Citizens Insurance is a not-for-profit “insurer of last resort” for Florida homeowners.  It was created by the Florida Legislature in 2002 and quickly became the largest insurer in Florida. The impetus for its creation was the devastation and $26.5 billion price tag when Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992. The storm bankrupted smaller private insurance companies and made the larger ones decide to pull out of the state.

    Because almost one million coastal property owners were unable to find insurance after Andrew, the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association and the Florida Residential and the Casualty Joint Underwriting Association were set up after the storm by the state government to fill the void created by the mass exit of private insurers. The two entities were merged to create Citizens in 2002 and, initially, agents were prohibited from writing policies if there was a private company (not surplus lines) that would take the risk.

   Although most of the large insurance companies have since returned to Florida and there are also new, smaller insurers writing homeowners policies, Citizens Insurance is still likely to be the only company that will accept coastal properties and homes more than 50 years old.

    Also, see our blog post Why does my homeowner's insurance want a four point inspection?

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about INSURANCE:

* Could faulty work or lack of a building permit for home improvements cause an insurance company to deny a claim?

• Why is a fuse box/panel an insurance problem for homebuyers?

• Do I need a home inspection to get insurance? 

• Is the 4-point insurance inspection strictly pass or fail?

• Is a wind mitigation inspection report (OIR-B1-1802) required for homeowners insurance in Florida? 

• Which building permit date is used for the Building Code section of the wind mitigation form? 

• What are the different roof deck attachment discount categories for a wind mitigation inspection?

• What determines the year of a house? 

• What is the difference between a toe nail, clip, single wrap, and double wrap for the wind mitigation form?

• Should I give a copy of the home inspection report to the bank or insurance company? 

• How do I get the hip roof discount for my homeowners windstorm insurance?

• How do I get my home ready for a four point inspection for insurance?

• Why did I get no discounts or only a small discount from my wind mitigation inspection? 

• Why does my homeowner's insurance want a roof inspection? 

• Is it common for an insurance company to require an inspection? 

• How do I get insurance if my home can't pass a 4-point inspection? 

• How does a repaired sink hole under a house affect its market value?

     Visit our INSURANCE page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.