The Best Home Insurance in Florida for 2024

Chubb and Amica are among the best home insurance companies in Florida, according to our analysis.

We analyzed data from more than 30 insurance companies to help you find the best home insurance in Florida. Below are the insurers that earned 4.5 stars or more in our analysis. Rates are based on a sample homeowner with good credit, $300,000 of dwelling coverage, $300,000 of liability coverage and a $1,000 deductible.

» MORE: The best homeowners insurance

The best home insurance companies in Florida

Here's more information about the best homeowners insurance companies in Florida.

Amica stands out for its customer service and broad range of coverage options. The company has drawn far fewer consumer complaints to state regulators than expected for an insurer of its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or NAIC.

You can customize your policy with extra coverage above your dwelling limit, in case your house costs more to rebuild than expected. You may also want to add coverage for damage from water backups or recovery from identity theft.

» READ MORE: Amica homeowners insurance review

Chubb caters to owners of high-value homes and draws far fewer consumer complaints than expected for a company of its size, according to the NAIC. Its home insurance policies come with some great perks, including extended replacement cost in case it costs more than your dwelling limit to rebuild your home after a disaster.

If you insure a secondary or seasonal home in Florida with Chubb, you can sign up for the company’s Property Manager service at no charge. With this service, a Chubb representative will inspect your home after a hurricane, report its condition to you, submit a claim on your behalf and help prevent further damage.

» READ MORE: Chubb homeowners insurance review

Auto Club Group is one of several companies selling AAA-branded homeowners insurance policies. Options may include coverage for underground utility lines that serve your home, major appliances that break down or flood damage in lower-risk areas.

You may be able to save on your premiums by bundling home and auto insurance. However, you’ll want to weigh the savings against the cost of AAA membership, which may be required in order to buy a policy.

» READ MORE: AAA home insurance review

Cincinnati Insurance sells homeowners policies through independent agents, with various options for standard and high-value homes. You may be able to add coverage for things like identity theft, personal cyber attacks or certain types of water damage.

Cincinnati may offer you a discount for bundling home and auto insurance, having a newer home or installing a centrally monitored alarm system.

» READ MORE: Cincinnati Insurance homeowners insurance review

Nationwide’s standard homeowners policies include ordinance or law coverage, which pays to bring your home up to the latest building codes after a covered claim. They also include coverage for unauthorized credit or debit transactions. For an extra cost, you may be able to add coverage for things like water backup, identity theft and stronger materials to replace your roof.

Depending on how much personal assistance you need, you can get a quote for homeowners insurance on the Nationwide website or work with a local agent instead. You can also use the website to pay bills, file claims or check claim status.

» READ MORE: Nationwide homeowners insurance review

As America’s largest home insurer, State Farm stands out for its long list of coverage options. Its policies generally include extra dwelling coverage in case it costs more than expected to rebuild your home after a covered disaster. You may also be able to add coverage for things like identity theft, damage from backed-up drains and personal injury liability.

State Farm offers a free Ting device as a perk for home insurance policyholders. Ting is a smart plug that monitors your home’s electrical network to help prevent fires.

» READ MORE: State Farm homeowners insurance review

USAA sells homeowners insurance to veterans, active military members and their families. If that description fits you, you may want to consider a USAA policy. That’s because the company’s homeowners insurance has certain features that other insurers may charge extra for.

For example, USAA automatically covers your personal belongings on a replacement cost basis. Many companies pay out only what your items are worth at the time of the claim, which means you may not get much for older items. USAA pays enough for you to buy brand-new replacements for your stuff.

» READ MORE: USAA homeowners insurance review

More Florida home insurance companies

Having trouble finding an affordable rate or getting coverage from one of the best Florida home insurers above? Here are a few other companies you can try.

The insurer of last resort: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

Although NerdWallet doesn’t have access to average homeowners insurance rates from Citizens, we include it here because many Florida homeowners find themselves with nowhere else to turn for coverage.

Citizens is a government entity created in 2002 by the Florida Legislature to serve as an "insurer of last resort" for eligible homeowners who can't get coverage on the private market. You may qualify for insurance from Citizens if:

• You can’t find a standard insurer willing to sell you a policy.

• The premiums offered by other insurers are more than 20% higher than the Citizens rate.

A severe storm could potentially be costly for Citizens policyholders. If Citizens finds itself in a situation where it can't pay out all claims, it’s legally required to charge an assessment to make up for that shortfall. Note that all Florida policyholders could be assessed, even those who are not customers of Citizens.

Read our Citizens home insurance review for further details.

» MORE: What to do if you can't afford your homeowners insurance

How much does homeowners insurance cost in Florida?

The average cost of homeowners insurance in Florida is $2,625 per year, or about $219 per month. That’s 37% more than the national average of $1,915.

In most U.S. states, including Florida, many insurers use your credit-based insurance score to help set rates. Your insurance score is similar but not identical to your traditional credit score. 

In Florida, those with poor credit pay an average of $3,685 per year, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s 40% more than Floridians with good credit.

» MORE: What’s the average cost of homeowners insurance?

Average cost of homeowners insurance in Florida by city

You may pay more or less than the state average for your homeowners insurance, depending on where in Florida you live. For example, the average cost of homeowners insurance in Miami is $5,315 per year, while homeowners in Orlando pay about $2,760 per year, on average.

Why is homeowners insurance so expensive in Florida?

The cost of homeowners insurance in Florida is skyrocketing for several reasons. First, the state sees a lot of expensive natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The higher the risk of damage, the more insurance companies charge.

Second, homeowners insurance rates are rising across the country due to inflation and supply chain issues over the past few years that have made it more expensive to rebuild or repair damaged homes.

Finally, insurers in Florida have historically faced more lawsuits than in any other state, and the cost of this litigation has trickled down to consumers. Florida had 9% of the country’s homeowners insurance claims but 79% of lawsuits against insurance companies, according to a 2022 data analysis by the Insurance Information Institute^[0]

In 2022, Florida’s legislature passed three bills designed to discourage lawsuits and stabilize the insurance market, with the hope of reducing prices for homeowners in the long term. Home insurance costs have continued to rise, but industry experts say the state’s insurance market is showing signs of improvement.

One way to bring down your home insurance cost in Florida is to lower your risk of hurricane damage. Florida's "My Safe Florida Home" program provides grants to help homeowners strengthen their homes against hurricanes. However, availability is subject to state funding, and the waiting list for grants can be long.

» MORE: How climate change could make your home harder to insure

Common risks for Florida homeowners

Floridians should make sure their homes are covered for some of the state’s most common natural disasters.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

Hurricanes and other tropical storms typically cause two types of damage — wind and water — and a standard homeowners insurance policy may not fully cover them.

Just about every home insurance policy excludes coverage for flood damage. If you’re at risk, consider buying flood insurance through the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program or a private provider.

To check your flood risk, look up your address on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps. However, FEMA’s maps don’t always capture all types of flood risk, so you may also want to check the website of the nonprofit First Street Foundation, which models climate risks. Enter your address in the top left corner to see your home’s flood risk rating on a scale of 1 to 10.

» MORE: How to choose the best flood insurance

Homeowners insurance usually covers wind damage, but those in high-risk coastal locations may have to purchase this coverage separately.

Note that if your homeowners insurance policy does include wind coverage, there may be a separate deductible for claims stemming from a named hurricane. For example, you may have chosen a $1,000 deductible for your policy, but the hurricane deductible may be a higher amount, such as 2% of your dwelling coverage. On a house with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, you’d be responsible for the first $6,000 of any hurricane-related repairs.

Learn more about hurricane insurance.

Sinkholes

By law, homeowners insurers in Florida must offer coverage for “catastrophic ground cover collapse,” a specific type of sinkhole damage.

In order for this coverage to apply, the incident must meet all of the following conditions:

• The ground cover must suddenly collapse.

• The depression in the ground cover must be visible to the naked eye.

• There must be structural damage to the building’s foundation.

• A government agency must order the building condemned and vacated.

Because some sinkhole damage may not meet all these conditions, you may want to add specific sinkhole coverage to your policy.

Florida department of insurance

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation oversees the state’s insurance industry. You can use the agency’s website to file a complaint against your insurance company, ask questions and get information about different types of insurance. The agency’s toll-free helpline is 877-693-5236.