Central Florida agent predicts rise in rates from Helene

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — As people across the Sunshine State clean up the damage leftover by Hurricane Helene, many might be talking to insurance companies to assess how much it will cost to fix the damage.

Even though many Central Floridians were spared the worst of the storm, a local insurance agent says the damage in Big Bend will likely have financial repercussions on people’s rates across the state.

Steve Gensolin, who owns Little Star Insurance Agency in Altamonte Springs, says it’s all part of the risk of living in a state like Florida where the potential for storm damage is higher than other states.

Hurricanes bring downed trees, broken roofs and flooded living rooms, and these are just some of the examples of damage Floridians sustained as Hurricane Helene slammed into the Big Bend area late Thursday.

Gensolin said damage sustained to an affected area of the Sunshine State will impact the rest of Florida’s rates.

“Anything that happens in Florida affects us all — that’s the nature of insurance,” he said. “We all put our money in together to ensure that if something hits one part of us, that that money’s there.”

He says Floridians pay more for property insurance than other states due to Florida’s population density and the heightened risk of natural disasters like hurricanes.

Gensolin said whenever a storm is approaching, people’s main priority should be keeping themselves and their loved ones safe. 

He said an insurance company can help fix a person’s property or give them the funds to buy back things that they lost, but it cannot guarantee a person’s safety.

With more than two months left of hurricane season, Gensolin said that’s the most important thing he wants people to remember.