Market Brief

Insurers have reported 68,071 Hurricane Isaias claims and $735.5 million in estimated insured losses in Florida, with Santa Rosa and Escambia counties holding more than three of every four claims, a month after the October 9 landfall near Destin.

By Jon Brooks, Co-Founder, Momentum Realty · Updated November 11, 2026

Florida regulators' November 6 data show 68,071 Isaias claims and $735.5 million in losses; 21 percent closed with no payment, many under the deductible.

Insurers have reported 68,071 claims and $735,515,012 in estimated insured losses from Hurricane Isaias in Florida, according to Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) data as of November 6, 2026. Santa Rosa County accounts for 31,664 claims and Escambia County for 21,119, together 77.5 percent of the statewide total. Residential property makes up 55,471 claims and $651.0 million of the losses. Of all claims, 14,402, or 21.2 percent, were closed with no payment, and 6,835 of those were closed because the damage fell below the policy deductible. The totals are up from about 55,000 claims and about $582 million reported in late October. Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday, so no federal housing data posted; Freddie Mac's 30-year average was 7.18 percent on November 5.

How many insurance claims has Hurricane Isaias caused in Florida?

The OIR count stood at 68,071 claims as of November 6. Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9. The News Service of Florida describes it as a Category 2 storm, and Insurance Journal reported 110 mph winds at landfall. The OIR collected these figures under a November 3 data call that required every insurer writing affected lines in Florida to file cumulative claims by noon on November 6.

Claims by line of business, per the OIR:

"All other lines" combines the OIR's commercial residential, private flood, business interruption, commercial auto and other rows. The average estimated loss works out to about $11,790 per homeowners claim and about $10,805 per claim overall, a desk calculation from the OIR totals.

Which Florida counties have the most Isaias claims?

Santa Rosa (31,664) and Escambia (21,119) lead, followed by Okaloosa (6,515), Walton (2,662) and Bay (2,592). Every other county reported fewer than 400. Insurance Journal reported that unusual northerly winds did the most damage in Santa Rosa and Escambia, and that most residential damage came from falling trees and limbs.

Claims are moving slowly in places. Statewide, 58.2 percent of claims were closed, and 20,482 claims were open with no payment yet. In Santa Rosa, 56.8 percent were closed; in Escambia, 60.8 percent.

Why were so many Isaias claims closed with no payment?

Of the 14,402 claims closed without payment, 6,835 were below the deductible, 5,374 were closed for administrative reasons, including claims the policyholder withdrew, 1,864 hit other coverage exclusions or had no policy in force, and 326 involved flood damage on a property with no flood coverage. Three were closed for suspected fraud, all private passenger auto.

Florida hurricane deductibles are usually a percentage of the dwelling's insured value, often 2 percent, so tree and roof damage in the low thousands of dollars can fall entirely on the owner. Our hurricane deductible calculator shows the dollar amount for a given policy, and the flood insurance calculator estimates flood premiums.

How does Isaias compare with past Florida hurricanes?

Insurance Journal compared Isaias with Hurricane Sally, which hit the same Panhandle area in 2020: about 72,000 claims and $577 million in insured losses five weeks after landfall, with a similar 21 percent closed without payment. Adjusted for inflation, it said, Sally's five-week losses were roughly equal to Isaias's. The News Service of Florida cited far larger final totals for recent major storms: Milton (2024) at $5.6 billion from 385,146 claims, Helene (2024) at $2.58 billion from 155,182 claims, and Michael (2018) at $9.1 billion from nearly 159,000 claims.

Two reported loss figures differ slightly. Insurance Journal's November 10 headline rounds to $736 million; the OIR page and the News Service of Florida give $735.5 million and $735 million. Both describe the same November 6 data. Earlier, WUSF reported on October 25 that losses approached $582 million on about 55,000 claims as of the prior Tuesday, while another trade outlet dated that county count October 25; we carry both dates.

What does Isaias mean for Panhandle home buyers and sellers?

For buyers in Santa Rosa and Escambia, the practical questions are whether a home has an open claim, whether repairs were finished and permitted, and whether a roof replacement changes the insurance quote. With 20,482 claims still open with no payment as of November 6, some sellers will be listing homes with claims in progress. Price trends for the area are on the Pensacola, Milton, Navarre, Gulf Breeze and Destin market pages, and our Pensacola same-home resale article covers recent price changes.

The storm arrives in a market where premiums have been falling. The OIR said in late October that more than 824,300 homeowners had rate decreases taking effect, covered in our November 9 brief and the fall 2026 rate decreases guide. Isaias losses of this size are small next to Milton and Helene, so the OIR data alone do not point to a reversal. The insurance savings calculator estimates what a filed decrease means for a given policy.

Where are mortgage rates and the week's data heading?

Mortgage News Daily's 30-year fixed index rose 0.12 point to 7.30 percent on November 10 after the October consumer price report, covered in our CPI article. Freddie Mac's weekly survey average, a different measure, was 7.18 percent on November 5; the next reading posts Thursday at noon ET. The National Association of Realtors releases October existing-home sales Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET, and Florida Realtors posts October statewide data Monday, November 16.

Separately, UF's Florida Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 69.1 in October, covered in today's Florida consumer sentiment article. The Florida news hub collects the week's releases.

People also ask

How much damage did Hurricane Isaias cause in Florida?

Insurers estimated $735.5 million in insured losses from 68,071 claims as of November 6, 2026, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Uninsured and federal flood program losses are not included.

Which counties were hit hardest by Hurricane Isaias?

Santa Rosa County had 31,664 claims and Escambia County 21,119 as of November 6, followed by Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties.

Why were Hurricane Isaias claims closed without payment?

The OIR data show the most common reason for closing a claim with no payment was damage below the deductible (6,835 claims), followed by administrative reasons such as withdrawn claims (5,374).

Where did Hurricane Isaias make landfall?

Isaias made landfall near Destin on October 9, 2026, as a Category 2 hurricane, according to the News Service of Florida.

Limitations

OIR figures are insurer-reported, cumulative and preliminary; estimated losses include case reserves and will change as claims close. The OIR county table totals 20,483 open claims without payment against 20,482 in its line table, a one-claim difference in the source. Losses do not include the National Flood Insurance Program, uninsured damage or public assistance. Per-claim averages are desk calculations. The late-October comparison relies on news reports of an earlier OIR update, whose as-of date is reported differently by two outlets. Mortgage News Daily and Freddie Mac measure rates differently. No forecast is made.

Sources

Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Hurricane Isaias catastrophe claims reporting, data as of November 6, 2026, floir.gov/home/hurricane-isaias; OIR, "Notice to Industry: Hurricane Isaias Catastrophe Reporting," November 3, 2026. Insurance Journal, "Five Weeks After Isaias, 68,000 Claims and $736M in Losses, Florida Carrier Data Show," November 10, 2026. News Service of Florida via WUWF, "Insured losses from Isaias reach $735 million," November 9, 2026. WUSF, "Hurricane Isaias claims top $580 million in Florida," October 25, 2026. Mortgage News Daily, rate index, November 10, 2026. Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week ending November 5, 2026. University of Florida BEBR, Florida Consumer Sentiment, October 2026.

Disclosure: Jon Brooks is a co-founder of Momentum Realty, a Florida real estate brokerage that owns and funds Florida Housing Intelligence. Momentum has a financial interest in Florida real estate transactions, including in markets named here. See our editorial standards.