Chris Chase
Licensed Florida insurance broker · FL License #G193830 · NPN 21407586
Last reviewed October 2026
The short version
- A hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not a flat amount. Two percent of $300,000 is $6,000.
- Under Florida law it applies once per calendar year, and it can only be changed at renewal.
- File the claim even if the damage is less than the deductible. It counts toward the deductible if a second storm hits.
Most people know their regular deductible. Fewer realize there’s a separate one for hurricanes, and that it’s usually a lot bigger.
Florida law is specific about how it works, which means you can know your exact number before a storm instead of after.
In this article
It’s a percentage, not a flat amount
Your regular deductible, often called the all-other-perils deductible, is typically a flat dollar amount. A hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage.
| Dwelling coverage | 2% deductible | 5% deductible | 10% deductible |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| $300,000 | $6,000 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| $400,000 | $8,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
| $500,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
That table is arithmetic, not a quote. Your policy shows your own percentage and dwelling amount, and the Florida Department of Financial Services notes the deductible has to appear as a dollar amount on your policy documents even when it’s set as a percentage.
The options Florida requires
Under Florida Statute 627.701, insurance companies have to offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5%, and 10% of the dwelling limit. On homes insured for $250,000 or more, the company doesn’t have to offer the $500 option. In area quotes over the past 36 months, 2% was by far the most common choice.
The same law requires a notice on your policy in large bold type: “This policy contains a separate deductible for hurricane losses, which may result in high out-of-pocket expenses to you.”
When it applies
Florida defines this precisely. Hurricane coverage is coverage for damage caused by windstorm during a hurricane, and a hurricane, for insurance purposes:
- begins when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida by the National Hurricane Center, and
- ends 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida is terminated.
Wind damage during that window falls under the hurricane deductible. Wind damage from a tropical storm that never becomes a hurricane, or any other claim like a kitchen fire, falls under your regular deductible.
Interior damage from rain counts as hurricane damage when the wind first opens up the building. Rising water is flood, which is a separate policy. See Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Flooding?
It applies once a year
The statute says the hurricane deductible applies on an annual basis to all covered hurricane losses in a calendar year, as long as you stay with the same insurance company or group. You don’t pay a full new deductible for every storm.
The Department of Financial Services explains what happens with a second hurricane in the same year. The deductible on that claim is the greater of:
- whatever remains of your hurricane deductible after the first storm, or
- your regular all-other-perils deductible.
Once the hurricane deductible has been fully met for the year, later hurricane claims that year use the regular deductible.
Why you should file even a small claim
This follows from the once-a-year rule. The Department of Financial Services recommends always filing a claim even when the repair cost is less than your hurricane deductible. Nothing is paid on that claim, but it documents the loss and counts toward the deductible if a second hurricane causes more damage the same year. Keep photos and receipts.
Can I change it?
Only at renewal. Florida law says a policyholder can change the hurricane deductible as of the renewal date, not in the middle of a term.
A lower deductible means a higher premium, and the other way around. I can show you the trade in actual dollars for the options your company offers. A few things to know:
- Some companies require a higher hurricane deductible for homes very close to the coast.
- A deductible that shrinks each claim-free year, where a company offers one, usually applies to the regular deductible and not the hurricane deductible.
Things the hurricane deductible doesn’t cover
- Flooding. Separate policy, separate deductible.
- Screen enclosures and pool cages. These are often not covered for hurricane damage unless you add coverage, usually up to a set limit.
- The roof, on some policies. A roof payment schedule or a separate roof deductible changes what’s paid. See Florida Home Insurance and Roof Age.
Can I buy coverage when a storm is coming?
Don’t count on it. Insurance companies generally stop writing new policies and making coverage changes when a watch or warning is issued, sometimes for any part of Florida. Sort out your coverage well before storm season.
If your policy happens to be ending during a hurricane, the Department of Financial Services notes that the insurance company has to extend coverage until the hurricane is over.
Common questions
Does the hurricane deductible apply to tropical storms?
It applies to windstorm damage during a hurricane as Florida law defines it, starting when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida. Damage from a storm that isn’t a declared hurricane falls under your regular deductible.
Do I pay the hurricane deductible twice if two hurricanes hit?
No. It applies once per calendar year with the same company. A second claim uses whatever is left of it, or your regular deductible if that’s greater.
Should I file a claim if the damage is under my deductible?
The Department of Financial Services recommends it, so the loss counts toward your deductible if there’s a second storm.
Insurance companies don’t all follow the same rules or charge the same prices, and both change over time. Ask me what applies to you.
Official sources
- Florida Statute 627.701: hurricane deductibles
- Florida Statute 627.4025: hurricane coverage defined
- Florida Department of Financial Services: Florida’s hurricane deductible
- Florida Department of Financial Services: homeowners insurance overview
Keep reading
- Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Flooding?
- Wind Mitigation and Homeowners Insurance
- How Much Should Your Home Be Insured For?
- Florida homeowners insurance
Related coverage: homeowners insurance and flood insurance.
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