Flood Insurance in Gulf County, Florida

Flood Insurance Tips for Gulf County, Florida

Gulf County sits in the Florida Panhandle and boasts 244 miles of shoreline, the region’s most striking feature. Home to waterways along the Chipola River, the Dead Lakes, and plenty of small beach towns, Gulf County emphasizes the importance of water activities.

Homeowners here know all too well that water can be both a delight and an impending natural disaster. Gulf County has some of the highest flood exposure in Florida. The rivers, creeks, lakes, and coast are especially vulnerable to flooding.

That makes flood insurance a necessity for most folks who call Gulf County home. While the National Flood Insurance Program was once the only coverage for this region, we’re happy to offer up our flood insurance solution.

Let’s see how our prices compare, who needs flood insurance, and how to assess your home’s actual flood risk.

Gulf County Flood Insurance Costs

Our flood insurance costs $708 a year on average in Gulf County. By contrast, the NFIP’s average rate for this region is $1,044 a year. In other words, homeowners here save an average of $336 by purchasing their flood protection through Kin.

Keep in mind that these figures are averages. Your rates will vary based on your home’s flood zone, claims history, and safety features. The best way to know for sure what you’ll pay for flood coverage is to contact us for a quote. It only takes minutes.

Kin vs. NFIP Average Flood Insurance Premiums

We developed our Florida flood insurance in response to increasing flood exposure. Rising sea levels and changing weather patterns make flooding more frequent and severe throughout Florida.

And the options homeowners had were incredibly limiting. Did you know, for example, you have to wait 30 days before your NFIP coverage kicks in?

So we created a solution that’s more affordable for most of Florida and easier from start to finish. You just add our flood coverage to your homeowners policy and it takes effect immediately. That also means you:

• Pay one premium for both home and flood insurance.
• Get flood coverage that matches your home insurance limits.
• Work with one company for both home and flood insurance claims.
• Get one deductible for both home and flood insurance.
• Don’t have to submit an elevation certificate (required with the NFIP).

Let’s take a look at FEMA's flood zone map for Gulf County to help identify where flood insurance is required.

Flood Zones in Gulf County, Florida

Most of Gulf County is in a high-risk flood zone, thanks to its waterways and coastal proximity. Some of the county's most flood-prone regions near places like Hathcock Bay. The high-risk flood zones in the county are A, AE, AH, and VE. If your home is in any of these zones and you have a federally backed mortgage, you are required to have flood insurance.

AH flood zones can be the most dangerous because they have a one percent annual chance of flooding the region with one to three feet of water every year. One inch of standing water can cost $26,807 in repair and replacement costs.

What Gulf County Flood Insurance Covers

Flood insurance can help pay to repair water damage from storm surges, rain, and broken water mains. It protects your home, belongings, and other structures. That means if your home experiences a flood, your coverage can help pay to repair or replace:

• Cabinets and paneling.
• Personal property.
• Appliances.
• Carpets and window treatments.
• Electrical, cooling, heating, and plumbing systems.

—and more!

But flood insurance can’t cover everything. Typically, it excludes coverage for:

• Boathouses.
• Fences or retaining walls.
• Pools or pool equipment.
• Landscaping.

Find Out Your Home’s Flood Risk in Gulf County

The first step to determining your flood risk is to look at FEMA’s flood maps. You can also look up your address on a site like Flood Factor to see your home’s flood outlook.

For example, Flood Factor shows that 69 percent of properties in Port St. Joe are at risk for flooding. Of those, 6.7 percent are at extreme risk of flooding. Its model shows that for this small beach town, 4951 properties were impacted by Hurricane Michael's storm surge in October, 2018.

Once you understand your home's flood risks, you can take active measures to lower your home's risk of flooding, which can translate to a lower flood insurance premium.