Lisa Miller & Associates announced in a press release that Floridians are unable to renew federal flood insurance during the government shutdown. The firm highlighted the readiness of the private flood market to assume risk and discussed catastrophe modeling and extreme weather impacts on Florida's property market.
According to the New York Post, Florida holds approximately 1.8 million of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies—more than one-third of all active policies nationwide. About 150,000 policies in Florida alone come up for renewal each month, as the program’s renewal issuance was frozen by the federal government shutdown. The article highlights that while NFIP policies have a 30-day grace period, the risk of a significant storm hitting during a lapse grows rapidly if the shutdown persists beyond October 31. With Florida’s heavy exposure and its proximity to sea level, thousands of homeowners face heightened vulnerability during hurricane season.
A Wharton issue brief notes that Florida is home to roughly 35% of all NFIP policies nationwide—about 1.7 million households—making it the largest flood-insurance state in the country. This underscores how heavily reliant the state is on federal flood‐coverage infrastructure. Despite this substantial base, many Florida households remain uninsured or under-insured against flood risk, meaning the renewal disruption caused by the shutdown has broader implications for risk exposure and home-market stability.
Research from Resources for the Future indicates that private flood insurance currently accounts for only about 3.5% to 4.5% of all primary residential flood policies in the U.S., but that share is growing. This suggests that while the private market is poised to expand, transitioning from the NFIP will require significant scaling and regulatory alignment. The same research explains that eligibility for private flood coverage is increasing and regulatory reforms are permitting greater lender acceptance of private flood insurance in lieu of NFIP policies.
According to its official website, Lisa Miller & Associates is a Tallahassee-based, woman-owned government relations and insurance consulting firm specializing in property/casualty, flood insurance market entry, regulatory monitoring, and public affairs in Florida. The firm advises insurers, brokers, and policymakers on resilience, catastrophe modeling, and the evolving legal/legislative environment in the Florida insurance market. It is led by CEO Lisa Miller, a former Florida Deputy Insurance Commissioner with experience in flood risk and mitigation programs.