Flood Insurance in Florida: 2026 Cost and Coverage Guide

Hurricanes and rising sea levels make Florida one of the country’s most flood-prone states — and you don’t have to live near the beach to be at risk. That’s why you may want to consider buying flood insurance in Florida, regardless of where you live in the state.

Do you need flood insurance in Florida?

Whether you’re required to buy flood insurance in Florida depends on your insurance company and where you live. If you have a mortgage and your home is in a “Special Flood Hazard Area” (SFHA) as designated by the federal government, your lender will likely require you to buy flood insurance.

If you live in an SFHA and anyone has ever received federal disaster assistance for a flood at your address, you must maintain flood insurance. Otherwise, you won't be eligible for future federal aid. This requirement applies even if the assistance went to a previous owner of your home.

By law, home sellers in Florida must tell potential buyers whether they’ve ever filed a flood insurance claim or received federal assistance for flood damage to the property.

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The Florida 2025 Statutes. 689.302: Disclosure of flood risks to prospective purchaser. Accessed May 18, 2026. View all sources

Don't live in an SFHA? You may still have to buy flood insurance if you have a homeowners policy from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Citizens is Florida's insurer of last resort.

Anyone with a residential Citizens policy that includes wind coverage must have flood insurance if their dwelling coverage limit is $400,000 or more. Those with lower dwelling coverage limits will need to get flood insurance by January 1, 2027.

All Citizens policyholders whose homes are in an SFHA must have flood insurance, regardless of their coverage limit.

The requirements don't apply to:

• Renters or condo owners insured with Citizens.

• People who have policies without wind or hail coverage.

These policyholders can choose whether they want to buy flood insurance.

» MORE: Do I need flood insurance?

How much is flood insurance in Florida?

The average cost of flood insurance in Florida is $938 per year, or about $78 per month, for a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program. The federally funded NFIP is Florida’s largest flood insurance provider. Your flood insurance rate will depend on factors such as your home’s elevation and proximity to water sources.

Cost of Florida flood insurance by county

Below is a breakdown of average flood insurance cost by county. The table shows only the cost of NFIP policies, including commercial properties, and don’t include private flood insurance rates.

Cost of Florida flood insurance by city

Below is the average cost of NFIP flood insurance in 10 of Florida’s largest cities.

» MORE: Complete guide to hurricane insurance

Cost of Florida flood insurance by zone

FEMA maps properties into various flood zones based on the type of risk there. Areas with coastal flood risk are designated with the letter V, while other high-risk flood zones start with the letter A. (These may be located near rivers, ponds or other bodies of water.) Properties in Zone X have less flood risk, while Zone D properties have unknown risk because they haven’t been analyzed.

Below you can see how much Floridians pay for flood insurance in each flood zone.

How Florida flood insurance rates are rising

Many Florida policyholders are paying more for flood insurance under the latest rating system from the NFIP. Risk Rating 2.0 began rolling out in 2021 to make premiums more accurately reflect each property’s flood risk.

Under federal law, your flood insurance rate typically can’t go up more than 18% in a given year. So for high-risk properties that are underpriced, it may take several years of 18% increases to reach what FEMA considers to be their true risk-based premiums.

To illustrate this, FEMA released data showing the difference between current flood insurance premiums and projected rates under Risk Rating 2.0.

According to this data, Floridians with a single-family home were paying an average of $776 per year as of Aug. 31, 2023, when the data was collected. However, the rate that reflects the true flood risk of those properties is $1,363 per year, on average. So this average policyholder could expect their rate to go up 18% each year until they’ve reached the full premium.

Below, you can see how much flood insurance policyholders were paying in each Florida county as of Aug. 31, 2023. Next to that rate in the table is the amount they’d be paying if their rates were based on their property’s actual flood risk under Risk Rating 2.0. The percentage difference is how much more the average policyholder in that county can expect to pay over time.

Counties where rates are set to jump the most include Franklin, Collier, Monroe and Lee.

» MORE: How much does flood insurance cost?

What does Florida flood insurance cover?

Flood insurance covers damage from storm surge, mudflows, overflowing bodies of water and surface runoff from heavy rain. Homeowners insurance generally won't cover these events.

To the NFIP, flooding is defined as “two or more properties or acres of normally dry land that are partially or completely submerged by water.”

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Federal Emergency Management Agency. What Is a Flood?. Accessed May 18, 2026. View all sources This limited definition means flood insurance won’t cover every type of water damage.

Say a pipe bursts or your dishwasher sends soapy water gushing across your kitchen. Flood insurance wouldn’t cover the resulting damage (but your homeowners policy likely would).

An NFIP policy covers the structure of your home up to $250,000 and your belongings up to $100,000. You may be able to get higher coverage limits from private flood insurance companies. Excess flood insurance is another option. These policies offer extra coverage to complement a standard federal policy.

NFIP policies have some limitations. For instance, they won’t cover most items in basements or pay for you to live elsewhere if your home is uninhabitable after a flood. Also, they cover your belongings on an actual cash value basis. This type of coverage pays less after a claim for older items that have lost value over time. To get enough money to buy brand-new items, you’d need replacement cost coverage.

Again, some private flood insurers may offer these more generous types of coverage.

To learn more, see NerdWallet’s guide to flood insurance coverage.

How to get flood insurance in Florida

To buy flood insurance, contact an independent agent or your current home insurer. Depending on where you live, you may be able to choose between NFIP coverage and private flood insurance.

The NFIP has a list of companies that sell its policies, including well-known insurers like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and USAA. For private options, see this page from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Learn more about how to find the best flood insurance.

How to save money on Florida flood insurance

Between flood insurance and the increasing cost of Florida homeowners insurance, having a home in Florida can get expensive. Here are a few ways to save.

Shop around. Private flood insurance companies may offer lower rates than the NFIP. An independent insurance agent can help you find them.

Choose a higher deductible. A deductible is the amount of a claim you’re responsible for. If you’re willing to pay more for repairs, you’ll pay less in flood insurance premiums.

Note that the NFIP sells policies for the structure of your home separately from policies that cover your belongings. So if a flood damages your house and your stuff, you could end up paying two separate deductibles. Before raising your deductibles, make sure you’ll have enough money on hand to cover the higher amount.

Get an elevation certificate. An elevation certificate lists the height of your home’s lowest floor plus other details about the structure that may affect its flood risk. Submitting a certificate to your insurance agent could help prove your eligibility for a lower rate.

Check with your local flood plain manager to see whether there’s already an EC on file for your home. If not, you can hire an engineer, land surveyor or architect to complete one for you. The cost is usually between $400 and $750.

Protect your home from flooding. The NFIP may lower your flood insurance premium if you take steps to reduce your flood risk, such as:

• Putting water heaters, air conditioning systems and other utilities on elevated platforms.

• Filling in your basement.

• Installing flood vents.

• Elevating your home.

Note that these projects can be expensive and may not be worth doing solely for an insurance discount. Chat with an agent about what savings you can expect before making the investment.