Insurance in North Florida & the Panhandle, explained.
Hurricane Michael, Sally's rain, Big Bend landfalls and falling trees: what's different about insuring a home and a car from Pensacola to Jacksonville.
Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Leon and Duval counties
North Florida gets hurricanes differently from South Florida: storms come up from the Gulf into the Panhandle and the Big Bend, often bringing extreme rain and a lot of falling trees, and Jacksonville’s risk runs up the St. Johns River. That shapes which part of your insurance does the work.
Hurricane Michael, and what rebuilding taught us
On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base as a Category 5, the official National Hurricane Center rating after its review. In Mexico Beach, 1,584 of the town’s 1,692 buildings were damaged and 809 were destroyed. Across Bay County, more than 45,000 structures were damaged.
Michael’s reach went far inland. Tallahassee was outside the strongest winds, but more than 110,000 customers there lost power, and falling trees and power lines damaged homes and cars across the Panhandle, the Big Bend and into Georgia.
What I take from Michael for insurance:
- Know how your home would be rebuilt. Replacement cost pays to rebuild; actual cash value takes depreciation off. After a storm like Michael, that difference is real.
- Trees are a wind claim. A tree that wind brings down on your home usually goes to your home policy. On your car, it’s comprehensive.
Slow storms bring water
Not every storm here is about wind. When Hurricane Sally made landfall at Gulf Shores, Alabama, in September 2020, it moved so slowly that rain had nowhere to go. A spot just west of Naval Air Station Pensacola measured almost 25 inches, and parts of downtown Pensacola had 2 to 4 feet of water from rain and surge together.
In Jacksonville, Hurricane Irma in 2017 pushed 5.57 feet of storm surge up the St. Johns River downtown, beating the record set by Hurricane Dora in 1964.
The Big Bend took direct hits two years in a row: Idalia came ashore near Keaton Beach in 2023 as a Category 3, and Helene came ashore near Perry in 2024 as a Category 4, the strongest landfall on record in that region.
All of that is flood, and flood is a separate policy with a waiting period, usually 30 days.
Tornadoes and your deductible
On May 10, 2024, two EF-2 tornadoes converged on Tallahassee, part of a morning squall line. That matters because Florida law ties the hurricane deductible to a window around National Hurricane Center hurricane warnings. A spring tornado outside that window is a wind claim that usually falls under your regular deductible, not the hurricane one. Your declarations page shows which deductibles you have.
Good to know
- Look up your evacuation zone on your county’s site. Escambia asks residents to check every year, because zones can change.
- Check whether your home is insured for replacement cost or actual cash value.
- Make sure your car has comprehensive if a falling tree or flood water would be a problem for you.
- Get a flood quote before June, not when a storm is in the Gulf.
Helpful local links
Questions people ask
Is a tree falling on my house covered?
When wind brings a tree down onto your home, that's usually a home insurance claim. A tree on your car is usually a comprehensive claim on your auto policy, which the state minimum doesn't include.
Does my hurricane deductible apply to a tornado?
Florida law ties the hurricane deductible to a window that starts when the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for any part of Florida and ends 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends. A tornado outside that window, like the ones that hit Tallahassee in May 2024, usually falls under your regular deductible. Check your policy.
Do I need flood insurance away from the beach?
Inland and riverside homes flood too. Hurricane Sally's slow-moving rain flooded parts of Pensacola, and Hurricane Irma pushed a record surge up the St. Johns River into downtown Jacksonville. A home policy doesn't cover flood.
Do I need to meet in person?
No. Elona works with clients across Florida by phone, text and email.