If you’re buying in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest, Brickell, or Miami Beach, the honest answer is:

Yes — you absolutely need to think beyond basic homeowners insurance.

In Miami, you’re not just buying palm trees and sunshine. You’re buying storm risk, flood risk, and insurance math most people don’t fully understand. My job is to make sure you do.

Hurricanes & wind: what your main policy does and doesn’t do

Most homeowners policies here include wind/hurricane coverage, but:

• It usually comes with its own separate deductible
  (often a percentage of the insured value, not a flat number).

• That means a “2% hurricane deductible” on a $1,500,000 insured value isn’t $2,000 — it’s $30,000.

So yes, you might technically be “covered,” but you still need to be comfortable with how much you’d pay out of pocket if a major storm hits.

When I walk clients through this, I’m not just asking, “Do you have hurricane coverage?”
I’m asking, “Are you okay with your deductible if we actually get one?”

Flood: the coverage most people don’t realize is separate

Here’s the part that surprises almost everyone:

Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood.

If the property is:

• In a FEMA-designated flood zone

• Near the water, canal, or bay

• Or simply in an area where heavy rain can pool and rise

…you should be thinking seriously about flood insurance, whether it’s required by your lender or not.

Even if the current owner “never had water,” I care more about maps, elevation, and risk than anecdotes.

Earthquakes: relevant elsewhere, not our primary Miami concern

Could you buy earthquake coverage? Sure.
Is it the top line on my risk checklist for South Florida? No.

If you’re planning to own property in other markets later — California, parts of the West — that’s where earthquake coverage becomes part of the real conversation. Here, it’s wind and water first.

The move: align lifestyle, location, and protection

I don’t want you just asking, “Can I get coverage?”
I want you asking:

• “Given this street, elevation, and proximity to water, what protection actually makes sense?”

• “What combination of homeowners, wind, and flood keeps me sleeping at night — and still lets me live the lifestyle I’m moving here for?”

If you send me a specific property (or even just a neighborhood and price range), I can walk you through how I’d think about flood and hurricane coverage for that home — so you’re not just buying Miami views, you’re protecting them.