Insurance relief falls short

For years, Corey Silverstein did what Florida homeowners are told to do.

He maintained his home. He avoided filing insurance claims. He upgraded his property and pursued wind-mitigation improvements designed to make it safer during hurricanes.

Yet this year, he found himself facing another homeowners insurance increase.

The latest hike was about $600, the third significant increase he has seen in five years.

Despite not filing a claim in nearly two decades, Silverstein said the increases keep coming.

"I've faced a $600 premium increase in just one year," he wrote in a letter to the Chronicle. "Worse, insurers are making you get a new roof that isn't necessary, creating constant anxiety about losing our homes."

His experience highlights a growing frustration among Florida homeowners who say state-backed home-hardening programs and mitigation upgrades are not delivering the insurance savings many expected.

While Florida officials tout the success of the My Safe Florida Home program, homeowners and insurance agents say premium increases often eclipse the discounts generated by those improvements.

Silverstein's former insurer would have increased his premium to roughly $250 per month. Instead, he shopped the market and found a new policy for about $97 per month.

But even after receiving mitigation credits tied to roof and other improvements, he said the savings never seemed to match the premium increases.

"They'll give you your credits," Silverstein said. "But then they'll raise the rebuild cost."

The My Safe Florida Home program was established in 2006, but was dormant for about a decade before it was revived by the Florida Legislature in 2022 amid a property insurance crisis that had driven up premiums statewide.

The program provides free wind-mitigation inspections and matching grants for improvements such as roofs, impact-resistant windows, strengthened doors and roof-to-wall connections.

State officials report that homeowners who completed the program and responded to surveys reported average annual insurance savings of $938 in 2024.

According to state data, 49 percent of participating homeowners reported premium reductions, 28 percent reported no change and about 17 percent reported premium increases.

But those figures tell only part of the story.

The survey reflects homeowners who completed the grant process and voluntarily reported their results. It does not capture homeowners who received inspections but never received grants, nor does it compare mitigation discounts against broader market-driven rate increases.

Insurance experts note that mitigation credits generally apply only to the wind portion of a policy.

As a result, a homeowner may receive a legitimate wind-mitigation discount while still seeing overall premiums rise because of higher reinsurance costs, increased rebuilding estimates or statewide rate adjustments.

That appears to be what many homeowners are experiencing.

Silverstein lives in one of the highest-elevation portions of Citrus County, owns an 860-square-foot home with a just value of about $119,000 and completed the upgrades specifically to reduce storm risk.

He was quoted a rebuild price of $344 a square foot, which totals roughly $266,000, more than double his home's taxable value. He said two other insurance agents told him the figure should be closer to $160 to $170 per square foot.

"They're playing games," Silverstein said. "They'll give you your credits, that's okay, but we're going to eliminate your credits by raising the rebuild cost."

His experience mirrors a broader trend unfolding across Citrus County.

Insurance market data shows the county has undergone a dramatic restructuring over the past five years as insurers reassessed risk following a series of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The county endured the effects of Hurricane Ian in 2022, Hurricane Idalia in 2023, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.

Those storms reshaped how insurers view the region.

Data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation shows Citrus County lost roughly 43 percent of its policies in force between late 2021 and late 2025, while total insured exposure declined by roughly half.

At the same time, the state's insurer of last resort became increasingly dominant.

By late 2024, Citizens Property Insurance controlled approximately 56 percent of the county's homeowners insurance market. Even after depopulation efforts, Citizens still represented roughly 44 percent of the market by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, policy churn remained elevated.

In November 2025, insurers reported 171 policy cancellations compared with only 140 new policies written. By December, the number of policies in force had fallen again.

The data suggests Citrus County's insurance challenges are being driven less by individual homeowner behavior and more by broader market forces.

Those forces include rising reinsurance costs, repeated hurricane losses along Florida's Gulf Coast and insurer efforts to reduce exposure in areas considered vulnerable to future storms.

The result is that homeowners can spend thousands of dollars strengthening their homes and still see little relief in their annual premiums.

Silverstein said many homeowners feel trapped in a cycle where they are repeatedly asked to spend money on improvements while continuing to pay more for insurance.

"What's the sense of having a 30-year shingle if they're saying you need a new roof in 10 years?" he said. "Why should I get a new water heater if the old water heater works perfectly fine?"

He also questioned increasingly detailed home inspections.

"Why should somebody make me feel that I'm untrustworthy and come to inspect my house?" he said. "I feel like they have too much control."

Supporters of the My Safe Florida Home program argue that the benefits should not be measured solely through insurance premiums.

A stronger roof, impact-resistant windows and improved structural connections can significantly reduce storm damage and make homes more resilient during hurricanes.

But for homeowners struggling with rising housing costs, insurance bills remain the most visible measure of success.

Silverstein said the issue extends far beyond his own household.

"This cycle villainizes responsible homeowners," he wrote. "Leaving us in fear each year."

The central question facing policymakers may be whether mitigation programs can truly reduce homeowners' financial burdens when the broader insurance market continues pushing rates upward.

For homeowners like Silverstein, the answer remains unclear.

Florida encouraged them to harden their homes against storms.

Many did.

Now they are waiting to see whether the insurance savings ever arrive.