Own Luxury Homes®
Own Luxury Homes® Florida Insurance Availability Score™
Own Luxury Homes® Florida Insurance Availability Score™: 15-county composite score 1-10 based on admitted carrier availability, Citizens Insurance market share, surplus lines necessity, and premium competitiveness. Monroe County: 1-2/10 critical. Miami-Dade coastal: 3/10. Broward, Lee: 4/10. Orange County Orlando: 9/10 strong. Inland Central Florida: 8-9/10. Scores reflect post-2022 legislative reform market conditions. Own Luxury Homes® 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™.
Own Luxury Homes® Florida Insurance Availability Score™
Not all of Florida has the same insurance problem. A homeowner in Orlando faces a fundamentally different market than one in Miami Beach — not just in premium cost, but in the number of carriers willing to write new policies, the availability of all-risk coverage, and the degree to which Citizens dominates the market. This Score quantifies county-level insurance market health on a 1–10 scale, giving buyers, sellers, investors, lenders, and media a single comparable metric for a variable that drives purchase decisions, financing, and long-term ownership costs.
01 — County-by-County Availability Scores
Score components: admitted carrier availability (40%), Citizens market share (30%), surplus lines necessity (20%), premium competitiveness (10%). A score of 10 represents a market with full private admitted competition and premiums close to national norms. A score of 1 represents a market where private admitted coverage is largely unavailable.
| County / Market | Score | Tier | Key Drivers | Avg Annual Premium ($400K, new roof) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange (Orlando) | 9/10 | STRONG | Inland, diversified economy, strong post-reform carrier competition | $2,600–$3,400 |
| Osceola / Lake / Polk | 8–9/10 | STRONG | Central Florida inland corridor; multiple carriers competing actively | $2,400–$3,200 |
| Seminole County | 8/10 | STRONG | Orlando suburb; minimal coastal exposure | $2,600–$3,600 |
| Duval (Jacksonville) | 7/10 | GOOD | Moderate Atlantic exposure; strong inland market; improving post-reform | $3,000–$4,200 |
| Hillsborough (Tampa) | 7/10 | GOOD | Mixed coastal/inland; bay-area exposure but strong inland availability | $3,800–$5,200 |
| Alachua (Gainesville) | 7/10 | GOOD | Inland, university market, reasonable availability | $2,600–$3,400 |
| Brevard (Space Coast) | 6–7/10 | MODERATE | Atlantic-facing coast; improving post-reform; coastal premium applies | $3,400–$5,000 |
| Sarasota | 6/10 | MODERATE | Gulf Coast exposure; recovering from Ian; improving from 2022–2023 lows | $3,800–$5,200 |
| Collier (Naples) | 5/10 | MODERATE | High-value coastal; Gulf exposure; limited carrier appetite at lower price tiers | $5,200–$7,200 |
| Palm Beach | 5/10 | MODERATE | Dense coastal; Atlantic exposure; Citizens still significant | $4,600–$6,400 |
| Pinellas (St. Pete) | 5/10 | MODERATE | Peninsula geography; Gulf + Tampa Bay; constrained for older homes | $4,800–$6,600 |
| Lee (Fort Myers) | 4/10 | CONSTRAINED | Hurricane Ian lasting carrier reluctance; dual burden of rebuilding + SIRS mandates | $4,200–$6,200 |
| Broward | 4/10 | CONSTRAINED | Dense coastal; high litigation history; limited carrier appetite | $5,000–$7,200 |
| Miami-Dade (coastal) | 3/10 | CONSTRAINED | Most constrained private market in Florida; Citizens-dominant; limited admitted options for older coastal buildings | $5,600–$9,000+ |
| Monroe (Florida Keys) | 1–2/10 | CRITICAL | Extreme hurricane exposure; virtually no private admitted market; surplus lines or Citizens only | $8,000–$18,000+ |
| Scores reflect county-level conditions at last update. Individual properties vary by location, construction, roof age, and claims history. Premium ranges are estimates for $400K dwelling, new roof. Sources: OIR rate filings; Citizens market share data; carrier availability surveys. | ||||
02 — What the Score Means for Transactions
Treat the insurance quote as the second offer prerequisite after pre-approval. In constrained counties, the available options may be: (a) Citizens, which is generally more expensive than private market and has a legislated path to continued rate increases; (b) surplus lines (non-admitted) carriers, which are not subject to OIR rate approval and carry no FIGA guaranty fund protection; or (c) a thin private admitted market with specific underwriting requirements.
Obtain the quote with the specific address, roof age, and construction year before making any offer. The difference between a 3/10 county and an 8/10 county can be $4,000–$6,000/year in annual premium for the same purchase price — a number that belongs in the offer, not in the discovery phase.
Low Availability Score markets have reduced conventional-financing buyer pools. Lenders require proof of homeowners insurance before funding; when the only available option is Citizens at $10,000+/year or surplus lines, some buyers cannot qualify and others do not proceed.
The practical seller strategy: proactively obtain an insurance quote on the property before listing. If insurance is limited or expensive, disclose it and price accordingly. Buyers who discover a $14,000/year insurance quote at Day 15 of a 30-day contract are the ones who exercise the inspection contingency for “other reasons” — and sellers lose 30 days of market time.
Brown, Ryan. “Own Luxury Homes® Florida Insurance Availability Score™.” Own Luxury Homes®. https://www.ownluxuryhomes.com/markets/florida/research-indices/florida-insurance-availability-scoreMedia inquiries: ownluxuryhomes.com/connect · 407-900-7030
"The introduction Own Luxury Homes® makes is to a specialist with documented closing history in your specific market — not the county, not the metro, the submarket you're actually selling or buying in. That's the standard we verify before your name goes anywhere."
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873)