Orange County has no coastline, so the water that damages apartment buildings here falls as rain and rises out of lakes, creeks and ponds. That water is flood, and the property policy does not pay for it. Wind and lightning are in the property policy, wind behind a hurricane deductible. Sinkhole is covered only as far as the wording goes. I place the pieces so they meet.
What makes an Orlando apartment building different
- Inland hurricane windStorms that land on the Gulf coast are still producing strong gusts when they reach Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties. The hurricane deductible applies here exactly as it does at the beach.
- Freshwater floodingHeavy rain fills the chains of lakes, Shingle Creek, the Little Wekiva River and the upper St. Johns. Rising water of any kind is excluded from the property policy.
- SinkholeState law requires cover for catastrophic ground cover collapse, a narrow event. Wider sinkhole loss coverage is an optional purchase.
- LightningThe National Weather Service in Melbourne says the corridor from Tampa Bay to Titusville receives the most lightning in the United States each year. Orlando sits on it.
- SecurityA 2023 statute gives owners of five or more units a presumption against liability for crimes by third parties when a set list of measures is in place.
The way the program is assembled does not change with the city (how apartment programs are put together). The questions do.
What Irma, Ian and Milton did this far inland
The National Hurricane Center’s reports on three storms are the useful history for a Central Florida owner.
- Irma, September 2017. The center passed between Tampa and Orlando as a category 1 hurricane. Orlando International Airport recorded sustained winds of 51 knots and a gust of 69 knots (about 79 miles an hour), and the report notes residents rescued from flooded homes in Orange County.
- Ian, September 2022. After landfall in southwest Florida, Ian dropped 10 to 20 inches of rain across central and eastern Florida. The report describes major floods along the St. Johns River, the Little Wekiva River and Shingle Creek affecting Seminole, Orange, Lake, Putnam and Osceola counties, more than 250 water rescues in central and eastern Florida, and an estimated 4,100 damaged structures in Osceola County and 1,656 in Seminole County.
- Milton, October 2024. Milton came ashore on the Gulf coast as a category 3 hurricane and crossed the peninsula. Orlando International Airport recorded a gust of 76 knots (about 87 miles an hour), Sanford a gust of 74 knots, and a cooperative observer site near Orlando measured 14.83 inches of rain.
Two lessons for the insurance. Gusts in that range damage roofs and let rain in. And the flooding these reports describe here was fresh water, which a property policy excludes whatever the storm is called.
Flooding with no coast in sight
Flood insurance is a separate policy from the one that covers wind and fire. For an apartment building the National Flood Insurance Program has limits an owner should know before a storm, not after:
- The building limit is small. For buildings the program classes as other residential, the maximum is five hundred thousand dollars on the building and one hundred thousand dollars on contents. Excess or private flood usually fills the gap.
- It is written building by building. I ask for the lowest floor elevation and flood zone of each one.
- Lost rent is a separate question. Ask what your flood policy pays for rent you cannot collect while ground-floor units are gutted and dried.
Lenders generally require flood insurance only in mapped high-risk zones, and rain does not follow the map. How commercial flood insurance works.
The hurricane deductible applies inland too
Florida classes an apartment building policy as commercial lines residential coverage (section 627.4025), and section 627.701 sets what an insurer authorized in the state has to offer:
- Once a year, or every storm. The insurer must offer both a hurricane deductible that applies on an annual basis and one that applies to each hurricane.
- Three percent alongside ten. A deductible of up to 10 percent of insured value may be offered only if a 3 percent deductible is offered with it, at the first offer and at every renewal.
- The clock. The hurricane deductible covers wind loss from a storm the National Hurricane Center has declared a hurricane, starting when a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida and ending 72 hours after the last watch or warning is lifted.
That last rule is why it reaches Orlando: a warning for any part of the state starts the period. Surplus lines policies are not bound by the offer rules and often use a named-storm deductible, so I read the wording with you. How Florida hurricane deductibles work.
Sinkhole and catastrophic ground cover collapse
The Florida Geological Survey says that because the whole state is underlain by carbonate rock, sinkholes could in theory form anywhere, that some regions carry considerably higher risk, and that no ready reference exists for predicting them. The local example is the Winter Park sinkhole, first seen on the evening of May 8, 1981; the U.S. Geological Survey describes it as about 300 feet across, at the edge of the community pool.
Section 627.706 splits the coverage in two:
- Catastrophic ground cover collapse must be included by every insurer authorized to write property insurance in Florida. All four conditions have to be met: the ground cover collapses abruptly, the depression is clearly visible, the building and its foundation suffer structural damage, and a government agency condemns the structure and orders it vacated.
- Sinkhole loss coverage must be made available for an additional premium, and the insurer may require an inspection before adding it. Settling or cracking alone is not a catastrophic collapse under the statute, so this is the part that can respond when sinkhole activity causes structural damage.
The insurer may restrict both to the principal building. Sinkhole and collapse coverage compared.
Lightning, roofs and older systems
The National Weather Service office in Melbourne notes that more than 90 percent of the lightning in the Tampa Bay to Titusville corridor arrives from May through October, between noon and midnight. For an apartment owner that means fire, and damage to air-conditioning equipment, elevators, alarm panels and gates. Property forms commonly limit power-surge damage to equipment, one reason I look at equipment breakdown coverage on every building.
Roofs come next. Underwriters ask for the age, type and last replacement date of each roof. Citizens, the state-created insurer, shows how firm the line is: its commercial rule 103.11, effective August 1, 2024, allows a one-time exception beyond its stated roof age only when an inspection on its roof condition form shows the roof still has useful life. Keep re-roofing permits and invoices.
On older buildings, expect questions on wiring, panels and plumbing. Rebuilding to current code costs more than replacing what was there; ordinance or law coverage pays that difference up to its own limit.
If the private market declines
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation writes commercial residential policies for apartment buildings whose owners cannot find private coverage and who meet its underwriting rules. Two things to know. Under section 627.351, a new apartment risk is not eligible if an authorized insurer offers coverage including wind, unless that insurer’s premium is more than 20 percent above Citizens’ premium for comparable coverage. And the Citizens commercial residential policy excludes liability, so general liability and an umbrella are placed separately.
Liability, security and tenant rules
Section 768.0706 applies to multifamily property with at least five dwelling units on a parcel. An owner or operator who substantially implements its list has a presumption against liability for criminal acts by third parties on the premises:
- Cameras at entry and exit points, with footage kept retrievable for at least 30 days.
- Lighting from dusk to dawn in the parking lot, walkways, laundry rooms, common areas and porches.
- Unit hardware: a one-inch deadbolt on each unit door, locks on windows and sliding doors, and a peephole where the door has no window.
- Pool gates locked, with key or fob access.
- An assessment under crime prevention through environmental design principles, no more than three years old, and safety training for employees.
On tenant rules, check what is still in force before relying on a local ordinance. Since July 1, 2023, section 83.425 reserves the regulation of residential tenancies to the state and supersedes local rules on screening, deposits, fees, disclosures and notice requirements. Month-to-month tenancies now end on 30 days’ notice under section 83.57, and Orange County’s Office of Tenant Services lists that state period in its summary of tenant rights. The same summary says the county still prohibits certain landlords from discriminating on grounds that include lawful source of income, such as housing vouchers.
One thing that does not apply: the state milestone inspection law, section 553.899, covers condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more habitable stories, not rental apartments. Put a commercial umbrella over the liability policy either way.
What to send me
- Address, year built, stories, unit count and construction type for each building.
- Roof details by building: type, age, last replacement, permits and any wind mitigation inspection.
- Flood information: zone, elevation certificates if you have them, and whether any building has taken water, with dates.
- Current declarations pages for property, flood, liability and umbrella, showing the hurricane deductible and whether sinkhole loss coverage is on the policy.
- Five years of loss runs, with what was repaired after each claim.
- The rent roll and a recent operating statement, so loss of rents is sized to real income. How income coverage works.
- The security file: cameras, lighting, locks, pool gates, the environmental design assessment and training records.
- System updates with years: electrical, plumbing, air conditioning and surge protection.
Common questions
Do I need a hurricane deductible on an apartment building in Orlando?
Yes, in practice. Florida’s hurricane deductible applies statewide once a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida, and inland wind damage from that storm falls under it.
Does apartment building insurance in Orlando cover flooding from heavy rain?
No. Rising water from lakes, creeks, ponds or overwhelmed drainage is flood, which the property policy excludes. It takes a separate flood policy, and the federal program’s building limit is low for an apartment building.
Is sinkhole damage covered on an Orlando apartment building?
Only catastrophic ground cover collapse is required by law, and it needs an abrupt collapse, a visible depression, structural damage and a government order to vacate. Other sinkhole damage needs the optional sinkhole loss coverage.
Who insures apartment buildings in Central Florida when insurers decline?
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation writes commercial residential policies for apartment buildings that cannot find private coverage and meet its rules. It excludes liability, and a comparable private offer within 20 percent of its premium makes a new risk ineligible.
Why do insurers ask about the roof age on my Orlando apartment complex?
Wind and rain losses start at the roof, and Central Florida has taken damaging gusts in several recent hurricanes. Many markets set a roof age limit or ask for an inspection showing remaining useful life.
Does Florida’s milestone inspection law apply to rental apartments in Orlando?
No. Section 553.899 applies to buildings of three or more habitable stories in condominium or cooperative ownership.
Can Orange County set its own rental notice rules?
Not on matters the state landlord-tenant law covers. Since July 1, 2023, section 83.425 supersedes local regulation of notice requirements, deposits, fees and screening, and state law sets 30 days’ notice to end a month-to-month tenancy.
General information about insuring apartment buildings in Orlando and Central Florida as of November 2026, not legal advice. Hurricane deductible, sinkhole, Citizens eligibility, security and landlord-tenant rules are set by Florida statute and change; confirm how they apply to your building with your insurer and counsel. Storm figures are from National Hurricane Center reports. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.