Florida Hurricane Deductible After Hurricane Isaias

Hurricane Isaias put the hurricane deductible in effect across all of Florida, not just the Panhandle where it came ashore. A wind damage claim from that window on a home, condo unit or rental in Broward, Miami-Dade or Palm Beach falls under the hurricane deductible.

On those policies, Florida law makes the hurricane deductible a once-a-year amount. What you use on an Isaias claim counts toward any later 2026 hurricane. Apartment buildings, condo master policies and business property follow different rules.

When the Isaias hurricane deductible window started and ended

Section 627.4025(2)(c) of the Florida Statutes defines how long a hurricane lasts for residential policies. The period begins "at the time a hurricane warning is issued for any part of Florida" by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). It ends "72 hours following the termination of the last hurricane watch or hurricane warning issued for any part of Florida."

Location does not matter. A warning in the Panhandle starts the clock for a house in Hialeah or a duplex in Fort Lauderdale.

The NHC's public advisories for Isaias show how the dates fell. Advisory 6, issued at 10 p.m. Central on Wednesday, October 7, upgraded a hurricane watch to a hurricane warning. It ran from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida. That is 11 p.m. Eastern.

Advisory 14A, issued at 1 a.m. Central on Saturday, October 10, changed the last Florida hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning. No Florida hurricane watch was still in effect by then. Counting 72 hours from that advisory, the hurricane period ran until about 2 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, October 13.

A Lantana insurance agent told WPTV that a hurricane watch or warning sets off the deductible. The statute names a warning as the start, so this guide follows the statute. Ask your insurer to confirm in writing the dates it uses.

Which policies the once-a-year hurricane deductible covers

Section 627.4025(1) splits residential coverage into two groups. Personal lines residential coverage is the kind provided by "homeowner, mobile home owner, dwelling, tenant, condominium unit owner, cooperative unit owner, and similar policies." Commercial lines residential coverage is the kind provided by "condominium association, cooperative association, apartment building, and similar policies."

The once-a-year rule sits in section 627.701(5)(a). It covers personal lines residential policies issued or renewed on or after May 1, 2005. The statute says the hurricane deductible "shall apply on an annual basis to all covered hurricane losses that occur during the calendar year."

Commercial residential policies get a choice instead. Under section 627.701(5)(b), the insurer must offer two options. One is a hurricane deductible that applies on an annual basis. The other is a deductible that "applies to each hurricane."

That last row matters for many of our clients. Sections 627.4025 and 627.701(5) are written for residential coverage, so a policy on a shop or office is in neither group. Its hurricane or windstorm deductible, and the dates it uses, come from the policy itself. Ask your agent how they apply to Isaias.

How much the hurricane deductible costs on a wind damage claim

A hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of the dwelling coverage, not of the claim. Section 627.701(3)(a) covers personal lines residential policies. Before issuing one, the insurer must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent of the dwelling limits. The statute allows some exceptions by policy size.

Robert Norberg of Arden Insurance in Lantana told WPTV that the deductible is typically 2 to 3 percent of the property's insured value. He added that some policies go to 5 or 10 percent.

On a home insured for $300,000, a 2 percent hurricane deductible is $6,000. At 5 percent it is $15,000. A wind damage claim smaller than the deductible pays nothing.

Section 627.701(4)(b) requires the insurer to show the actual dollar amount of the hurricane deductible on the declarations page of a personal lines residential policy. For policies covering a risk valued at less than $500,000, section 627.701(4)(d) caps the hurricane deductible at 10 percent of the dwelling limits. Going higher takes a handwritten statement signed by every named insured.

What a second hurricane in 2026 would cost

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30, according to the NHC. On a personal lines residential policy, section 627.701(5)(a) sets out how a second hurricane in the same calendar year is handled.

The deductible carries over. If you had a hurricane loss earlier in the year, the insurer may apply the greater of two amounts to the next hurricane. One is what is left of your hurricane deductible. The other is your regular deductible for other perils.

Small losses can count, if you can prove them. The statute lets insurers require you to report hurricane losses below the deductible or keep receipts. Only then do those losses count toward a later hurricane claim. A small repair you paid yourself after Isaias could matter if another storm hits in November.

Several policies, one deductible. Say you have hurricane losses in one year on two or more policies with the same insurer or insurer group. The hurricane deductible is then the highest amount in any one of those policies. This can apply to an owner whose home and rental dwelling are insured with the same group.

A lower deductible waits for January. Your renewal may offer a lower hurricane deductible after you had a hurricane loss. If so, the insurer must tell you in writing that the lower amount does not apply until January 1 of the next year.

For an apartment building or condo master policy on a per-hurricane deductible, a second storm means a second full deductible.

Records to keep for a wind damage claim and your taxes

The same records support the insurance claim now and any casualty loss on your tax return later.

IRS Publication 547 says that if your property is insured, you should file a timely insurance claim for the loss. It also says the part of a loss usually not covered by insurance, "for example, a deductible," is not subject to that rule. In other words, what you pay under the hurricane deductible is part of what the tax rules look at.

For 2025 returns, Publication 547 says an individual's losses on personal-use property are deductible only if they are attributable to a federally declared disaster. Which declarations count for 2026 losses is a question for your CPA. As of October 12, FEMA's records show an emergency declaration for Isaias (EM-3655), dated October 9, for 27 North Florida counties. They show no major disaster declaration, and no South Florida county is listed.

The IRS had not posted Isaias tax relief on its disaster relief page as of October 12.

Rental and business property follow different tax rules from personal property. Our article on disaster tax relief and casualty losses explains both. Our hurricane season guide for Florida small businesses covers cash reserves and records before the next storm.

What to do this week

Our accounting and bookkeeping team can keep those costs traced by property, and our business insurance services team can review coverage before the next storm.

Questions about the Florida hurricane deductible

Statute text and advisory times were checked on October 12, 2026. Confirm how your own policy applies with your insurance agent, and confirm any tax treatment with your CPA.