Jacksonville's large losses in Matthew and Irma came mostly from water in the St. Johns River and at the Beaches, and water is a flood policy, not a homeowners policy. Wind from a declared hurricane falls under a separate hurricane deductible wherever the storm lands in Florida. A non-renewal takes 120 days' written notice with the reason, roof age alone is a limited reason, and Citizens is a last resort with a price test.
What Irma and Matthew did on the St. Johns
Hurricane Irma made its Florida landfalls in the Keys and near Marco Island in September 2017 and its center passed inland, west of Jacksonville, as a weakening storm. The National Hurricane Center's report still calls what followed one of the worst flooding events in the city's history. The St. Johns River set record flood stages at many locations in Duval County, hundreds of people were rescued, and water in city streets reached up to 5 feet deep in places. Gauges read 5.3 feet above mean higher high water at the I-295 bridge and 4.9 feet at the Southbank Riverwalk downtown. The report explains why: onshore wind ahead of the storm pushed seawater up the river, then rainfall runoff arrived on top of it, and the river peaked about six hours after its salinity did.
Hurricane Matthew, eleven months earlier, never made landfall in Florida; its center passed about 50 nautical miles off Jacksonville Beach in October 2016. The Center's report gives inundation of 5 to 7 feet above ground along the coasts of Flagler, St. Johns and Duval counties, a record water level at Mayport, major to locally extreme erosion at Jacksonville Beach, part of the Jacksonville Beach Pier washed away, and many properties destroyed by the combination of surge and freshwater flooding on the St. Johns. It also notes numerous massive oaks brought down on the east side of the metropolitan area.
The storm older residents measure against is Dora, which came ashore just north of St. Augustine on September 10, 1964. The National Weather Service calls it the first hurricane to make landfall over northeast Florida in the twentieth century and counts 43 homes lost along the coast. Direct landfalls are rare here, which is why owners are surprised by what a policy does and does not pay for.
Flood is a separate policy, and Zone F is not about surge
FEMA states that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. River water downtown, surge at the Beaches and creek flooding inland are all flood, written on a separate policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer. The federal policy normally takes effect 30 days after purchase, so it cannot be bought when a storm is already forecast.
Duval County's evacuation zones run from A to F, and the city says the way its rivers interact with the Atlantic makes them more complex than most counties' zones. Zone A, which includes manufactured and mobile homes, goes first, and the order widens through B to E as a storm strengthens. Zone F is different: it marks areas likely to flood from rainfall or other hazards, not surge. An evacuation letter is not a FEMA flood zone, and neither tells you by itself whether a lender will require flood insurance. Citizens requires proof of flood coverage on its wind policies inside special flood hazard areas now, and on every such policy from January 1, 2027. More: when flood insurance is required in Florida.
The hurricane deductible follows the storm, not the landfall
During Irma, Jacksonville International Airport recorded sustained winds of 51 knots with a gust to 75 knots, hundreds of miles from where the storm came ashore. Under section 627.4025 the hurricane deductible applies to wind damage from a hurricane declared by the National Hurricane Center, from the moment a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning in the state ends. A Duval County roof damaged in that window is a hurricane-deductible claim even though the landfall was in the Keys.
Section 627.701 requires insurers to offer that deductible at five hundred dollars, 2, 5 or 10 percent of the dwelling limit, to print its dollar value on the declarations page, and to apply it once per calendar year with the same insurer. On a renewal with a large increase, the hurricane deductible is one of the few terms an owner can choose, and the trade is real in a city of mature oaks. Details: how the Florida hurricane deductible works.
What the non-renewal notice has to say
Under section 627.4133 an insurer must give the first-named insured at least 120 days' written notice before a homeowners policy is non-renewed, and the notice must state the reason. Non-payment of premium takes ten days' notice. The reason is where I start:
- The roofSection 627.7011 bars refusing to write or renew solely for age when the roof is under 15 years old. At 15 years or more the insurer must let you get an inspection from an authorized inspector, at your cost, and cannot refuse solely on age if the report shows five or more years of useful life. Age counts from the last full replacement. See Florida roof age rules.
- ClaimsOne water damage claim cannot be the sole cause unless you ignored the insurer's reasonable request to prevent another. Claims from an act of God cannot be used unless the insurer shows you failed to take steps it asked for.
- Storm damageAfter hurricane or wind damage under a declared emergency and an order of the Insurance Commissioner, an authorized insurer has to wait until 90 days after repairs are complete.
The rest is on Florida non-renewal rules. A wind mitigation inspection helps on the replacement policy: section 627.0629 requires insurers to file discounts for roof covering, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection, and to describe them on their websites. As of November 2026 the My Safe Florida Home site shows inspections and grants available for owner-occupied, homesteaded, site-built homes.
Citizens in Northeast Florida
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer of last resort. It writes a home only when no private company will offer coverage at its approved rates or the private premium is more than 20 percent above Citizens' for comparable coverage, shown through its Clearinghouse. The same test runs at every renewal, and a private offer at or under that mark ends the Citizens policy. In Duval and the surrounding counties its homeowners form stops below a dwelling amount of seven hundred thousand; riverfront and oceanfront homes above that go to the private or surplus lines market. The homeowners form is for an owner's primary residence, and a tenant-occupied house goes on a dwelling fire form. Homes more than 20 years old need a four-point inspection, and shingle roofs older than 25 years need a report showing five years of life left.
Claim deadlines and state help
Section 627.70132 bars a property claim unless notice reaches the insurer within one year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months; for a hurricane the date of loss is the landfall date. See Florida claim deadlines. For a dispute over a notice or a claim, the Department of Financial Services answers at 1-877-693-5236. The Florida Market Assistance Plan, authorized by the Legislature in 1985, is a free service that passes your home's details to agents who can place it with authorized insurers.
What I need to quote
The non-renewal or renewal notice, the declarations page, the address and year built, the roof's material and the year it was last fully replaced, a wind mitigation report and four-point inspection if you have them, and claims in the last five years. Tell me whether the lot is on the river, a creek, the Intracoastal or the ocean, whether large trees overhang the house, and whether you live there or rent it out. Send the flood policy and elevation certificate if there are any. I can begin from the notice and the declarations page.
Common questions
Who insures a home in Jacksonville after the insurer non-renews it?
Other authorized 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. A broker documents that test.
Does homeowners insurance cover St. Johns River flooding?
No. Rising river water and storm surge are flood, which most homeowners policies do not cover. It takes a separate flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer.
Does the hurricane deductible apply in Jacksonville if the storm lands somewhere else in Florida?
Yes. It applies to wind damage from a declared hurricane from the first hurricane warning for any part of Florida until 72 hours after the last watch or warning in the state ends.
What is evacuation Zone F in Duval County?
Zones A to E are evacuated in order as a storm strengthens. The city says Zone F is different because it covers areas likely to flood from rainfall or other hazards.
How much notice does a Florida insurer have to give before non-renewing my home policy?
At least 120 days in writing, with the reason stated, under section 627.4133. Non-payment of premium is the exception at ten days.
Can my Jacksonville home be non-renewed because the roof is old?
Not solely for age when the roof is under 15 years old. For an older roof the insurer must let you obtain an inspection, and cannot refuse only on age if it shows at least five years of useful life remaining.
General information about home insurance in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida as of November 2026, not legal advice. Florida statutes, Citizens rules, evacuation maps 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.