In this explainer

One is a private company that wants your roof; the other is the state's safety net — with strings attached.

General information, not professional financial, tax, legal, or insurance advice. The Dreamy Leads Research is an editorial and data team, not a licensed advisor.

Chapters

  1. 0:05 The verdict up front
  2. 0:36 What Citizens really costs
  3. 1:08 The Tower Hill case
  4. 1:40 The close

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Full transcript

The verdict up front

These aren't symmetrical choices. Citizens is Florida's state created insurer of last resort — often the cheapest quote by statute, but paired with assessment exposure after major storms, a twenty percent rule pushing you toward private offers, and active depopulation that can hand your policy to a carrier you didn't choose. Tower Hill is the private market path: a Gainesville based specialist writing Florida homes since nineteen seventy two, at market rates, with none of that machinery attached.

What Citizens really costs

The sticker price is only the visible part. After a bad storm season, Citizens policyholders can face surcharges — assessments — on top of premium. Under the twenty percent rule, a private offer within twenty percent of your Citizens premium can end your eligibility at renewal. And depopulation is active: carriers make takeout offers, and ignoring them can move your policy anyway. Its coverage forms are standardized with capped dwelling limits — fine for many homes, tight for others.

The Tower Hill case

Tower Hill has written Florida homes for over fifty years, through every storm cycle, and since twenty twenty two operates through a reciprocal exchange alongside its Demotech A rated paper. You get a full coverage menu with real endorsements, dwelling limits that fit larger homes, and no assessment or depopulation exposure. The working rule from our statewide Citizens versus private market analysis: if the private quote lands within about twenty percent of Citizens', the stability is usually worth the spread.

The close

If no private carrier will quote your home at a comparable premium — Citizens' actual legal test — take Citizens knowingly, treat it as a bridge, and improve the roof and mitigation profile that keeps you there. If Tower Hill or any private writer comes within twenty percent, the boring policy is the better one. The full comparison and FAQ are free at dreamy leads dot com.

Frequently Asked Questions

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