TAMPA, Fla. — Since 1971, Florida has been hit by 19 hurricanes. Despite the state being the most hurricane-prone in the country, insurance companies state as many as 850,000 Floridians living in high-risk flood areas don’t carry flood insurance alongside their homeowners insurance policies.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida has been hit by 19 hurricane since 1971

  • Insurance companies say as many as 850,000 Floridians living in flood-prone areas don't carry flood insurance

  • Most homeowners insurance policies don't cover flood damage from an exterior water source 

  • FEMA says there is a 30-day window to add flood insurance, meaning if you purchased it the first day of August of this year, it wouldn’t provide coverage until early September

FEMA is urging anyone without flood insurance to secure it before the heart of hurricane season begins for Florida.

“They don’t understand that their homeowners policy does not cover flood in many instances,” said Tony Hake with FEMA. “So, I would strongly recommend they get it, even if the area outside the special flood hazard area, even if they don’t have a federally backed mortgage.”

Federally backed mortgages and insurance companies that are insured are the only ones in Florida that require flood insurance, but that is now changing for customers of Citizens Insurance, the state’s insurance of last resort.

In January, Citizens Insurance began requiring flood insurance for all homes valued at $600,000 or more to carry flood insurance if located in a high-risk flood area.

The requirement will be scaled up through January of 2027, when homes of any value in a flood-risk area will be required to carry flood insurance.

FEMA stated there is a 30-day window to purchase and secure flood insurance, which means if you purchased the insurance on Thursday, Aug. 01, 2024, the policy would not kick in until early September, when Florida is at its highest risk for a landfalling hurricane.