Short Answer
A wind mitigation inspection documents your home's wind-resistant features, and Florida law requires insurers to discount for them. Impact windows and a newer roof can cut the windstorm portion of your premium significantly.
Florida insurance is expensive, but there is real money available to homeowners who take the right steps, and the state has built the system to reward you for it. The single most effective thing most homeowners can do is get a wind mitigation inspection. It documents the wind-resistant features of your home, and Florida law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for the features it verifies.
What a Wind Mitigation Inspection Does
A Florida-licensed inspector visually examines your home, including the attic, the roof, and every opening, and records the wind-resistant features on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form. The categories are specific: the roof covering and how it is installed, the roof deck attachment, the roof-to-wall connections, the roof shape, whether the roof deck is sealed, and whether your windows, doors, and skylights are protected by impact glass or approved shutters. The inspection typically costs $75 to $150, and the form is valid for up to five years.
Impact Windows Are the Biggest Credit
Opening protection is the single largest credit on the form. Homes where every opening is protected with impact-rated glazing or approved shutters qualify for the top tier, and the credit on the windstorm portion of the premium can run roughly 30 to 45 percent. It is essentially all-or-nothing: partial coverage earns much less. When impact windows are combined with a newer roof, a hip roof shape, and a sealed roof deck, the total credits can stack to a very large share of the windstorm premium, and in whole-policy terms homeowners commonly see 15 to 45 percent reductions, which can mean hundreds, or over a thousand dollars, a year.
Shop the Carriers and Consider Citizens
Discounts vary by insurer, because each carrier sets its own credit amounts within the state-required framework. That means the same home can carry meaningfully different premiums from different companies, and it is worth having an independent agent quote several. If you cannot find affordable coverage in the private market, Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort, is an option, and it also honors wind mitigation credits. The goal is to make sure your home's verified features are actually earning you the discount they deserve.
Do It Before You Buy, Not After
If you are buying, get the insurance picture before you make an offer. Know the flood zone, get the elevation certificate, and ask what the wind mitigation features are worth on that specific home. As a licensed Certified Building Contractor, I evaluate the roof, the impact glass, and the construction that drive those discounts before you commit, so you are not surprised by the premium after closing.
Key Things to Remember
- A wind mitigation inspection costs $75 to $150 and is valid up to five years.
- Impact windows and approved shutters are the largest single credit, roughly 30 to 45 percent of the wind premium.
- Stacked credits from roof shape, deck attachment, and a sealed deck can reach a very large share of the windstorm premium.
- Florida law requires insurers to offer discounts for verified wind mitigation features.
- Shop multiple carriers and consider Citizens if private coverage is unaffordable.
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