coordinated across carriers for the best fit | Only within their one company | You assemble and manage it yourself |
| Local Florida office | Yes — Odessa / Tampa Bay, textable 813.920.8181 | Sometimes local, single-brand | No local office; call center or app |
The honest truth: you don’t pay more for an independent agent. An agent’s commission is built into the policy premium and comes out of the carrier’s pricing rather than being added as a surcharge — and direct/online carriers generally spend that same money on advertising instead, also built into the rate. So the premium is usually the same or very similar whether you buy through an agent or direct; the real difference is who shops the market for you and who’s in your corner at claim time.
Carrier financial strength: the number that should drive your decision
Price is what you pay; financial strength is whether the company can actually pay your claim after a major Florida storm. Before you choose a carrier on a rate-increase re-shop, it’s worth seeing how Florida’s home insurers stack up on independent financial-strength grades. Here’s how the carriers we shop compare — and you can dig deeper on our Florida home insurance financial-strength ratings guide.
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll BBB+
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll BBB+
Demotech A (Exceptional)
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll A-
Demotech A (Exceptional)
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll BBB+
Demotech A (Exceptional)
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll BBB+
Demotech A (Exceptional)
Demotech A (Exceptional)
Demotech A (Exceptional)Kroll BBB
AM Best A+ (Superior)
Financial-strength ratings from Demotech, AM Best, and Kroll (KBRA), the recognized rating agencies for these carriers; most Florida-domiciled homeowners carriers are rated by Demotech and national carriers by AM Best. Ratings are current as most recently affirmed in 2026 and can change — we re-check each carrier’s current rating before we place you.
The cheapest quote is a trap
It’s tempting, mid rate-shock, to grab the lowest number you can find. But in Florida, a teaser-low premium is often cheaper for a reason — and the reason usually shows up at claim time. Before you switch to save a few dollars, look under the hood:
- A weaker carrier. A low quote may come from a company with thin reinsurance or shaky financial-strength standing — exactly the kind you don’t want when a hurricane sends thousands of claims in at once.
- An ACV roof settlement. Florida law (s. 627.7011) lets insurers apply an age-based roof reimbursement schedule, so a cheaper policy may quietly cover your roof at actual cash value instead of full replacement. The NAIC illustrates the gap: a roof with $15,000 of damage could be depreciated by $10,000 under ACV — leaving you to absorb the difference.
- A higher hurricane deductible. Some low premiums are bought with a bigger out-of-pocket deductible when you can least afford it.
- Disappearing first-year discounts. Some carriers front-load big introductory savings — new-homebuyer and new-policy / new-business discounts, and similar promo credits — that quietly drop off after the first year, so a premium that looks cheap today can jump sharply at your very next renewal even if nothing about your home changed. Always ask which discounts are permanent and which expire.
The point isn’t that price doesn’t matter — it’s that the right coverage from a financially strong carrier is what actually protects you. Our job is to find the strongest carrier and the right coverage first, then make the price competitive. Get a free quote or call or text 813.920.8181.
One more reason to consolidate: home, auto & umbrella under one advisor
If you’re already re-shopping your home policy, it’s a natural moment to bring your auto and umbrella under the same roof. The biggest benefit isn’t a number on a flyer — it’s simplicity and protection:
- One advisor, one relationship. When everything sits with one carrier and one local advocate, a claim means one call — no finger-pointing between companies.
- Stronger placement. Households that keep multiple policies with one carrier tend to be steadier, longer relationships — which can support a simpler, more stable arrangement over time.
- A potential multi-policy discount. Many insurers offer an “up to” bundle discount — some advertise figures as high as roughly 25–40% — but the actual amount varies by carrier, state, and your situation, and separate policies can sometimes beat a bundle. We’ll run it both ways and show you the honest math.
An umbrella policy is also worth a look while we’re at it: it adds liability protection above your home and auto limits, and the Insurance Information Institute notes the first $1 million of coverage generally costs about $200 to $350 a year — modest relative to the protection. Insurers typically require underlying limits first (commonly at least $250,000 auto and $300,000 home liability).
Curious how it all fits together? See our home + auto + umbrella bundle guide, or request a quote and we’ll map it out — most quotes come back quickly, often the same day. Or call or text a licensed Florida advisor at 813.920.8181.
Why Tampa Bay and north-of-I-4 homeowners choose Cornerstone
When your rate spikes, you want a real person who answers — not an 800 number or a chatbot. Cornerstone Insurance is an independent Florida agency based in Odessa, in the Tampa Bay corridor, and we’ve been doing this for 17 years.
- 4.9 stars across 608 Google reviews and an A+ BBB rating.
- Trusted Choice member and an independent agency that shops many financially strong Florida carriers for you.
- Led by Joshua Butts, who holds a Florida 2-20 general lines license; agency license FL L061107.
- A local, textable number — 813.920.8181 — not a call center.
Get your Florida renewal re-shopped today
The fastest way to start is to complete our quote request form — or, if you’d rather not, get us your dec page in one click with Canopy Connect. We’ll compare it across many financially strong Florida carriers, focused on a stronger carrier and the right coverage — not just the lowest sticker price. Most quotes come back quickly, often the same day. Get a free quote, or call or text a licensed Florida advisor at 813.920.8181. Need help reading a renewal first? See our guide to your Florida homeowners insurance binder and declarations.
Florida home insurance rate-increase FAQ
Why did my homeowners insurance go up when I didn’t file a claim?
Because Florida property insurance is priced largely on statewide and regional risk, not just your individual claims history. Market-wide pressures — rising reinsurance costs, construction and rebuild inflation, and catastrophe-loss projections — flow into approved rate filings that apply across a carrier’s entire book, so even well-maintained, never-filed homes see increases. A clean record can still help your rate, but it doesn’t make you immune to a market-wide increase.
Can my home insurance go up without a claim in Florida?
Yes. Florida homeowners premiums rose sharply from 2022 to 2025 due to a combination of factors — the litigation and assignment-of-benefits (AOB) crisis, sharply rising reinsurance costs, rebuild-cost inflation, and catastrophic hurricane losses like Hurricane Ian. These statewide cost pressures are built into rate filings that apply across a carrier’s whole book, so your premium can rise even with a clean, claim-free record.
Are Florida home insurance rates going down in 2026?
The market is stabilizing rather than falling across the board. AM Best reported Florida property insurers posted their first underwriting profit in eight years in 2024, roughly 18–20 new carriers have entered since the reforms, and the Insurance Information Institute reported more than 185 rate filings reflecting flat or decreased rates. Citizens recommended its first average rate decrease in years for 2026. That said, AM Best cautions the recovery is fragile and a single major hurricane could slow it, so individual renewals still vary — some go down, some stay flat, some rise.
Should I switch home insurance companies after a rate increase?
Not always — it depends. If your renewal jumped well beyond the single-digit increases typical of the current market, your carrier non-renewed you, or you haven’t had your coverage compared in two or three years, re-shopping usually makes sense. If your carrier is financially strong and your coverage is right, sometimes a full policy review of what you already have — capturing new discounts your carrier may offer now (water-detection, military or first-responder, or bundling home and auto) or truing up your Coverage A — beats switching. An independent agent can compare your renewal across many carriers and tell you honestly whether to switch or stay. Most quotes come back quickly, often the same day.
Is dwelling coverage based on market value or rebuild cost?
Rebuild cost, not market value. Insurers set your dwelling limit (Coverage A) on replacement cost — the amount it would take to rebuild your home today with like-kind, like-quality materials at current labor and material prices, with no deduction for depreciation. Market value is what your home would sell for and includes the land, which is a separate number. Because rebuild costs have risen sharply, your Coverage A — and your premium — can climb even when your home’s market value is flat.
What is reinsurance and why does it raise my Florida premium?
Reinsurance is, in the Insurance Information Institute’s own words, “insurance for insurance companies” — a way for your insurer to transfer part of its risk to a larger reinsurer so it can still pay big claims. Florida carriers are unusually dependent on it: AM Best reported active Florida specialist insurers had a ceded-reinsurance leverage ratio of about 519% in 2024, versus a U.S. composite average of about 62%. So when global reinsurance prices spike, much of that cost passes through to homeowners — one reason rates can rise even for a homeowner who never files a claim.
What is a wind mitigation inspection and how much can it save?
A wind-mitigation inspection documents the wind-resistant features of your home — roof shape, roof-deck and roof-to-wall attachment, secondary water resistance, and opening protection — on Florida’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). Florida law (Fla. Stat. 627.0629) requires insurers to build “actuarially reasonable” credits for those features into their filed rates. There’s no fixed percentage guaranteed by law — the amount varies by carrier and by your home’s documented features — but if your inspection has lapsed or was never filed, you may be paying more than you should. A completed form is typically valid for up to five years, subject to the current form instructions.
What should I check on my Florida renewal notice before I pay it?
Read it line by line. Check that your dwelling (Coverage A) limit reflects current rebuild cost — not your home’s market value — without being padded too high. Confirm your wind-mitigation credits are applied and your inspection form is current. Review your deductibles, especially the separate hurricane deductible. Note whether your roof is settled on replacement cost or actual cash value. And check your carrier’s financial strength. If anything looks off, an independent advisor can compare it across carriers before you pay — bring us your declarations page and most quotes come back quickly, often the same day.
Can my insurer drop me because my roof is too old?
Roof age is one of the biggest factors Florida insurers weigh, and it can affect both your eligibility and how a roof claim is paid. Under Florida law (s. 627.7011), insurers may apply an age-based roof reimbursement schedule, so an older roof may be covered at actual cash value (depreciated) rather than full replacement cost. If your carrier non-renews you, Florida law (Fla. Stat. 627.4133) generally requires at least 120 days’ advance written notice for personal-lines residential property — your policy runs to its expiration, giving you a window to re-shop and replace coverage with no lapse. An independent agent can help you review your options and confirm your roof coverage is settled on replacement cost where you qualify.
Does an independent agent cost me more than buying direct?
No. Using an independent agent does not typically cost more than buying directly from the carrier. The agent’s commission is built into the policy premium and comes out of the carrier’s pricing rather than being added as a surcharge on top of your rate. Direct-to-consumer carriers don’t pay agent commission but generally spend that money on advertising and service instead, which is likewise built into the rate. So the premium is usually the same or very similar either way — the real difference is that an independent agent shops many carriers for you and advocates for you at claim time.
Get your Florida renewal re-shopped — by a local advisor
Ready to re-shop? The best way to start is to complete our quote request form — or, if you’d prefer, get us your dec page in one click with Canopy Connect. We’ll compare it across many financially strong Florida carriers — focused on a stronger carrier and the right coverage, not just the lowest sticker price. Most quotes come back quickly, often the same day.
