Condo insurance in Florida is the walls-in half of a two-policy system: the association's master policy covers the building's shell and common elements, and your HO-6 covers unit finishes, contents, liability, displacement and your share of association deductibles. Florida sharpens every line of that split: hurricane deductibles apply to unit policies too, master-policy costs have surged since Surfside's aftermath reshaped inspections and reserves, and the flood question is never optional here.
The walls-in policy, Florida edition
Read the association's declarations to find the boundary, bare-walls masters leave floors, cabinets and fixtures to your HO-6, all-in masters cover original finishes, then insure your side at Florida reconstruction prices. Contents and liability follow standard logic, and additional living expenses coverage earns respect in a state where a hurricane can close a building for months. Loss assessment coverage is the Florida sleeper: when the association levies owners for its wind deductible, an underinsured master loss, or repairs the master policy disputes, your loss assessment limit pays your share, and raising it is cheap against the assessments Florida associations have been levying since inspection and reserve rules tightened.
Wind, and the two deductibles that stack
Hurricane wind reaches unit owners twice. Your own HO-6 typically carries a hurricane deductible, often a percentage, applying to your unit's covered damage in a named storm. And the association's master policy carries its own, usually large, wind deductible, whose owner-allocated share arrives as an assessment your loss assessment coverage answers. Ask both questions before the season: what is my policy's hurricane deductible in dollars, and what is the master's wind deductible and how does the association allocate it. Wind mitigation credits apply to unit policies where openings are protected, and buildings' post-Surfside milestone inspections are worth reading before buying into any association.
Water: the exclusion and the Florida answer
Rising water is excluded from the HO-6 exactly as everywhere: storm surge and rainfall flooding are flood, insurable only through a separate NFIP or private policy, and Florida's geography makes the contents-and-improvements flood policy rational far beyond the mapped zones, FEMA's FloodSmart reports almost one-third of NFIP flood claims come from outside high-risk flood areas. Ground-floor and low-floor owners carry the obvious exposure, but garage contents and unit improvements below base flood elevation matter on higher floors too. Inside the unit, sudden discharges, a failed water heater, an upstairs neighbor's line, are covered, and Florida's litigation-tight market rewards fast documentation and licensed repairs.
Questions people ask about condo insurance florida
What does condo insurance cover in Florida?
From the walls in: unit finishes, contents, liability, displacement and loss assessment for your share of association deductibles and shortfalls. The master policy covers the shell.
How do hurricane deductibles work for condo owners?
Twice: your HO-6's own hurricane deductible applies to unit damage, and the master policy's large wind deductible reaches you as an assessment, which loss assessment coverage answers.
Is flood coverage necessary on an upper floor?
Often still worth pricing: garage contents, storage and below-elevation improvements flood, and NFIP pricing on higher floors reflects the lower risk.
What changed after Surfside?
Inspection and reserve requirements tightened, master premiums and assessments rose, and reading an association's milestone inspection and reserves became part of buying a Florida condo.