Florida Needs Much More Wind Mitigation Efforts. Researchers Have Some Bold Ideas.

Florida has the largest wind-mitigation grant program in the country, providing more than $300 million to homeowners over the last few years, resulting in insurance premium discounts for thousands of people.

But it’s not enough. The program is not targeted at enough properties that would produce the most benefit for insurers, homeowners and state interests. And too many insureds and builders fail to see the return from retrofitting their homes or building stronger structures in the most hurricane-prone state.

That was the word from Florida professors, actuaries and insurance interests who participated in a panel discussion at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s Insurance Summit, held April 15-16 in Tallahassee.

The chief reason for limited participation in hardening programs is the upfront cost of building homes to “code-plus” standards that exceed most state building codes and stand tall in a storm, said Charles Nyce, professor of risk management and insurance at Florida State University.

Constructing to a true hurricane-resistant standard may add $20,000 to $30,000 in costs, he said. (The My Safe Florida Home grant program provides matching grants only up to $10,000.)

“It’s a hard sell,” Nyce said.

But new programs and new incentives could change that, he said. In a paper published in November 2025 Nyce and other professors made some bold recommendations:

Develop a grading system for homes and their storm-resistance measures. Comprehensive measures would see a higher grade, one that can be used to market properties and gain lower-cost loans.

Launch a pilot program to encourage mortgage lending and insurance company funding for home hardening. The state could incentivize lenders to amortize mitigation costs up front and/or over a longer period. Banks could offer lower interest rates for mitigated homes.

Citizens’ Property Insurance policyholders should be required to enroll in mitigation grant programs.

Strengthen building codes.