Broward is one of only two counties in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so the roof's permit date and a wind mitigation report carry real weight with an underwriter. The worst recent loss here was not a hurricane: on April 12, 2023 nearly 26 inches of rain fell at the airport in one day, and a homeowners policy does not pay for flood. A non-renewal takes 120 days' written notice with the reason.
What the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone means for your roof
The Florida Building Code sets apart a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone made up of Miami-Dade and Broward counties only, carrying the stronger provisions South Florida adopted after Hurricane Andrew. In Fort Lauderdale that makes the year a house was built, and the year its roof was last replaced under permit, the first two things an underwriter looks at.
Hurricane Wilma is the storm in every Broward file. The National Weather Service in Miami records that Wilma's eye crossed most of Broward County on October 24, 2005, that Fort Lauderdale measured sustained wind of 70 mph and a gust of 99 mph, and that structural damage was heaviest in Broward and Palm Beach counties, with roofs damaged and windows broken in high-rise buildings.
Two statutes put that history to work for you. Section 627.0629 requires residential rate filings to include credits for features shown to reduce wind loss: roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection. A wind mitigation inspection report is how a home claims them. Section 627.7011 says an insurer may not refuse to write or renew a homeowners policy only because of roof age when the roof is under 15 years old; for an older roof it must let you get an inspection, and cannot refuse on age alone if the inspector finds five or more years of useful life. More: Florida roof age rules. As of November 2026 the My Safe Florida Home program lists free wind mitigation inspections and grants; the statute limits it to owner-occupied, site-built, homesteaded single-family homes.
April 12, 2023: the loss that was not a hurricane
The National Weather Service's review of that day is the document I send Broward owners who think flood is a beachfront problem. Storms sat over Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach through the afternoon and evening. A station at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport measured 25.91 inches for the day, with more than 6 inches in a single hour. The Weather Service issued the first Flash Flood Emergency ever for the Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach metropolitan area. Its survey found a high-water mark of 3.3 feet in Edgewater, more than 1,000 homes with major damage and about 600 residents displaced, and the airport stayed closed for nearly 40 hours. A federal major disaster declaration for Broward County followed on April 28, 2023.
None of that was wind, and no hurricane was involved. FEMA says most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, so the owners who were paid for the water in their living rooms were the ones holding a flood policy. That policy comes from the National Flood Insurance Program or from a private insurer Florida authorizes under section 627.715, and a new National Flood Insurance Program policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase. See whether flood insurance is required in Florida.
King tides, canals and surge
The City of Fort Lauderdale says its highest tides typically come in September, October and November, and that its low elevation and extensive waterways leave it highly vulnerable to king tides and sea-level rise; the city maintains tidal valves that let rain drain while keeping saltwater from backing up into the streets. Hurricane Irma in September 2017 made its Florida landfalls in the Keys and near Marco Island on the Gulf side, and the National Hurricane Center still reports inundation of 2 to 4 feet above ground across coastal Broward, with a sensor on a Pompano Beach canal recording the water level. Tidal water, canal overflow and surge are all flood to an insurer. A homeowners policy, including a Citizens policy, does not respond to any of them.
Citizens in Broward County
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer of last resort. Its Clearinghouse page gives two ways in: no private company will offer coverage at its approved rates, or the private premium is more than 20 percent higher than Citizens' premium for comparable coverage. The test is run again at each renewal, and an offer at or under that mark ends the Citizens policy.
- Size. Citizens' homeowners worksheet caps the dwelling amount at less than seven hundred thousand everywhere except Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Broward is under the lower cap, so a home that costs more than that to rebuild goes to the private or surplus lines market.
- Inspections. A four-point inspection on homes more than 20 years old. Shingle roofs past 25 years, and tile, concrete or metal roofs past 50, need a report showing at least five years of useful life.
- Gaps. The worksheet shows a special limit on accidental water discharge from plumbing and appliances, and no water backup, animal liability or extended replacement cost.
- Flood. Citizens requires proof of flood coverage on wind policies inside a special flood hazard area now, and on every such policy whatever its value from January 1, 2027.
Notice, the hurricane deductible and deadlines
Section 627.4133 requires at least 120 days' written notice of a non-renewal, with the reason, and ten days for unpaid premium. Claims caused by an act of God cannot be used to cancel or non-renew unless the insurer shows you failed to take steps it reasonably asked for. Details: Florida non-renewal rules.
Under sections 627.701 and 627.4025 the hurricane deductible, offered at five hundred dollars or 2, 5 or 10 percent of the dwelling limit, applies to wind damage from a storm the National Hurricane Center has declared a hurricane, from the first hurricane warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends, once per calendar year with the same insurer. Section 627.70132 bars a claim unless notice is given within one year of the date of loss. The Department of Financial Services answers insurance questions at 1-877-693-5236, and the Florida Market Assistance Plan is a free referral service for homes that cannot find an authorized insurer.
If the home is a condominium unit
For a condominium unit the insurance splits in two. Under section 718.111(11) the association insures the building as originally installed; floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops inside the unit are the unit owner's responsibility. Section 627.714 requires a unit-owner policy to include at least two thousand dollars of loss assessment coverage. Florida's milestone structural inspections under section 553.899 apply to condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller, at 30 years and every ten years after; the statute says it does not apply to single-family through four-family dwellings of three or fewer habitable stories. An association's inspection report and reserves affect the unit owner through assessments, which is why I ask about them. Citizens' flood requirement exempts unit-owner policies.
What I need to quote
The non-renewal or renewal notice, the current declarations page, the address and year built, the roof's material and the permit year of its last full replacement, a wind mitigation report and four-point inspection if you have them, claims in the last five years, whether you live there, and the flood policy or elevation certificate if one exists. For a condominium unit, add the association's insurance certificate. The notice and the declarations page are enough to start.
Common questions
Who insures a home in Fort Lauderdale after a non-renewal?
Authorized private insurers first, then surplus lines insurers, then Citizens Property Insurance if no private insurer offers coverage or the private price is more than 20 percent above Citizens' for comparable coverage. The agent has to document that test through the Citizens Clearinghouse.
Did homeowners insurance cover the April 2023 Fort Lauderdale flood?
Rising water from that rain event is flood, which FEMA says most homeowners insurance does not cover. It takes a separate flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer.
Is Broward County in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?
Yes. The Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone is Miami-Dade and Broward counties only. A wind mitigation report shows an insurer which of those features your home has.
Does king tide flooding count as a homeowners claim in Fort Lauderdale?
No. Tidal water coming over a seawall or up through the street is flood, and it belongs on a flood policy. The city says its highest tides typically come in September, October and November.
Does the Florida milestone inspection law apply to my single-family house?
No. Section 553.899 covers condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller, and says it does not apply to single-family through four-family dwellings of three or fewer habitable stories.
What does a Fort Lauderdale condo owner have to insure?
The parts of the unit the association's policy excludes by statute: floor, wall and ceiling coverings, fixtures, appliances, cabinets and countertops, plus belongings and liability. Florida law also requires loss assessment coverage on a unit-owner policy.
General information about home insurance in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County as of November 2026, not legal advice. Florida statutes, Citizens rules, city programs and program funding change; the policy and the insurer's filed rules control. Flood is never part of a homeowners policy and needs its own policy. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.