High net worth insurance tailored to your unique risks, assets, and lifestyle.

A standard Florida homeowners policy covers the dwelling structure, other structures (detached garages, fences), personal property, loss of use (temporary living expenses while your home is repaired), personal liability, and medical payments to others. It covers named perils including fire, windstorm, lightning, theft, and vandalism.

⚠️  Important

Flood damage is NOT covered under any standard homeowners policy in Florida. A separate flood insurance policy — through the NFIP or a private flood carrier — is required. Many Florida homeowners also discover too late that their policy excludes gradual leaks or damage from deferred maintenance.

An HO3 is homeowners insurance for single-family homes. An HO6 is homeowners insurance for condominium unit owners. Own a house — HO3. Own a condo unit — HO6.

HO3: Covers the entire dwelling structure, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments. Written on an open-perils basis — all losses covered unless specifically excluded. The homeowner owns the structure and must insure it fully.

HO6: Covers only the unit interior (walls-in), personal property, loss of use, liability, and loss assessments from the association. The association’s master policy covers the building shell and common areas. Under Florida Statute §718.111(11), the master policy type — bare walls-in or all-in — determines what the HO6 must cover.

An HO6 policy covers the interior of your Florida condo unit (walls-in), personal property, personal liability, loss of use, and loss assessment charges from your association.

The most important first step: determine whether your association’s master policy is bare walls-in (you cover all interior finishes, fixtures, and appliances) or all-in (the association covers interior finishes). Bare walls-in requires significantly higher HO6 dwelling limits. Getting this wrong means you personally pay for flooring, cabinets, appliances, and finishes after a loss.

Standard Florida homeowners policies cover only catastrophic ground cover collapse — a narrow trigger requiring visible, sudden surface collapse. Most sinkhole damage is gradual and is NOT covered under a standard policy.

Under Florida Statute §627.706, admitted insurers must offer full sinkhole coverage as an endorsement. Full coverage pays for gradual subsidence damage — foundation cracking, wall separation, structural settlement — before any visible hole appears.

 💡 Highest-risk counties: Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, and Alachua counties form Florida’s ‘Sinkhole Alley.’ Collier County has lower frequency but incidents do occur, particularly near construction dewatering.

A hurricane deductible is a separate, higher deductible expressed as a percentage of your dwelling coverage — commonly 2%, 5%, or 10% — that applies only to hurricane damage in Florida.

On a $400,000 home with a 2% deductible, you pay the first $8,000 out of pocket. At 5%, that’s $20,000. It triggers statewide when the National Hurricane Center declares a named hurricane — inland counties like Marion County are subject to it just as coastal Collier County is. Know your deductible before June 1.

If you are underinsured when a hurricane hits, your insurer pays up to your policy limit — and you are personally responsible for every dollar above that limit, out of pocket. There is no exception.

Example: your home costs $600,000 to rebuild, but your dwelling coverage is $400,000. You cover the $200,000 gap yourself — plus your full hurricane deductible on top. This affected thousands of Southwest Florida homeowners after Hurricane Ian (2022), many of whom had not updated limits to reflect the 40-60% post-2020 construction cost increase in the region.

Citizens is not universally better or worse than a private carrier — it depends entirely on your property and what private market alternatives exist. The right answer requires comparing both side by side.

Citizens advantages: State-backed and cannot become insolvent; often the only viable option for high-risk coastal properties; rate changes subject to legislative oversight.

Citizens disadvantages: Coverage forms are often more restrictive; limited endorsement options; all Florida policyholders share assessment risk after catastrophic events per Florida Statute §627.351. Under recent reforms, Citizens must charge actuarially sound rates, meaning it is no longer always the cheapest option.

Yes — a wind mitigation inspection is one of the most effective ways to lower homeowners insurance in Florida, often reducing the wind portion of the premium by 10-40%.

A licensed inspector evaluates construction features that reduce hurricane damage: roof shape, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof covering type, and opening protection (impact windows and doors). Results are documented on Florida’s standard Wind Mitigation Verification Form (OIR-B1-1802) and submitted to your carrier for discounts. Inspections typically cost $75-$150 and pay for themselves many times over in annual savings.

Insuring a seasonal or second home in Florida requires a policy specifically designed for the occupancy pattern — standard homeowners policies assume regular, year-round occupancy, and a property left vacant or unoccupied for extended periods can trigger coverage limitations or claims denials under a standard policy.

The key issue: most standard homeowners policies define ‘vacancy’ as 30-60 consecutive days unoccupied. If a covered loss occurs while the home exceeds that threshold, the carrier can deny the claim or significantly reduce the payout.

Seasonal or secondary home endorsement: Some admitted carriers offer endorsements that extend the vacancy provision and adjust coverage for known seasonal occupancy patterns.

Dwelling fire policy (DP-3): A standalone dwelling fire policy designed for non-owner-occupied or intermittently occupied properties. Provides strong structure and liability coverage without the occupancy conditions of a standard HO3.

Vacant/unoccupied home policy: For properties with longer vacancy periods or under renovation. Typically written through surplus lines carriers at higher premium but eliminates the occupancy-condition risk.

High net worth carrier programs: Carriers such as Chubb Masterpiece, AIG Private Client Group, and PURE are designed for clients with multiple properties across multiple states. Their programs typically have no vacancy provisions, include automatic coverage for newly acquired residences, and handle the Naples condo, Gulf-front home, and seasonal residence scenario as standard.

 🌊 Naples / Collier County — Why This Market Is Unique: Naples is one of the most concentrated seasonal residence markets in the United States. The majority of luxury Gulf-front and waterfront properties in Collier County are owned by out-of-state residents who are in residence four to six months and absent for the remainder of the year.  (1) Extended vacancy during hurricane season: Many owners are away during peak storm season (August-October). A home that suffers hurricane damage while unoccupied needs a policy with no vacancy exception for wind claims.  (2) Water damage discovery delay: A slow leak or AC condensation line backup in an unoccupied Naples condo can go undetected for weeks. Most standard carriers deny or limit gradual water damage claims.  (3) Flood and storm surge exposure: Naples-area seasonal homes are disproportionately located on or near the water. A flood policy must be in place year-round, not just during the season of residence.  Bird Insurance Services’ Naples office specializes in seasonal and second home programs for the Southwest Florida market.

High net worth insurance isn’t simply ordinary personal insurance with higher limits and higher premiums. It’s about recognizing that people with large assets have unique coverage needs, and bringing multiple areas of coverage together, such as home or homes, vehicles, travel, and even life insurance, into one comprehensive solution designed around your particular risks, assets, and lifestyle.

With agreed value coverage, you and the insurance company agree on the payout amount upfront in the event of a total loss claim. Instead of being tied to the depreciated market value of your vehicle, art, or other insured item at the time of a loss, you know exactly what your coverage is worth from the moment the policy is written.

If you own multiple homes, you’ll need policies for each home to fully cover them. Excess liability coverage may also be added for additional liability limits, which can be especially valuable when you have more than one property to protect.

There are plenty of unique risks that come with your lifestyle, and many of them have specialized coverage options. Household help, identity theft, high-value items and collections, and more all have insurance solutions designed to help protect your life.

Collector car insurance is specialized coverage for classic, vintage, exotic, or high-value vehicles not used as daily transportation. The defining difference from standard auto insurance is how the vehicle is valued after a total loss.

Standard auto: Pays actual cash value (ACV) — market value minus depreciation. A 1967 Corvette on a standard policy may pay out far below its true collector market value.

Collector car: Uses agreed value — a pre-set dollar amount agreed to at policy inception. If the car is totaled, the insurer pays the full agreed amount with no depreciation deducted.

Agreed value: The insurer pays the full pre-set amount after a covered total loss, with no depreciation. This is the gold standard for collector vehicles.

Stated value: The owner declares a value, but the insurer pays the LESSER of the stated value or actual cash value. This often surprises collectors at claim time — stated value is a ceiling, not a guarantee.

Actual cash value: Market value minus depreciation — appropriate for daily-use depreciating vehicles, but inappropriate for collectibles that appreciate. Never insure a collector vehicle on ACV. 

⚠️ ‘Stated value’ and ‘agreed value’ sound similar but are fundamentally different. Always confirm in writing whether your policy pays the full stated/agreed amount or the lesser of that amount and ACV. If it’s the lesser, you do not have agreed value coverage.

A high net worth vehicle collection in Florida is best protected under a dedicated collection policy with agreed value on each vehicle, comprehensive liability coverage reflecting the collection’s total value, and a personal umbrella that accounts for the collection’s profile.

A properly structured collection program includes: Agreed value per vehicle (reviewed annually as market values change). Blanket collection coverage (when individual scheduling is impractical). Coverage at shows, events, and in transit — including transport to Amelia Island Concours, Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, and track days. Worldwide coverage for vehicles stored or shown outside Florida. Spare parts and memorabilia coverage. Carriers: Chubb Masterpiece, AIG Private Client Group, PURE, and Hagerty.

Florida does not require special coverage beyond standard state minimums — but standard personal auto policies are often inadequate for high-value vehicles, and many standard carriers will not insure vehicles above certain values at all.

Standard personal auto policies cap coverage at $150,000-$200,000 and will not write agreed value for high-performance vehicles. Specialist carriers provide: agreed value, OEM parts requirements, zero-depreciation glass, and inflation guard on agreed values.

A personal umbrella policy provides additional liability coverage above the limits of your auto and homeowners policies — typically in $1 million increments up to $5 million or more. For high net worth individuals with significant assets and valuable collections, an umbrella is essential, not optional.

In Florida’s litigious environment, high net worth individuals are frequent targets for large liability claims. A properly sized umbrella — often $2-$5 million for clients with significant collections and assets — is one of the most cost-effective protections available.

Yes — a properly structured collector car policy covers the vehicle during transport to shows, auctions, concours events, and other activities, including while loaded on an enclosed transporter. Standard auto policies typically exclude or severely limit coverage for vehicles in transit on a trailer.

If you are consigning a vehicle to a Florida auction, confirm whether the auction house’s coverage extends to your vehicle or whether your own policy must respond.