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Florida Insurance · Citizens Takeout Decoder

Got a Citizens Takeout Offer? Here Is How to Decide.

The insurance market turned, private carriers are pulling policies out of Citizens, and most owners do not know the rule that decides whether they can stay. Enter your Citizens premium and any takeout offer to see where you land under the 20 percent rule, what it costs, and how to vet a carrier you have never heard of.

Your Citizens numbers
Use your renewal premium if you have it. The July 1, 2026 cut may lower this.
The annual premium on the depopulation/takeout offer. Leave blank if no offer yet.
Your 20% eligibility threshold
$5,040
A private offer at or below this (no more than 20% above your Citizens premium) generally makes you ineligible to stay with Citizens.
Offer vs your Citizens premium
+$400+9.5%
How the takeout offer compares to what you pay now.
Likely must move
Enter your numbers to see where you land.
Estimate only. Citizens makes the actual eligibility determination, and coverage terms differ between carriers. Confirm any offer and your options with your agent and Citizens before acting.

The rule almost nobody knows until the letter arrives.

For years the Florida insurance story was one direction: rates up, carriers out, everyone crowding into Citizens. That has flipped. Private carriers are back and pulling policies out of Citizens through the depopulation program, and the state approved nine carriers for 2026 takeout cycles. The part that catches owners off guard is that leaving Citizens is not always your choice. Under the depopulation rules, if a participating private insurer offers you a policy at a premium no more than 20 percent above your Citizens renewal premium, you are no longer eligible to stay with Citizens. If every offer is more than 20 percent above your premium, you can opt out and remain. The decoder above turns your own numbers into that answer.

Why the July 1, 2026 Citizens cut matters here.

Citizens rate decreases take effect July 1, 2026, about 8.8 percent on average for multiperil and 5.5 percent for wind-only, applied to new policies and to existing policies at renewal. A lower Citizens premium also lowers your 20 percent threshold, which can change whether a given private offer keeps you eligible to stay. If your renewal is coming up, run the numbers again with your post-cut premium. See the details on the Citizens rate change page and the broader picture on is the Florida insurance crisis over.

Cheaper is not the only question. Vet the carrier.

A takeout offer can be lower or higher than your Citizens premium, and the headline number is not the whole story. A different carrier can mean different coverage, deductibles, and claims service. Before you accept, or before you opt out to stay, vet the company:

Common questions.

What is the Citizens 20 percent rule?
Under Florida's Citizens depopulation rules, if a participating private insurer makes you a takeout offer at a premium no more than 20 percent above your Citizens renewal premium, you are no longer eligible to stay with Citizens and the policy moves to the private carrier unless you actively opt out where allowed. If every private offer is more than 20 percent above your Citizens premium, you can choose to remain with Citizens. The exact eligibility determination is made by Citizens, so confirm any offer with your agent and Citizens.
Do I have to accept a Citizens takeout offer?
It depends on the offer. If the private takeout offer is within 20 percent of your Citizens premium, you generally cannot keep the Citizens policy, so the practical choice is which private carrier, not whether to leave. If the offer is more than 20 percent above your Citizens premium, you can opt out and stay with Citizens. Either way, read the offer carefully: a different carrier can mean different coverage, deductibles, and claims service, not just a different price. The opt-out window and instructions come with your depopulation notice.
Is it bad to be moved off Citizens to a private carrier?
Not necessarily. Many private carriers are financially sound and offer comparable or better coverage, and Citizens is meant to be the insurer of last resort. The risk is moving to a newer or thinly capitalized carrier without checking it first. Before accepting, vet the carrier: admitted status, financial-strength rating, complaint and claims history with the state, reinsurance, and how long it has written in Florida. The checklist on this page walks through each one.
Will the July 1, 2026 Citizens rate cut change my takeout math?
It can. Citizens rate decreases take effect July 1, 2026 (about 8.8 percent average on multiperil, 5.5 percent on wind-only), applied to new policies and to existing policies at renewal. A lower Citizens premium makes the 20 percent threshold lower too, which can change whether a given private offer keeps you eligible to stay. Re-run your numbers using your post-cut Citizens renewal premium once you have it.
How do I vet a private insurer I have never heard of?
Check five things. First, that it is an admitted Florida carrier (or understand the tradeoffs if it is surplus lines). Second, its financial-strength rating (for example AM Best or Demotech). Third, its complaint and claims record with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and the Department of Financial Services. Fourth, whether it carries solid reinsurance, which matters in a bad storm year. Fifth, how long it has actively written homeowners policies in Florida. Your agent can pull most of this quickly, and the state maintains public complaint data.

How this is calculated, and the limits.

The eligibility threshold is your Citizens premium times 1.20. A private takeout offer at or below that threshold (no more than 20 percent above your Citizens premium) generally makes you ineligible to remain with Citizens; an offer above it lets you opt out and stay. The cost comparison is simply the offer minus your current premium. These are estimates from the numbers you enter. Citizens makes the official eligibility determination, opt-out windows and instructions come with your depopulation notice, and coverage terms vary by carrier, so confirm everything with your agent and Citizens.

Sources: the 20 percent depopulation rule and program mechanics are from Citizens' own depopulation pages (Citizens personal lines depopulation; new rules for the depopulation program) and corroborating agency explainers. The July 1, 2026 Citizens rate cut (about 8.8% multiperil, 5.5% wind-only) is from the Citizens 2026 Rate Kit. Confirm current thresholds and your eligibility with your agent.

This is educational only, not insurance advice, and not a recommendation of any carrier. Verify any carrier's standing with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and confirm your options with a licensed agent and Citizens.

Keep going.

See the 2026 Citizens rate changes by county, read whether the Florida insurance crisis is over, shop your premium with the insurance savings calculator, check the Jacksonville insurance costs by area, or see your full monthly carrying cost in the true cost of ownership calculator.