Florida Home Insurance vs. Property Tax: Citizens Costs More Than the Tax Bill in 29 of 67 Counties

Momentum Research data release · 2026-09-25 · By Jon Brooks, Co-Founder, Momentum Realty

In 29 of 67 Florida counties, the average premium on Citizens Property Insurance’s homeowners policies in force (April 2026) is larger than the median property tax bill homeowners actually pay; in 6 counties it is more than double. Measured against the higher averages in Citizens’ approved 2026 rate filing, the count rises to 38 counties (11 above 2x). The typical county sits at 0.89x on the in-force book and 1.1x on the approved rates. The gap is widest in the Panhandle and interior (Holmes 2.5x, Jackson 2.4x, Glades 2.4x); in the big coastal metros insurance runs 0.40x to 0.77x of the tax bill today and 0.75x to 1.00x at the approved 2026 rates; the high-value suburban and inland university counties sit lowest.

29 of 67

Counties: Citizens in-force avg > median tax paid

38 of 67

Same test at approved 2026 rate averages

6 / 11

Counties above 2x (in force / approved)

0.89x / 1.1x

Median county ratio (in force / approved)

Holmes 2.5x

Widest gap

$1,843 in force · $2,768 approved 2026

Statewide Citizens averages

How to read the two insurance columns

Citizens publishes two averages. In force is the average premium on its personal-residential multi-peril (homeowners) policies as of April 2026, 228,964 policies statewide after depopulation, from the Policies in Force by County report; it is what current Citizens homeowners pay and it is the conservative measure used for the headline. Approved 2026 is the county average in the OIR-approved rate filing effective July 1, 2026, all personal lines combined; it is higher in most counties and is the forward-looking rate level. The tax column is the Census Bureau’s median annual real estate tax paid by owner-occupied households (ACS B25103, 2020-2024), which understates today’s bills somewhat. Every ratio below is shown both ways.

The ten counties where insurance most outweighs the tax bill

County	Citizens homeowners avg, in force (April 2026)	Citizens approved 2026 avg (all personal lines)	Median property tax paid (ACS)	In-force ÷ tax	Approved ÷ tax
Holmes	$1,472	$1,917	$600	2.5x	3.2x
Jackson	$1,491	$1,785	$609	2.4x	2.9x
Glades	$2,812	$2,911	$1,170	2.4x	2.5x
Calhoun	$1,669	$1,805	$734	2.3x	2.5x
Taylor	$1,649	$1,627	$750	2.2x	2.2x
Washington	$1,599	$1,937	$792	2.0x	2.4x
Okeechobee	$2,802	$3,100	$1,423	2.0x	2.2x
Hamilton	$1,409	$1,499	$816	1.7x	1.8x
Dixie	$1,360	$1,611	$813	1.7x	2.0x
Escambia	$2,364	$3,244	$1,495	1.6x	2.2x

Every one is a Panhandle, Big Bend or interior county where median home values, and therefore tax bills, are low while wind exposure keeps premiums at or above the state average. Citizens’ 2026 rate cuts were largest in North Florida (5-10%) and still leave most of these counties above two on either measure.

The big coastal metros

County	Citizens homeowners avg, in force (April 2026)	Citizens approved 2026 avg (all personal lines)	Median property tax paid (ACS)	In-force ÷ tax	Approved ÷ tax
Monroe	$4,380	$6,463	$4,129	1.1x	1.6x
Brevard	$2,348	$2,812	$2,311	1.0x	1.2x
Pinellas	$1,911	$2,480	$2,474	0.77x	1.0x
Lee	$2,197	$2,797	$2,858	0.77x	0.98x
Sarasota	$2,126	$2,470	$3,106	0.68x	0.80x
Collier	$2,147	$3,328	$3,386	0.63x	0.98x
Hillsborough	$1,816	$2,425	$3,010	0.60x	0.81x
Duval	$1,315	$1,782	$2,264	0.58x	0.79x
Miami-Dade	$1,891	$3,064	$3,744	0.51x	0.82x
Orange	$1,409	$2,226	$2,967	0.47x	0.75x
Palm Beach	$1,753	$3,255	$3,858	0.45x	0.84x
Broward	$1,561	$2,916	$3,890	0.40x	0.75x

On today’s in-force book the big metros sit between 0.40x and 0.77x: insurance is a large fraction of the tax bill but not past it. Monroe and Brevard are the exceptions, above 1x on both measures. At the approved 2026 averages the metros range from 0.75x to 1.00x, with Pinellas, Lee, Collier at or within 5% of parity. Monroe carries the highest Citizens average in the state and stays above 1x despite the highest home values.

Where property tax still dominates

County	Citizens homeowners avg, in force (April 2026)	Citizens approved 2026 avg (all personal lines)	Median property tax paid (ACS)	In-force ÷ tax	Approved ÷ tax
Miami-Dade	$1,891	$3,064	$3,744	0.51x	0.82x
Orange	$1,409	$2,226	$2,967	0.47x	0.75x
Palm Beach	$1,753	$3,255	$3,858	0.45x	0.84x
Nassau	$1,159	$1,672	$2,699	0.43x	0.62x
Leon	$990	$1,240	$2,397	0.41x	0.52x
Broward	$1,561	$2,916	$3,890	0.40x	0.75x
St. Johns	$1,378	$1,944	$3,721	0.37x	0.52x
Alachua	$1,020	$1,201	$2,773	0.37x	0.43x

Alachua, St. Johns, Broward, Leon, Nassau sit at the bottom (0.37x, 0.37x, 0.40x, 0.41x, 0.43x in force): higher home values and millage, and in Alachua and Leon modest wind exposure, put the tax bill at more than twice the Citizens average.

All 67 counties

County	Citizens homeowners avg, in force (April 2026)	Citizens approved 2026 avg (all personal lines)	Median property tax paid (ACS)	In-force ÷ tax	Approved ÷ tax
Holmes	$1,472	$1,917	$600	2.5x	3.2x
Jackson	$1,491	$1,785	$609	2.4x	2.9x
Glades	$2,812	$2,911	$1,170	2.4x	2.5x
Calhoun	$1,669	$1,805	$734	2.3x	2.5x
Taylor	$1,649	$1,627	$750	2.2x	2.2x
Washington	$1,599	$1,937	$792	2.0x	2.4x
Okeechobee	$2,802	$3,100	$1,423	2.0x	2.2x
Hamilton	$1,409	$1,499	$816	1.7x	1.8x
Dixie	$1,360	$1,611	$813	1.7x	2.0x
Escambia	$2,364	$3,244	$1,495	1.6x	2.2x
Franklin	$2,575	$5,481	$1,728	1.5x	3.2x
Hardee	$1,861	$2,098	$1,264	1.5x	1.7x
Union	$1,392	$1,576	$980	1.4x	1.6x
DeSoto	$2,019	$2,426	$1,447	1.4x	1.7x
Hendry	$2,420	$3,256	$1,756	1.4x	1.9x
Gulf	$2,147	$3,988	$1,578	1.4x	2.5x
Gadsden	$1,241	$1,659	$927	1.3x	1.8x
Okaloosa	$2,644	$3,238	$2,011	1.3x	1.6x
Highlands	$1,753	$2,038	$1,353	1.3x	1.5x
Santa Rosa	$2,444	$3,599	$1,891	1.3x	1.9x
Levy	$1,385	$1,631	$1,201	1.2x	1.4x
Lafayette	$972	$1,555	$863	1.1x	1.8x
Putnam	$1,345	$1,481	$1,249	1.1x	1.2x
Bay	$1,928	$2,834	$1,807	1.1x	1.6x
Madison	$1,028	$1,430	$965	1.1x	1.5x
Monroe	$4,380	$6,463	$4,129	1.1x	1.6x
Suwannee	$1,258	$1,365	$1,213	1.0x	1.1x
Walton	$1,942	$3,873	$1,902	1.0x	2.0x
Brevard	$2,348	$2,812	$2,311	1.0x	1.2x
Polk	$1,931	$2,144	$1,933	1.00x	1.1x
Citrus	$1,410	$1,716	$1,430	0.99x	1.2x
Gilchrist	$1,209	$1,370	$1,302	0.93x	1.1x
Hernando	$1,699	$1,994	$1,858	0.91x	1.1x
Bradford	$1,033	$1,212	$1,164	0.89x	1.0x
Wakulla	$1,456	$1,804	$1,642	0.89x	1.1x
Indian River	$2,145	$3,113	$2,436	0.88x	1.3x
Charlotte	$2,298	$2,715	$2,785	0.83x	0.97x
Jefferson	$1,152	$1,361	$1,439	0.80x	0.95x
Liberty	$922	$1,115	$1,152	0.80x	0.97x
Martin	$2,580	$3,668	$3,322	0.78x	1.1x
Pinellas	$1,911	$2,480	$2,474	0.77x	1.0x
Lee	$2,197	$2,797	$2,858	0.77x	0.98x
Volusia	$1,807	$2,079	$2,395	0.75x	0.87x
Pasco	$1,659	$2,033	$2,206	0.75x	0.92x
Lake	$1,756	$1,976	$2,433	0.72x	0.81x
St. Lucie	$2,332	$3,095	$3,241	0.72x	0.95x
Columbia	$1,009	$1,271	$1,434	0.70x	0.89x
Marion	$1,263	$1,535	$1,806	0.70x	0.85x
Sarasota	$2,126	$2,470	$3,106	0.68x	0.80x
Manatee	$2,019	$2,516	$3,047	0.66x	0.83x
Osceola	$1,735	$2,248	$2,700	0.64x	0.83x
Collier	$2,147	$3,328	$3,386	0.63x	0.98x
Seminole	$1,572	$2,087	$2,599	0.60x	0.80x
Hillsborough	$1,816	$2,425	$3,010	0.60x	0.81x
Flagler	$1,626	$2,236	$2,789	0.58x	0.80x
Duval	$1,315	$1,782	$2,264	0.58x	0.79x
Sumter	$1,728	$1,840	$3,014	0.57x	0.61x
Clay	$1,189	$1,600	$2,241	0.53x	0.71x
Baker	$836	$1,058	$1,631	0.51x	0.65x
Miami-Dade	$1,891	$3,064	$3,744	0.51x	0.82x
Orange	$1,409	$2,226	$2,967	0.47x	0.75x
Palm Beach	$1,753	$3,255	$3,858	0.45x	0.84x
Nassau	$1,159	$1,672	$2,699	0.43x	0.62x
Leon	$990	$1,240	$2,397	0.41x	0.52x
Broward	$1,561	$2,916	$3,890	0.40x	0.75x
St. Johns	$1,378	$1,944	$3,721	0.37x	0.52x
Alachua	$1,020	$1,201	$2,773	0.37x	0.43x

How the ratio has changed since 2016

Statewide, the average Citizens homeowners premium was $1,600 in May 2016 against a median property tax bill of $1,702 (0.94x). It peaked at $2,687 in May 2024 and stands at $1,843 in Apr 2026 against $2,730 (0.67x). The number of counties where Citizens cost more than the tax bill went from 6 in May 2016 to a high of 40 in May 2024 and 29 today.

The average premium understates how much the price of Citizens coverage has risen, because the book changed underneath it: Citizens swelled to 1,089,159 homeowners policies in 2024 and has since shed most of them to private carriers, which took the larger homes first: the average insured value of a Citizens homeowners policy fell from $340,965 in May 2024 to $179,559 in Apr 2026. Measured per $1,000 of insured value, the rate went from $8.62 in May 2016 to $10.26 in Apr 2026, even as the average bill fell after its 2024 peak.

By county, on the same measure (the dashed line is where insurance equals tax):

County (Citizens premium ÷ median tax paid)	May 2016	May 2019	Apr 2022	May 2024	Apr 2026
Holmes	0.79x	0.91x	1.95x	3.54x	2.45x
Jackson	1.04x	1.27x	2.07x	2.82x	2.45x
Glades	0.95x	1.23x	1.69x	1.91x	2.40x
Calhoun	0.83x	1.15x	1.93x	2.53x	2.27x
Taylor	0.96x	1.12x	1.67x	2.12x	2.20x
Washington	0.70x	1.00x	1.70x	2.48x	2.02x
Okeechobee	0.71x	0.94x	1.40x	1.86x	1.97x
Hamilton	0.58x	0.74x	1.32x	2.10x	1.73x
Dixie	1.25x	1.28x	1.90x	2.07x	1.67x
Escambia	1.07x	1.06x	1.72x	2.03x	1.58x
Franklin	1.09x	1.18x	1.77x	2.38x	1.49x
Hardee	0.59x	0.68x	1.12x	1.44x	1.47x
Union	0.60x	0.69x	1.03x	1.74x	1.42x
DeSoto	0.66x	0.83x	1.34x	1.70x	1.40x
Hendry	0.97x	0.97x	1.53x	1.75x	1.38x
Gulf	1.15x	1.19x	1.42x	2.04x	1.36x
Gadsden	0.61x	0.86x	1.36x	1.94x	1.34x
Okaloosa	0.77x	0.66x	1.22x	1.48x	1.31x
Highlands	0.71x	0.81x	1.20x	1.34x	1.30x
Santa Rosa	0.66x	0.65x	1.24x	1.68x	1.29x
Levy	0.81x	0.85x	0.99x	1.31x	1.15x
Lafayette	0.43x	0.64x	1.04x	2.12x	1.13x
Putnam	0.49x	0.56x	0.81x	1.23x	1.08x
Bay	0.68x	0.69x	1.24x	1.48x	1.07x
Madison	0.67x	0.61x	0.88x	1.68x	1.06x
Monroe	0.89x	0.92x	1.04x	1.26x	1.06x
Suwannee	0.45x	0.57x	0.81x	1.23x	1.04x
Walton	0.93x	0.80x	1.33x	1.68x	1.02x
Brevard	0.87x	0.84x	0.98x	1.16x	1.02x
Polk	0.59x	0.64x	1.00x	1.08x	1.00x
Citrus	0.58x	0.71x	0.92x	1.17x	0.99x
Gilchrist	0.55x	0.57x	0.68x	1.00x	0.93x
Hernando	1.13x	0.96x	0.87x	1.00x	0.91x
Bradford	0.59x	0.62x	0.88x	1.32x	0.89x
Wakulla	0.53x	0.65x	0.85x	1.10x	0.89x
Indian River	0.76x	0.74x	1.01x	1.27x	0.88x
Charlotte	0.61x	0.60x	0.71x	0.93x	0.83x
Jefferson	0.46x	0.50x	0.72x	1.06x	0.80x
Liberty	0.63x	0.53x	0.89x	1.31x	0.80x
Martin	0.61x	0.65x	1.01x	1.19x	0.78x
Pinellas	0.92x	0.76x	0.79x	1.01x	0.77x
Lee	0.50x	0.51x	0.67x	0.87x	0.77x
Volusia	0.52x	0.55x	0.73x	0.90x	0.75x
Pasco	0.93x	0.76x	0.79x	0.91x	0.75x
Lake	0.36x	0.41x	0.55x	0.74x	0.72x
St. Lucie	0.61x	0.66x	0.79x	0.96x	0.72x
Columbia	0.38x	0.41x	0.68x	1.05x	0.70x
Marion	0.41x	0.44x	0.66x	0.87x	0.70x
Sarasota	0.56x	0.54x	0.63x	0.85x	0.68x
Manatee	0.56x	0.52x	0.58x	0.75x	0.66x
Osceola	0.38x	0.48x	0.66x	0.80x	0.64x
Collier	0.51x	0.50x	0.72x	0.96x	0.63x
Seminole	0.37x	0.44x	0.66x	0.81x	0.60x
Hillsborough	0.74x	0.62x	0.66x	0.81x	0.60x
Flagler	0.43x	0.45x	0.65x	0.84x	0.58x
Duval	0.42x	0.41x	0.65x	0.82x	0.58x
Sumter	0.22x	0.25x	0.38x	0.54x	0.57x
Clay	0.30x	0.37x	0.56x	0.79x	0.53x
Baker	0.42x	0.43x	0.58x	0.84x	0.51x
Miami-Dade	0.98x	1.07x	1.00x	0.99x	0.51x
Orange	0.31x	0.41x	0.60x	0.75x	0.47x
Palm Beach	0.60x	0.65x	0.84x	0.98x	0.45x
Nassau	0.35x	0.36x	0.50x	0.72x	0.43x
Leon	0.24x	0.27x	0.43x	0.55x	0.41x
Broward	0.69x	0.77x	0.92x	0.94x	0.40x
St. Johns	0.29x	0.28x	0.40x	0.56x	0.37x
Alachua	0.25x	0.27x	0.39x	0.50x	0.37x

Insurance: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Policies in Force – Detail by County reports for May 2016, May 2019, Dec 2020, Apr 2022, May 2024, Dec 2025, Apr 2026, personal residential multi-peril (before 2023 the Personal Lines and Coastal accounts are summed); premium per $1,000 is total premium ÷ total insured exposure. Tax: U.S. Census Bureau ACS five-year table B25103, median real estate taxes paid by owner-occupied households, vintages 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 (each point uses the latest five-year estimate available at that date). Small counties carry few Citizens policies and can swing year to year.

Why this matters for the November vote

Amendment 3 (CS/HJR 1F), on the November 3, 2026 ballot and requiring 60% approval, raises the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, leaving school taxes untouched. For homesteaded owners that shrinks the tax side of this ratio while the insurance side stays where it is, so insurance becomes the larger of the two bills in more counties than the 29 shown here. Run any county through the Amendment 3 calculator for the tax change; the home insurance cost by city pages show the insurance side ZIP by ZIP for 450 cities.

Common questions

Why are there two insurance numbers?

Because Citizens publishes two different averages and they measure different books. The first is the average premium on Citizens’ personal-residential multi-peril (homeowners) policies actually in force in April 2026, from its Policies in Force by County report: 228,964 policies statewide after two years of depopulation, averaging about $1,843. The second is the average in Citizens’ OIR-approved 2026 rate filing, all personal lines combined (782,189 policies at filing, statewide average $2,943 falling to $2,768). The in-force figure is what today’s Citizens homeowners pay; the filing figure is the rate level regulators approved for July 1, 2026. This page leads with the lower, in-force number and shows both.

Is this comparing like with like?

Not perfectly, and the page says so. The insurance side is Citizens, the state-backed insurer of last resort, whose book skews toward older, coastal and harder-to-insure homes; a newer inland home with a private carrier can pay less. The tax side is the Census Bureau’s median annual real estate tax paid by owner-occupied households (ACS table B25103, 2020-2024 five-year estimate), which reflects Save Our Homes caps on long-time owners and is a few years old, so today’s tax bills run somewhat higher than the figure used here. Both distortions push in known directions: the insurance side is a high-side benchmark for a typical home, the tax side a low-side one. A new buyer’s tax bill resets to purchase price and is higher still; see the county property tax calculators.

Why is the Panhandle so far out of line?

Two things stack. Home values, and therefore tax bills, are low: the median owner in Holmes, Jackson, Calhoun or Washington County pays under $900 a year in property tax. Wind exposure keeps insurance premiums at or above the state average. So insurance becomes the dominant carrying cost, and Citizens’ 2026 rate cuts (5-10% across most of North Florida) barely move the ratio.

Where does property tax still dominate?

Inland university and government counties and high-value suburban counties: Alachua, St. Johns, Broward, Leon, Nassau all sit between 0.37x and 0.43x on the in-force measure. Higher home values and tax bills plus lower wind risk flip the ratio.

What does Amendment 3 do to this picture?

Amendment 3 (CS/HJR 1F), on the November 3, 2026 ballot and requiring 60% approval, raises the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. School taxes are unchanged. For homesteaded owners it shrinks the tax side of this ratio while the insurance side stays where it is, so insurance becomes the larger of the two bills in more counties than shown here. Run any county through the Amendment 3 calculator to see the tax change.

How do I lower the insurance side?

A wind-mitigation inspection documenting roof shape, roof-to-wall attachment, opening protection and a post-2002 roof deck typically cuts the wind portion of a premium by 15-40%; a newer roof, a deliberately chosen hurricane deductible and shopping the Citizens quote against two private quotes at every renewal do the rest. City-level estimates are on the home insurance cost pages.

Method and sources. Insurance, in force: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Policies in Force – Detail by County, personal residential multi-peril, April 2026 (total premium ÷ policies, per county). Insurance, approved 2026: Citizens “2026 Approved Rate Changes by County” (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, all personal lines combined, effective July 1, 2026 for new business and at renewal). Property tax: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate, table B25103, median real estate taxes paid by owner-occupied households, by county. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index by county. Citizens policyholders and all owner-occupied households are different populations; the two figures are compared as the two largest non-mortgage carrying costs a typical existing homeowner sees and are not a quote or a bill for any specific home. Free to cite with attribution to Momentum Realty and a link to this page. Data questions: jon@movewithmomentum.com. Updated 2026-09-25.