A Wind policy is designed to protect homeowners against the expense of rebuilding or repairing your home that has been damaged by hurricane-force winds.
“Hurricane coverage” is coverage for loss or damage caused by windstorm during a hurricane. It includes ensuing damage to the interior of a building, or to property inside a building, caused by rain, snow, sleet, hail, sand, or dust if the direct force of the windstorm first damages the building, causing an opening through which rain, snow, sleet, hail, sand, or dust enters and causes damage (Fla. Stat. Ann. § 627.4025(2)(a)).
“Windstorm” means wind, wind gusts, hail, rain, tornadoes, or cyclones caused by or resulting from a hurricane that results in direct physical loss or damage to property. “Hurricane” means a storm system that has been declared to be a hurricane by the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center. A hurricane includes the time period (1) beginning when the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida, (2) continuing for the time period during which the hurricane conditions exist anywhere in Florida, and (3) ending 72 hours after the National Hurricane Center terminates the last hurricane watch or warning issued for any part of Florida (Fla. Stat. Ann. § 627.4025(2)(b) and (c)).
Tropical activity in Florida has sharply risen in recent years with storms seeing more than double the hurricanes then what is initially predicted. When a storm hits it is coastal residential and commercial properties that are most susceptible to damage but the storm doesn’t stop there. Some storms are miles in width so at times the damage is just as great inland as it is on the coast which is why it is so important to have windstorm coverage especially in a coastal county.
We here at Academy Insurance Agency have many carriers that write a stand-alone wind policy, or we can add wind coverage to your homeowner’s policy. Many agencies have only Citizens for wind coverage so they may tell you that Citizens is your only option. That is simply not true, there are many options so do not settle for the agency that has limited options available to them therefore leads you to believe that you too have limited options – call us to obtain a rate through various markets.
