APCIA: South Florida Sun Sentinel Survey Misses Recent Progress in Florida’s Insurance Market

APCIA assistant vice president of state government relations Chase Mitchell sent the following letter to the editor to the South Florida Sun Sentinel responding to their article "State leaders say they fixed Florida's insurance crisis. A new survey shows homeowners don't buy it."

Dear Editor:

The South Florida Sun Sentinel's survey among homeowners insurance policyholders asks the right questions but focuses heavily on the wrong timeframe. The survey's five-year look back period includes years before Florida implemented reforms to address the state's insurance crisis, when premiums were rising rapidly and fewer companies were offering coverage.

Approved rate increases peaked in 2023. Florida implemented reforms that same year, and since then the market has dramatically improved. A study commissioned by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association shows Floridians paid nearly $3 billion less for home and auto insurance in 2025 compared to 2024. Additionally, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation just announced a wave of significant homeowners insurance rate decreases.

The Sun Sentinel survey's own findings suggest recent progress, with three times as many respondents reporting stable or lower premiums over the last year compared to the last five years. While some challenges remain, conditions are moving in the right direction.