FL Insurance WatchFlorida Home Insurance Lawsuits Are Falling: What the 2026 Data Shows
For years, Florida was the outlier in homeowners insurance lawsuits, and insurers pointed to that litigation as a big reason premiums kept climbing. The latest numbers from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) show that picture has changed a lot. Here's what the data says, and why it matters if you ever need to file a claim.
Florida's share of lawsuits has dropped sharply
OIR's July 2026 Property Insurance Stability Report compares Florida with the rest of the country. In 2020, Florida accounted for 79.16% of U.S. homeowners insurance lawsuits while having 8.81% of the claims. In 2025, Florida's share of lawsuits was 41.29%, and its share of claims was 4.85%.
That's still more lawsuits than Florida's share of claims would suggest, but it's a big shift. The same report says personal residential lawsuit filings fell 23% from 2023 to 2024 and 25% from 2024 to 2025, and the first five months of 2026 were down another 25% compared with the same stretch of 2025.
OIR credits the 2022 and 2023 legislative reforms. Insurance Business summarized those as the changes that limited attorney fee awards and ended post-loss assignment of benefits.
How many claims end up in court?
OIR also collected data on 456,200 claims closed in 2025. According to the report, 53,413 of them were litigated, about 12.10% statewide. Location matters: in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, the litigated share was 27.27%, compared with 8.16% in the group OIR labels "all other counties."
Lawsuits are expensive for everyone. OIR reports average loss adjustment expenses of $15,257 on litigated claims versus $2,044 on claims that didn't go to court.
What our monthly data shows
Our tracker uses OIR's monthly Market Intelligence Report (MIR). In the July 2026 statewide summary, the companies reporting owner-occupied homeowners policies listed about 4.2 million policies in force, 22,279 claims opened in July and 1,466 lawsuits opened that month.
The companies reporting the most new homeowners lawsuits in July were also among the biggest writers:
- Universal Property & Casualty: 382 lawsuits, 2,331 claims opened, 236,100 policies
- State Farm Florida: 239 lawsuits, 1,695 claims opened, 396,393 policies
- Slide Insurance: 200 lawsuits, 1,656 claims opened, 365,510 policies
- American Integrity: 108 lawsuits, 929 claims opened, 287,674 policies
Two cautions. A lawsuit opened in July can come from a claim filed months or years earlier, so you can't divide one number by the other to get a "lawsuit rate." And OIR notes that MIR data is self-reported by insurers and not audited.
The other side of the story
Fewer lawsuits doesn't automatically mean every claim is getting paid. Rates Chaser, citing a Bloomberg and Claims Journal analysis of NAIC data, reported that the share of Florida homeowners claims closed without payment rose from 35.4% in 2022 to 40.3% in 2024. Some of that may reflect claims below the deductible or not covered, but it's a reminder to document carefully and know your policy.
The market overall is healthier. OIR's report says Florida's domestic property insurers posted a pooled combined ratio of 83% in 2025, the lowest in more than a decade, and Citizens had 293,465 policies in force as of June 5, 2026, its lowest level in 25 years. That's part of why we're seeing rate decreases this fall.
What to check if you have a claim
- Report it promptly. OIR's report notes Florida law generally requires insurers to pay or deny a claim within 60 days of notice, so get the clock started.
- Document everything. Photos, videos, receipts and a written timeline of every call and email.
- Read your hurricane and all-other-perils deductibles so you know what's likely to be covered before you file.
- Ask for denials in writing with the specific policy language cited.
- Know your free options. Florida's Department of Financial Services consumer division runs an insurance consumer helpline (1-877-693-5236) and lists mediation and neutral evaluation options for disputed claims.
This is general information, not legal, financial or insurance advice. Talk with your agent, your insurer, DFS or a licensed professional about your own claim.
Compare claims, lawsuits and policy counts for any company on our insurers page, and see who's adding policies on who's writing. Want a short weekly email when rate changes, takeouts or new insurers land? Sign up for alerts.
Not insurance, legal or financial advice. Confirm details with your insurer, a licensed agent or the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.