The numbers
- 14 counties are now under a state of emergency for the fall flooding, up from 7 on Nov 2 (Florida Executive Orders 26-227 and 26-228, Florida Division of Emergency Management, official).
- Over 19 inches of rain in 12 hours hit Palm Beach County, according to the findings written into Executive Order 26-228 (official).
- 16% of Florida households carry flood insurance.
- $250,000 is the NFIP limit per residence, while the median Florida home value is about $400,000. Source for the last two figures: AM Best, as reported by Insurance Journal on Nov 4 (Florida data).
What happened
On Nov 2, the governor declared a state of emergency for seven counties after days of heavy rain: Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie. On Nov 4, Executive Order 26-228 added seven more: Glades, Hendry, Lake, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Seminole and Volusia. The order says the emergency expires 60 days after Nov 2 unless it is extended.
The state's Fall Flooding page also lists three Multi-Agency Resource Centers opening Nov 10: Riviera Beach (Palm Beach County), Palm Bay and Melbourne (Brevard County). Residents are told to bring identification, proof of residence and insurance information.
Why it matters for your agency
The phones will ring with one question: "Am I covered?" And the honest answer is in the policy, not in the news. Only 16% of Florida households have flood insurance, so many of those calls will be hard ones. The agencies that handle them well are the ones that already know, before the call, who has flood coverage and who does not.
The emergency now reaches Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee, so it is no longer only a Space Coast story.
Three things to do this week
- Build the list. Pull every client in the 14 counties and mark who has a flood policy (NFIP or private) and who does not. Start with the counties named in the order. It does not need to be pretty. A spreadsheet is fine.
- Write the intake script before the calls arrive. Date and time of loss, address, photos, what the client saw. And one rule for the whole team: nobody tells a client what is covered until the policy has been read and the carrier has weighed in.
- Keep a simple flood call log. Who called, when, what you said, what you promised to follow up on. If a claim turns into a dispute, you will be glad you did.
Also on the radar
- Infinity Auto refunds. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation says Infinity Auto Insurance Company will refund "over $46 million" in excess profits for 2023, 2024 and 2025 within 60 days, under section 627.066, Florida Statutes. The Commissioner said OIR expects more refund announcements from other auto insurers. If you write Infinity auto, expect questions. The release says Infinity will try to locate policyholders whose checks come back, so it is a good moment to confirm client mailing addresses. Read the OIR release.
- Help on the ground. The Multi-Agency Resource Centers above are a concrete place to send affected clients in Palm Beach and Brevard counties. Check hours on the state's Fall Flooding page before you share them.
