As Florida voters prepare to decide a major property tax amendment in November, a new statewide poll finds nearly two-thirds of insured homeowners are more concerned about the cost of property insurance.
A University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab poll published on Monday found that 63% of Florida homeowners with property insurance said insurance costs were a bigger concern, compared with only 36% who chose property taxes.
The findings of the survey of 1,511 Florida homeowners, conducted online from July 16 through July 31, come as voters prepare to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3, which would increase the homestead exemption on property taxes other than school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 for qualifying existing homesteads.
A recent St. Pete Polls survey of 913 likely Florida voters found that only 45% supported the measure, 30% opposed it and 25% were undecided. Florida constitutional amendments need at least 60% of the statewide vote to pass.
Yet, despite the attention on property taxes, homeowners — across party lines — still identified insurance as their greater concern, according to Monday’s poll. That includes 57% of Republicans, 70% of Democrats and 62% of voters with no party affiliation. The survey had a margin of error of 3.18 percentage points.
Insurance costs hit Glades County
The issue is especially important in Glades County. Florida Office of Insurance Regulation data previously put Glades County’s average homeowners premium at $3,278 a year, ranking it 20th highest among Florida’s 67 counties.
More recent data for Citizens Property Insurance, the state’s insurer of last resort, shows an average premium of about $2,812 a year for its 232 Glades County policies. That figure applies specifically to Citizens policies and should not be treated as the average for all homeowners insurance in the county. In that Citizens data, Glades had the second-highest average premium among Florida counties, behind only Monroe County.
Statewide, many homeowners told pollsters that their insurance bills have risen sharply. Among homeowners who had lived in their homes for at least five years, 47% said their premiums had increased by at least 50% during that period. Twenty-eight percent said their premiums had roughly doubled or more. Homeowners are also changing insurance companies frequently. Fifty-four percent said they had switched insurers at least once during the past five years, and one-third had switched at least twice. Among homeowners who switched, 47% said the last change came because they were dropped by an insurer, Citizens dropped them, or their previous insurer stopped operating in Florida.
The poll also found little confidence that the situation is getting better. Just 18% said they believe Florida’s homeowners insurance market is improving and rates are likely to fall. Fifty-five percent said they see no signs of improvement, while 26% said the market is getting worse.