If you live on the Florida coast, you live with hurricane season. It runs from June 1 through November 30, and the busiest stretch is usually August through October. That shouldn't scare you off, since millions of people do it. But it should change what you check before you buy.
Know the two zones
People mix these up, and they are different maps.
- Your evacuation zone tells you when to leave. Florida letters them A through F, and Zone A is the most vulnerable and the first to be evacuated. The state's Know Your Zone map lets you type in any address.
- Your flood zone comes from federal flood maps and drives whether a lender requires flood insurance and what it costs.
Look up both for any address you're serious about, before you make an offer.
Understand the insurance before you fall for the house
- Flood is separate. Most homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. You buy flood insurance as its own policy.
- You can't buy it at the last minute. A federal flood policy typically has a 30 day waiting period before it takes effect.
- There is a separate hurricane deductible. Florida insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent or 10 percent of the home's insured value. At 2 percent on a home insured for $400,000, you pay the first $8,000 of hurricane damage yourself. It applies once per calendar year.
- Get quotes for the exact address. Two houses a mile apart can be thousands of dollars apart. Our insurance guide has more.
Look hard at the house itself
- The roof. Its age and shape matter more than almost anything to an insurer.
- Windows and doors. Impact glass or shutters, and a garage door rated for wind.
- Elevation. How high the living area sits, and whether there is an elevation certificate.
- A wind mitigation inspection. It documents the storm features a house has, and it can earn discounts on your premium.
- What happened last time. Ask what the last big storm did to the house, what was repaired, and whether the work was permitted.
What recent storms did
Our town pages note storm history where it matters. A few examples:
- Ian, 2022. Fort Myers Beach is still rebuilding. Sanibel is mostly rebuilt, and the causeway is its only road. Punta Gorda was hit too, and its downtown flooded again in 2024.
- Idalia, 2023, and Helene, 2024. Both pushed surge through Steinhatchee, which is still rebuilding.
- Helene, 2024. Surge flooded the barrier islands from Indian Rocks Beach down to Bradenton Beach, and the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs.
- Michael, 2018. It hit Port St. Joe hard, and parts of Panama City are still rebuilding.
A town that was hit is not a town to cross off. Newer and rebuilt homes are built to stricter codes and often sit higher. It does mean asking better questions.
Once you live there
- Know your evacuation zone and where you would go.
- Keep your insurance papers, photos of the house and a list of medications somewhere you can grab.
- Stock water, food and batteries at the start of the season, not when a storm is named.
- Follow the advice and orders of local officials during a storm, whatever your zone.
Every town page on Florida Coastal has a Heads up note in its honest details, with storm and flood history where it matters.
