Hurricane Season Insurance Checklist for Cape Coral

1. Review Your Policy Before June 1

Pull out your declarations page and check the basics: the dwelling limit, the hurricane deductible, and whether the policy covers the full cost to rebuild your home at today's construction prices. Building costs in Southwest Florida have risen in recent years, and a limit that was right a few years ago may fall short now. Check the coverage for other structures, personal property and additional living expenses, which helps pay to live elsewhere while your home is repaired.

Look closely at screen enclosures, pool cages, docks and seawalls. These are common in Cape Coral and are often limited or excluded on homeowners policies, so know what your policy says before you need it.

2. Know Your Hurricane Deductible

Florida homeowners policies usually carry a separate hurricane deductible, set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount. Common options are 2%, 5% and 10%. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% hurricane deductible means the first $8,000 of a hurricane claim is yours, and a 5% deductible means the first $20,000.

Under Florida law, a hurricane deductible on a personal residential policy generally applies once per calendar year, not once per storm; if a second hurricane hits in the same year, a smaller remaining amount or your regular deductible may apply instead. The Florida Department of Financial Services explains how this works. Pick a deductible you could actually pay from savings after a storm.

3. Get Flood Coverage, Separately

Homeowners policies do not cover flood, and storm surge counts as flood. Most new NFIP policies have a 30-day waiting period, and private flood policies have their own, so buy flood insurance well before a storm, not when one is forming. This applies in X zones too. Our Cape Coral flood zones guide explains how to look up your zone.

4. Understand Binding Restrictions

When a tropical storm or hurricane threatens an area, insurers usually stop writing new policies and stop accepting coverage increases or deductible changes there. These pauses are called binding restrictions or binding suspensions. Each insurer sets its own trigger, often tied to a watch or warning or to how close a storm is, and they stay in place until the threat passes. That is why the review in step 1 needs to happen early.

5. Document Your Belongings

A home inventory makes a claim faster and more complete. Walk through every room with your phone and record video, open closets and drawers, and photograph serial numbers on electronics and appliances. Keep receipts for big purchases. Store the inventory and copies of your policies somewhere you can reach from anywhere, such as cloud storage or email, not only on a device or paper in the house.

6. Cover Your Cars, Boat and Business

• Flood damage to a car falls under comprehensive coverage on your auto policy, not your home or flood policy. Check that you carry it.
• Boats usually need their own policy; ask about hurricane plans and haul-out requirements.
• Business owners should check property, contents and business interruption coverage on their commercial insurance, and whether flood is included.
• Condo owners should know what the association's master policy covers and what falls to their own HO-6 policy. Renters need their own policy for their belongings.

7. Make a Storm Plan

Know your evacuation zone and shelter options. Lee County Emergency Management publishes evacuation zones, shelter information and storm updates for Cape Coral and the rest of Lee County. Save your insurers' claim phone numbers and policy numbers in your phone. If you have wind mitigation features such as shutters, make sure you know how to install them; see our wind mitigation guide for how those features can lower your premium.

8. After the Storm

• Stay safe first. Only return home when officials say it is safe.
• Photograph and video all damage before cleanup or repairs.
• Make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent more damage, such as tarping a roof, and keep every receipt.
• Report your claim as soon as you safely can. Florida law sets deadlines for property claims, and they have been shortened in recent years, so do not wait.
• Report wind and flood damage to each insurer separately if they are on different policies.

Hurricane Insurance FAQ

When is hurricane season in Cape Coral?

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. Review your coverage before June 1, because buying or changing coverage can be restricted once a storm threatens.

How does a hurricane deductible work in Florida?

It is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage, such as 2%, 5% or 10%. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% hurricane deductible is $8,000. Under Florida law it generally applies once per calendar year for personal residential policies.

Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane flooding?

No. Homeowners policies cover wind damage after the hurricane deductible, but flooding and storm surge need a separate flood policy, which usually has a waiting period.

Can I buy insurance when a hurricane is coming?

Usually not. Insurers typically suspend new policies and coverage changes in an area once a tropical storm or hurricane threatens it, until the threat passes.