Citizens' Policies Down from Past Years
Citizens had 818,000 policies in May, fewer than in past years as more policies shift to private insurers. It remains Florida’s largest insurer.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —The state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. ended May with 818,297 policies, up from a month earlier — but far below its policy count at a similar point the past two years, according to data posted on the Citizens' website.
The May 30 total was up from 809,984 policies on April 30. But when compared to the most-recent years, the total reflected efforts by the state to move policies into the private market through what is known as a “depopulation” program.
Citizens had 1,193,484 policies at the end of May 2024; 1,304,332 policies at the end of May 2023; and 883,333 policies at the end of May 2022, the data showed. Citizens had 609,805 policies at the end of May 2021.
Policies poured into Citizens in recent years as private insurers dropped customers and raised rates because of financial problems. But industry officials say changes passed by the Legislature in late 2022, including steps to help shield insurers from lawsuits, have bolstered the private market.
The depopulation program involves a process in which private insurers can seek to assume policies from Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last resort. State leaders have long sought to hold down the number of policies in Citizens, at least in part because of financial risks if Florida gets hit by a hurricane or multiple hurricanes. But Citizens remains the state’s largest insurer.
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