Miami-Dade and Broward are the only two counties in Florida’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and both run their own structural and electrical inspection programs for older buildings. Hurricane wind carries its own deductible, flood and storm surge sit on a separate policy, and a 2023 state law ties an owner’s defense against crime-related injury suits to specific security measures. Send me the paperwork on each and I can take the building to market.
What makes a South Florida apartment building different
- High-Velocity Hurricane ZoneThe Florida Building Code’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions apply in Miami-Dade and Broward counties only. What a building has on its openings and roof is the first underwriting question.
- County recertificationMiami-Dade has required older buildings to be recertified since 1975; Broward runs a similar Building Safety Inspection Program. An overdue report follows the building.
- Hurricane deductibleHurricane wind has a separate deductible, usually a percentage of insured value, not the flat amount that applies to a fire or a pipe break.
- Flood and surgeRising water is not part of the property policy. It is bought separately, and the federal program’s limits are small next to a mid-size building.
- Security liabilityFor properties of five or more units, Florida law now lists the cameras, lighting, locks and assessment that earn a presumption against liability for third-party crime.
The policy structure is the same as anywhere (how apartment programs are put together); what changes in South Florida is the order of the questions.
Recertification is not the same as the condo milestone inspection
Owners mix up two programs. The state milestone inspection law, section 553.899 of the Florida Statutes, applies to buildings of three or more habitable stories that are in condominium or cooperative ownership: an inspection by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and every 10 years after, with local authority to set the first one at 25 years because of conditions such as proximity to salt water. A rental apartment building is not a condominium, so that statute is not what reaches it.
The county programs are. As of November 2026:
- Miami-Dade: buildings other than coastal condominiums and cooperatives are recertified when they reach 30 years and every 10 years after. Single-family homes, duplexes and buildings with an occupant load of 10 or less and 2,000 square feet or less are outside the program. Reports are due within 90 days of the county’s notice.
- What the report covers: a Florida-registered engineer or architect certifies that the building is structurally and electrically safe for continued occupancy. The county’s guidelines add the whole façade, infrared thermography on electrical systems of 400 amperes or more, and parking lot illumination.
- Broward: the Building Safety Inspection Program applies at 25 years and every 10 years after, with a report due within 180 days of the notice. Residential buildings of up to four units and three stories or less, and structures under 3,500 square feet, are exempt.
Miami-Dade judges the building against the code in effect when it was built, not today’s code. Underwriters still read the report closely: open repair items and an expired deadline are the two things that stall a submission. If the report calls for structural repairs, the work itself may need builder’s risk.
Openings, roof and the wind mitigation form
The Florida Building Commission describes the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone as Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and notes that there the whole building envelope, not just the glass, has to resist wind-borne debris. Buildings that predate those rules are where underwriters look for shutters, impact glazing and re-roofing permits.
State law requires residential property rate filings, which include apartment building policies, to carry credits for features shown to reduce windstorm loss: roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection among them. The credit only exists on paper if the form does:
- One to three stories: the state’s Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, is the form Citizens accepts for residential buildings of this height, including apartment buildings of five or more units.
- Four stories or more: Citizens requires its Building Type II and III mitigation form for commercial residential applicants seeking credits.
- Roof: age, covering type, last permit and remaining useful life. Citizens’ commercial rules set roof age limits and allow a one-time exception when an inspection form shows the roof is in acceptable condition.
Keep permits, product approvals and installer invoices; inspectors use them for features they cannot see. Rebuilding an older building to current code is its own cost, covered by ordinance or law coverage.
How the hurricane deductible works on an apartment policy
Florida treats an apartment building policy as commercial lines residential coverage, and section 627.701 gives the owner two choices worth understanding:
- Annual or per storm. The insurer must offer a hurricane deductible that applies once per calendar year and one that applies to each hurricane.
- Percentage of insured value. An insurer may offer a hurricane deductible of up to 10 percent of insured value only if it also offers one at 3 percent, at issue and at each renewal.
- When it applies. For residential coverage, a hurricane 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 is lifted.
On a building with a large insured value, the percentage is the number that decides whether a storm is survivable. Work it out before renewal, and check whether it applies per building or to the whole schedule. More on Florida hurricane deductibles.
When the private market says no
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state-created insurer, writes commercial residential policies for apartment buildings, as multiperil or wind-only where available. Two limits matter. A new apartment risk is not eligible if an authorized insurer offers comparable coverage including wind, unless that premium is more than 20 percent above Citizens’. And the Citizens commercial residential policy excludes liability, so general liability and an umbrella are placed elsewhere.
Flood and storm surge are a separate policy
The National Hurricane Center calls storm surge the leading cause of hurricane deaths and says every location on the East and Gulf coasts is vulnerable to it. The wind policy does not pay for it. Flood insurance is a separate policy, and for an apartment building the National Flood Insurance Program has three practical limits:
- Building limit: the federal program tops out at five hundred thousand dollars per building for residential buildings of five or more units, and one hundred thousand for contents.
- No rents: it does not pay for business interruption or loss of use, so flood-related loss of rents has to come from somewhere else.
- Waiting period: a new federal policy typically takes 30 days to go into effect.
Larger buildings usually need excess or private flood above the federal limit. How flood coverage is put together.
Security, crime and the 2023 liability law
Section 768.0706, added in 2023, gives the owner or operator of a multifamily property of at least five units on a parcel a presumption against liability for criminal acts by third parties, if the property has substantially implemented a specific list:
- Cameras at points of entry and exit, with footage kept retrievable for at least 30 days.
- Lighting in the parking lot, walkways, laundry rooms, common areas and porches, from dusk until dawn.
- Unit hardware: a deadbolt of at least one inch on each unit door, a peephole or door viewer where there is no window, and locks on windows and sliding doors.
- Pool gates that lock, with key or fob access.
- A crime prevention through environmental design assessment no more than three years old, and crime deterrence training for employees.
The owner carries the burden of proving the measures are in place, so the assessment and training records belong in the insurance file. The same 2023 law bars recovery by a plaintiff found more than 50 percent at fault and set a two-year deadline for negligence suits. Put a commercial umbrella over the primary liability limit.
What to send me
- Address, year built, stories, unit count and construction type for each building.
- Recertification status: the county notice, the engineer’s structural and electrical reports, and proof that repair items are closed.
- Wind mitigation form with photos, plus permits and product approvals for windows, doors and shutters.
- Roof: age, covering, last permit and any roof condition report.
- Current declarations pages for property, wind, flood, liability and umbrella, showing the hurricane deductible.
- Flood zone and elevation certificate, if you have one.
- Five years of loss runs and the current rent roll.
- Security file: the crime prevention assessment, camera and lighting details, and employee training records.
Common questions
Does a rental apartment building in Miami need a milestone inspection?
The state milestone inspection law applies to condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories. A rental apartment building in Miami-Dade instead falls under the county’s recertification program at 30 years and every 10 years after.
Why is the hurricane deductible on my Miami apartment building so high?
Hurricane wind carries a separate deductible, usually a percentage of the insured value instead of a flat amount. Florida law lets an insurer offer up to 10 percent on an apartment policy only if it also offers 3 percent.
Does apartment building insurance in Miami cover flood or storm surge?
No. Flood and surge are bought on a separate flood policy, and the federal program’s building limit is small compared with most apartment buildings, so excess or private flood is often needed.
Who insures apartment buildings in Miami when private insurers decline?
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation writes commercial residential policies for apartment buildings, including wind-only where available. It does not include liability, and a comparable private offer within 20 percent of its premium makes a new risk ineligible.
Do impact windows lower insurance on a Florida apartment building?
They can. Florida requires residential property rate filings to include credits for opening protection and roof features, but the insurer needs a completed wind mitigation form to apply them.
What security measures protect an apartment owner from crime lawsuits in Florida?
Section 768.0706 lists them: entry and exit cameras, dusk-to-dawn lighting, deadbolts, window and sliding door locks, peepholes, locked pool gates, a crime prevention assessment and employee training. Substantially implementing them earns a presumption against liability.
General information about insuring apartment buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward counties as of November 2026, not legal advice. Recertification schedules, building code provisions, Citizens eligibility and liability rules are set by county ordinance and state law and change; confirm your building’s status with the local building department and your obligations with counsel. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.