Florida Citizens Policyholders

Florida Citizens Insurance Claim Guide

How a Citizens Property Insurance claim works in Florida: reporting and inspection, documenting the loss, the Managed Repair Program, and how a public adjuster assists.

By Dependable Claims Specialists - Public Insurance Adjusters · DFS Firm License #W820363

Quick Answer

Citizens is Florida’s state-created insurer of last resort. To file, you report the loss (online via myPolicy or by phone), get a claim number, an adjuster is assigned, and an inspection follows if needed (citizensfla.com). A licensed public adjuster can document, value, and negotiate the claim; for home and condo unit claims Florida limits the PA fee, usually to 20% (10% within a year after a declared emergency), under §626.854(11).

Who Is Eligible for Citizens

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation was created by the Florida Legislature under Fla. Stat. §627.351(6) as a not-for-profit, government entity, the state’s insurer of last resort. It exists for Floridians who cannot find property coverage in the private market, and it operates as a residual market backstop.

No private coverage available

Citizens was created by the Florida Legislature under Fla. Stat. §627.351(6) as a not-for-profit, government entity to provide property insurance to Floridians who cannot find coverage in the private (admitted) market. It is the insurer of last resort.

The premium-comparison rule

By statute, eligibility is generally tied to a comparison with private-market premiums. Historically, a risk is not eligible for Citizens if a private-market offer is available at a premium within a defined threshold of the Citizens premium for comparable coverage. The exact threshold is set by statute and can change, so check current Citizens eligibility rules.

A residual market, by design

Citizens exists to stabilize the market and provide a backstop. Coverage, limits, and eligibility are governed by §627.351(6) and Citizens’ own rules, and policies can be subject to assessments and the depopulation (take-out) process described below.

Depopulation: The Citizens "Take-Out" Program

One feature unique to a state-run residual insurer is depopulation, the process of moving policies from Citizens back into the private market. If you hold a Citizens policy, you may one day receive a take-out offer.

Depopulation (also called the "take-out" program) is the process by which private insurers offer to assume policies out of Citizens, shrinking the residual market as authorized under §627.351(6).

If a private insurer makes a take-out offer on your policy, you typically receive a notice describing the offered coverage and premium and an opportunity window to respond.

Whether you may remain with Citizens depends on current eligibility rules and the offer described in your notice. Review the coverage, premium and response deadline with your insurance agent.

Depopulation does not change the fundamentals of how a property-damage claim is documented and valued; if you have an open or new loss, the same documentation and adjusting principles apply to whichever carrier holds the policy.

The Citizens Claim Process

Citizens publishes its own claim-reporting steps. Below is the general flow for a typical (non-catastrophe) claim, summarized from Citizens’ own materials at citizensfla.com.

Step 1

Report the loss

Citizens asks policyholders to "Call Citizens First." You can report a claim through the myPolicy portal or by phone, 24 hours a day. You receive a claim number and a follow-up confirmation (citizensfla.com).

Step 2

Severity & assignment

Based on the loss information you provide, the claim is assigned a severity code and routed to a claims team, and an adjuster is assigned to contact you about your claim (citizensfla.com).

Step 3

Inspection (if needed)

The assigned adjuster discusses the claim and determines whether an on-site inspection is necessary. Per Citizens, claims involving minor damage may be serviced without an in-person inspection (citizensfla.com).

Step 4

Review & payment

After any inspection, a claims examiner reviews the policy to confirm coverage and deductibles. Where there is covered damage above the deductible, Citizens submits the claim for payment, often as a partial payment less the deductible (citizensfla.com).

Considering a public adjuster on a Citizens claim? For home and condo unit claims, Florida limits the fee, usually to 20%. Estimate yours with our fee calculator.

What to Know About a Citizens Claim

Florida’s Insurer of Last Resort

Source: citizensfla.com

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a state-created insurer that provides property coverage for Florida owners who cannot find coverage in the private market. It is sometimes called the insurer of last resort.

Report Promptly, Document Everything

Claim documentation basics

Report the loss to Citizens as soon as you discover it, and keep dated records of every submission, call, and inspection. A complete, well-documented claim file is what moves the claim and supports the valuation if the amount is disputed later.

Supplemental Claims

Source: citizensfla.com

Citizens notes that policyholders may file a supplemental claim for additional covered damage discovered during repairs, or when a contractor’s estimate is higher than the adjuster’s original estimate. Citizens also notes that estimates can and often do change as a claim progresses.

Managed Repair Program

Source: citizensfla.com

For eligible policies with non-weather water damage, Citizens offers a Managed Repair Program that can include Emergency Water Removal Services and access to a Managed Repair Contractor Network. Participation rules and eligibility are defined by Citizens.

Public Adjuster Fee Caps: §626.854(11)

Fla. Stat. §626.854(11)

If you hire a public adjuster on a Citizens claim, Florida law limits the fee for home and condo unit claims, usually to 20%, or 10% for claims made within a year after a declared emergency. The fee cannot be charged on payments the insurer already made for the same cause of loss.

Citizens Legal Disputes

Citizens operates under a distinct statutory framework, including immunity provisions. A licensed Florida attorney should assess which legal remedies, notices and deadlines are available for a particular dispute. DCS provides claim documentation and valuation, not legal representation.

What to Gather Before You File

Once everyone is safe and the property is secured, assemble the following, and photograph everything before you start temporary repairs.

Your Citizens policy number and declarations page (lists your coverages, limits, and the deductible, including any separate hurricane deductible).

Date of loss and the cause (hurricane, windstorm, water leak, etc.).

Dated photos and video of all damage, taken before any repairs, plus photos of the source of the loss where applicable.

A room-by-room inventory of damaged personal property with descriptions and, where possible, age and approximate value.

Receipts for emergency mitigation and reasonable temporary repairs you made to prevent further damage.

Any contractor estimates, invoices, or moisture/roof reports you already have.

Common Mistakes & Florida Claim Pitfalls

Florida changed its property-claim rules with the 2021-2022 reforms: shorter deadlines, reshaped roof rules, and tight AOB restrictions. These are errors that can cost policyholders on a Citizens claim.

Missing the notice deadlines

Florida has shortened the windows to report property claims, and late notice can put an otherwise covered loss at risk. Report the loss to Citizens as soon as you discover it, report supplemental damage as soon as it is found, and keep dated proof of every notice you give. Do not sit on a loss.

Treating the first estimate as final

Citizens itself notes that estimates can and often do change as a claim progresses, and that a supplemental claim may be filed for additional covered damage found during repairs.

Misunderstanding Managed Repair

On eligible non-weather water claims, Citizens may offer its Managed Repair Program (emergency water removal and a contractor network) in lieu of a cash settlement. For eligible HO-3 and DP-3 nonweather-water claims, declining it may leave a $10,000 coverage limit, including applicable emergency-measure payments. Whether to use it affects how the repair is performed and paid, so understand the program terms before agreeing.

Overlooking the Florida roof rules

Roof claims in Florida are shaped by Fla. Stat. §627.7011 and the Florida Building Code. Reforms changed how roof age and replacement-vs-repair are handled, and some policies use roof deductibles or actual-cash-value roof schedules. Read your specific policy’s roof provisions carefully; how the statute applies to your claim is a question for a licensed Florida attorney.

Ignoring the matching statute

Fla. Stat. §626.9744 addresses matching of items like siding, tile, or roofing when only part of an area is damaged. If undamaged adjacent materials cannot reasonably be matched, that becomes a scope and documentation question worth raising early. How the statute applies is a question for a licensed Florida attorney.

Signing away benefits without understanding them

After Florida’s AOB reforms (HB 7065 in 2019 and SB 2-A in 2022), Assignment of Benefits arrangements are heavily restricted and, for newer policies, may not be available at all. Read anything a contractor or vendor asks you to sign, and understand what it affects, before signing.

How a Public Adjuster Assists on a Citizens Claim

A licensed Florida public adjuster works for the policyholder, not the insurer. On a Citizens claim, DCS can inspect the property, document the damage, prepare a detailed estimate, read and apply your policy in the ordinary course of adjusting, and communicate and negotiate with Citizens through the claim process described above.

Florida section 626.854 sets public-adjuster fee limits for home and condominium-unit claims, including those insured by Citizens. The written agreement must follow the limits that apply to the claim. If your loss involves a hurricane or tropical storm, our hurricane insurance claims page explains how DCS approaches storm-related property damage.

Related Resources

Florida Public Adjuster Rules

Fee caps, contract requirements, and licensing for public adjusters under §626.854.

PA Fee Calculator

Estimate a public adjuster fee.

Hurricane Insurance Claims

How DCS approaches hurricane and tropical-storm property damage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Citizens Property Insurance in Florida?

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a Florida state-created insurer that provides property coverage for owners who cannot obtain coverage in the private market. It is often described as the state’s insurer of last resort. Citizens publishes its own claim-reporting and inspection procedures at citizensfla.com.

How do I file a claim with Citizens?

According to Citizens, you report the loss through the myPolicy online portal or by phone (Citizens asks policyholders to "Call Citizens First"). You receive a claim number, the claim is assigned a severity code and routed to a claims team, an adjuster contacts you, an inspection is performed if necessary, and a claims examiner reviews your policy for coverage and deductibles before payment is processed.

Do Florida prompt-pay deadlines apply to a Citizens claim?

The deadlines Florida law places on insurers, and how they apply to Citizens, are legal questions for a licensed Florida attorney. On the claim-handling side: report the loss promptly, keep dated records of everything you submit, and follow up in writing if the claim stalls. A public adjuster documents and values the claim and follows up with the carrier.

Can a public adjuster help with a Citizens claim, and what does it cost?

A licensed Florida public adjuster can inspect, document, value, and negotiate a Citizens claim on the policyholder’s behalf. Under Fla. Stat. §626.854(11), the public adjuster fee is limited for home and condo unit claims, usually to 20% of the claim payment, or 10% for claims made within a year after a declared emergency. You can estimate the fee with our public adjuster fee calculator.

What is Citizens’ Managed Repair Program?

Citizens offers a Managed Repair Program for eligible policies involving non-weather water damage. According to Citizens, it can include Emergency Water Removal Services and access to a Managed Repair Contractor Network. Eligibility and participation rules are set by Citizens, so review your policy and Citizens’ program materials at citizensfla.com.

Does DCS handle lawsuits or bad-faith claims against Citizens?

No. DCS documents, values and negotiates property claims; it does not handle lawsuits. Citizens has a distinct statutory framework, including immunity provisions. A licensed Florida attorney should assess which legal remedies, notices and deadlines are available.

Who is eligible for a Citizens policy?

Citizens was created under Fla. Stat. §627.351(6) as the insurer of last resort for Floridians who cannot obtain property coverage in the private (admitted) market. Eligibility is generally tied to a premium comparison with private-market offers. Historically, a risk is not eligible for Citizens if a comparable private-market policy is available at a premium within a statutory threshold. The exact threshold is set by statute and can change over time, so confirm the current eligibility rules with Citizens or your agent.

What is Citizens depopulation (the take-out program)?

Depopulation, or the take-out program, is the process by which private insurers offer to assume policies out of Citizens, reducing the size of the residual market as authorized under §627.351(6). If a private insurer makes a take-out offer on your policy, you typically receive a notice describing the offered coverage and premium and a window to respond. Whether you may remain with Citizens depends on current eligibility rules and the offer described in your notice. Review the coverage, premium and response deadline with your insurance agent. Depopulation does not change how a property-damage claim itself is documented and valued.

How long do I have to report a Citizens claim in Florida?

Report a Citizens loss as soon as you discover it. Florida has shortened the windows to report new, reopened, and supplemental property claims, and late notice can put an otherwise covered loss at risk. The safe practice is to report promptly, document the damage, and keep dated proof of every notice you give. For how a reporting deadline applies to your specific policy and loss, confirm with Citizens or consult a licensed Florida attorney.

How does the Florida hurricane deductible work on a Citizens policy?

Many Florida property policies, including Citizens policies, apply a separate hurricane deductible that is often a percentage of the dwelling coverage (commonly available at options such as 2%, 5%, or 10%) rather than a flat dollar amount, and Florida personal-lines residential hurricane deductibles generally apply across the calendar year with the same insurer or insurer group. For a later hurricane in the same calendar year, the insurer may apply the greater of the remaining hurricane deductible or the deductible for other perils. Check your declarations page for the exact deductibles, and model a percentage hurricane deductible with our hurricane deductible calculator before assuming the size of a recoverable claim.

Should I use the Citizens Managed Repair Program?

For eligible policies with non-weather water damage, Citizens may offer a Managed Repair Program (which can include Emergency Water Removal Services and access to a Managed Repair Contractor Network) instead of a cash settlement. For eligible HO-3 and DP-3 nonweather-water claims, declining Citizens Managed Repair Program may leave a $10,000 coverage limit, including applicable emergency-measure payments. Eligibility, endorsements, and program terms must be reviewed before choosing. The choice affects how repairs are scoped, who performs them, and how they are paid. Read the program terms and your policy carefully, and understand your options, before agreeing. A public adjuster can help you understand the documentation and valuation side of the decision.

How do Florida’s roof and matching laws affect a Citizens claim?

Two statutes commonly come up, and how either applies to a specific claim is a question for a licensed Florida attorney. Fla. Stat. §627.7011 and the Florida Building Code shape how roof claims are handled, including roof age, repair-versus-replacement, and (under recent reforms) roof-deductible and roof-replacement provisions; some policies schedule roofs at actual cash value. Fla. Stat. §626.9744 addresses matching. It covers how adjacent undamaged materials (siding, tile, roofing) are treated when a matching replacement is not reasonably available. On the claim side, read your specific policy provisions and document the loss thoroughly.

What happened to Assignment of Benefits (AOB) on Florida property claims?

Florida heavily reformed AOB. HB 7065 (2019) restricted AOB practices, and SB 2-A (2022) went further: for policies issued after its effective dates, assignment of post-loss benefits is generally prohibited. In practice that means a homeowner should be cautious about any document a contractor or vendor asks them to sign that purports to transfer insurance benefits. A licensed public adjuster is a different relationship: the PA represents the policyholder in documenting, valuing, and negotiating the claim under a fee capped by §626.854(11), and is not an assignment of your benefits.

Educational Information, Not Legal Advice

The information on this page is for general educational purposes only. Dependable Claims Specialists is a licensed public adjusting firm, not a law firm. Public adjusters help policyholders inspect, document, evaluate, and negotiate property insurance claims, which includes reading and applying your policy in the ordinary course of adjusting (coverage parts, exclusions, endorsements, scope). We do not practice law and we do not provide legal advice. For legal opinions, demand letters, Chapter 542A pre-suit notices, statutory remedies under the Insurance Code, or litigation, consult a licensed attorney in your state. Texas public adjusters operate under TX Ins. Code Chapter 4102; Florida public adjusters operate under FL Statute §626.854.

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