TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Governor Ron DeSantis announced significant statewide insurance rate relief for Florida homeowners, with Citizens Property Insurance policyholders across the state set to see meaningful premium reductions beginning in spring 2026 at policy renewal.

DeSantis said customers of the state-backed insurer in three south Florida counties will see the largest cuts. He said the reductions prove insurance reforms passed in 2023 are providing relief to consumers.

“Floridians are seeing rate reductions in both auto and homeowners insurance across the state, with additional relief coming soon,” DeSantis said. “The reductions in Citizens Insurance rates are the most significant in recent memory. Premiums are lowering because we’ve enacted real reforms and withstood the pressure to reverse course.”

Statewide premium reductions

Under the approved rates, the vast majority of Citizens policyholders statewide will receive a premium decrease, with a statewide average reduction of 8.7%. Over 330,000 policyholders across all 67 counties will see rate decreases, and more than 150,000 policyholders will receive reductions of 10% or greater.

South Florida will see the largest reductions:

Broward County: Approximately 27,000 homes with an average reduction of 14.1%

Miami-Dade County: Approximately 42,000 homes with an average reduction of 14.0%

Palm Beach County: Approximately 26,000 homes with an average reduction of 11.9%

Monroe County: More than 1,000 homeowners will see an average reduction of 11.3%

Insurance market improvements

The 2023 reforms made it harder for people to file frivolous lawsuits against insurance companies by eliminating one-way attorney fees and abusive assignment-of-benefits practices.

“Honestly they are kind of forced to do this because it is a competitive market and if one is not, the other people can shift,” DeSantis said.

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said the reforms addressed a market near collapse. “Four years ago, our insurance market was near collapse, which is why I stood alongside our Governor to create historic lawsuit reform, cut out the waste, fraud and abuse, and strengthen our insurance market,” Ingoglia said.

As of January 2025, Citizens policies in force declined to 395,144, representing a 50% reduction from the prior year and the lowest level in 14 years.

Private market rate reductions

Since the reforms, 17 new insurance companies have entered Florida. Recent homeowners insurance reductions include an 8.2% reduction for Florida Peninsula customers, an 8% reduction for Security First customers, and a 5.1% reduction for Universal Property & Casualty customers.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky said the results stem from the tort reforms. “We are seeing nothing but good news across all data points for Florida’s auto and home insurance markets. These positive results are entirely related to our historic tort reforms, driven largely by Governor DeSantis’ leadership,” Yaworsky said.

Broader economic impact

DeSantis noted Uber reported Florida riders have saved tens of millions of dollars since March 2025 due to lower insurance-related costs, with year-over-year fare changes in Florida running up to six percentage points lower than in other states.

Workers’ compensation rates declined by 6.9% in 2025, marking the ninth consecutive year of rate reductions for employers.

Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.