5 Best Florida Homeowners Insurance Companies

We found that Tower Hill offered the best all-around value. Premiums were somewhat higher than some competitors, but default coverages via its online quote tool (including structural, personal property, and personal liability) had the highest limits. Additionally, Tower Hill’s website made it simple and easy to collect an online quote.

Also attractive is the substantial discount offered for wind mitigation: we could’ve qualified for a roughly $800 per year discount by passing a wind mitigation inspection. 

If you do decide to go with Tower Hill, it requires a four-point inspection of your home to set up coverage. This inspection covers your roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Tower Hill may require you to replace out-of-date appliances. For example, a representative told us we’d need to replace our water heater if it was more than 15 years old. Lastly, Tower Hill received more complaints than expected for an insurer of its size, according to the NAIC.

$3,505 per year for a 1,824-square-foot home built in 1981 in the 32244 ZIP code (Jacksonville) with a gable roof, framed walls, and vinyl siding.

• Main structure coverage: $304,349
• Other structures coverage: $6,087
• Personal property: $152,175
• Loss of use: $30,435
• Personal liability: $300,000

• Debris removal coverage 
• Landscaping after a covered loss
• Screened enclosure coverage

The Florida legislature created Citizens Property Insurance in 2002 as a nonprofit government entity. Its goal is to provide homeowner insurance in Florida to those who cannot find suitable coverage with private insurers.

As a government-backed nonprofit, Citizens Property Insurance has the ability to raise money from Florida residents to cover claims after a major storm. This makes it more financially secure relative to other insurers.

However, there are significant downsides to working with Citizens Property Insurance. First, you can only take out one of its policies if:

• Coverage is not available from another Florida insurer
• You can find coverage, but the premiums are 20% more expensive than a comparable policy with Citizens Property Insurance

Also, Citizens Property Insurance has many unhappy customers. Its complaint rate was, on average, more than 400% higher than the rate expected for a company of its size, according to the NAIC. Citizens does not offer online quotes.

$2,441 per year for a 1,824-square-foot home built in 1981 in the 32244 ZIP code (Jacksonville) with a gable roof, framed walls, and vinyl siding.

• Main structure coverage: $303,900
• Other structures coverage: $6,080
• Personal property: $151,950
• Loss of use: $30,000
• Personal liability: $100,000

• Optional coverage to fully replace the cost of personal property
• Optional sinkhole loss coverage available
• Increased limits if rebuilding costs more because of new laws or ordinances 

Over the past three years, Chubb had the fewest consumer complaints, relative to its size, of all the Florida home insurance companies we reviewed. Chubb also has an A++ (Superior) financial rating from AM Best, which is the highest possible. In other words, Chubb is in better financial shape versus most other insurers to pay out claims after a major hurricane or other disaster.

One other benefit is that Chubb’s homeowner’s insurance policies offer more add-ons than usual. For example, policies pay for lock replacement if your keys are lost or stolen and the restoration of electronic data if your computer is destroyed by a virus.

Even though Chubb’s website says it offers online quotes, we were unable to get one. We had to speak with a representative from USI, the company that Chubb referred us to for an over-the-phone quote.

USAA could not provide a quote for the 32244 ZIP code. 

• Replacement for upgraded appliances and furnishings
• Risk consulting for ideas to protect homes
• Tree removal after a storm
• Lock replacement if keys are lost or stolen
• Restoration of electronic data after a computer virus

Kin is a relatively new insurer that launched in 2016. It uses a fully digital process for homeowners insurance, which made it easy for us to get an online quote. The quote we got from Kin was initially the most expensive relative to other insurers. However, it offered the largest wind mitigation discount. If we passed the wind mitigation inspection, our premium would have been the most affordable of all insurers we reviewed. 

Additionally, Kin offers discounts for fire mitigation, secure communities, and fire/security alarms. Its quoted policies provided more coverage than the competition for loss of use (when you’re temporarily displaced while your home undergoes repairs). Also, Kin has a relatively low NAIC complaint index for home insurers in Florida.

However, you can’t meet with an agent in person and Kin does not yet have an AM Best financial strength rating. It does get an A (Exceptional) rating from Demotech, a financial-stability ratings company that focuses on ratings for insurance companies in coastal states.

$3,578 per year for a 1,824-square-foot home built in 1981 in the 32244 ZIP code (Jacksonville) with a gable roof, framed walls, and vinyl siding.

• Main structure coverage: $300,000
• Other structures coverage: $6,000
• Personal property: $120,000
• Loss of use: $60,000
• Personal liability: $300,000

• Flood insurance

When you set up homeowners insurance in Florida, you need your insurer to still be in business when you file a claim. That’s not guaranteed, especially after a major hurricane. Fifteen Florida property insurers are currently in liquidation, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services.

USAA, along with Chubb, is the most financially secure insurer among the insurers in our analysis. It has an A++ (Superior) rating from AM Best, the highest available rating. USAA also has very few consumer complaints, as shown by its low NAIC complaint index.

However, USAA limits which homes it covers in Florida. It could not give us a quote because it doesn’t cover homes in the area we considered due to past claims from wind damage. Also, if you want to use USAA, you must be either an active servicemember, a veteran, or your spouse or parents must be USAA members.

USAA could not provide a quote for the 32244 ZIP code. 

• Extra coverage for rebuilding, debris removal, and building ordinance or law requirements
• Discount on ADT security systems
• Discounts on handyman and cleaning services
• Benefits for service members, like free replacement of uniforms and military equipment

Learn more in our USAA insurance review.