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Hurricane Isaias insurance claims in Florida (2026)

Hurricane Isaias 2026

Updated October 20, 2026

By Benji Licht, Florida public adjuster, FL Lic. #W523574

Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin, Florida as a Category 2 storm on the evening of October 9, 2026. If it damaged your home in Pensacola, Navarre, Gulf Breeze, Destin, Fort Walton Beach or Crestview, you have until October 9, 2027 to report a new claim.

Key takeaways

  • Isaias deadlines: report a new claim by October 9, 2027, and a supplemental claim by April 9, 2028 (Florida Statute 627.70132).

  • Landfall came near Destin at Category 2, on the evening of October 9, 2026.

  • The state of emergency order covers 27 counties (EO 26-211).

  • After you report, the insurer gets 60 days to pay or deny (s. 627.70131).

Key facts for Isaias claims

  • Landfall: Near Destin, October 9, 2026, Category 2

  • State of emergency: 27 Florida counties, including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay (Executive Orders 26-202 and 26-211)

  • Hardest hit so far: Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties

  • Deadline to report a new claim: October 9, 2027 (1 year, Florida Statute 627.70132)

  • Deadline for a supplemental claim: April 9, 2028 (18 months, Florida Statute 627.70132)

  • Insurer's time to pay or deny: 60 days after notice of the claim, with set pauses (Florida Statute 627.70131)

  • State insurance helpline: 1-877-693-5236 (Florida Department of Financial Services)

The first week after Isaias

Report the damage to your insurer and write down the claim number it gives you. Film each room and the outside of the house before anything goes to the curb.

More reading: our first week checklist, from photos to receipts.

When wind, rain or surge got in

If your policy has wind coverage, Isaias wind damage is the kind of loss it is written for. Rain that came in through a hole the wind tore can belong to that same claim (s. 627.4025(2)(a)).

Surge and other water that rose from outside is a matter for a flood policy, which is a second claim, often with a second company.

More reading: does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage and how surge and wind are split between policies.

Call with your declarations page open, and we will go through which parts of your Isaias damage it lists.

Roof damage from Isaias

The insurer pays to fix the part of the roof the wind damaged. How big that part is decides between a patch and a full replacement.

More reading: hurricane roof claims in Florida.

Your hurricane deductible

A percentage deductible is figured on the dwelling coverage in your policy. On a home insured for $250,000, a 2% deductible means you carry the first $5,000.

More reading: how the hurricane deductible works.

60 days to pay or deny

Once you report, the insurer has 60 days to pay or deny (Florida Statute 627.70131). Mediation, or a document it asked you for and has not received, can pause that clock.

More reading: how long the insurer has to pay.

Denied or paid too little

Ask the insurer for its reason in writing, then hold that reason up against your policy. A low check is sometimes correct once the deductible and depreciation come out, so do that math before you push back.

More reading: when a hurricane claim is denied and when the estimate is too low.

Does your insurance company change the answer?

Your insurer's name tells you less than your policy does. Get three things on the table: your full policy, the denial or estimate letter, and your photos.

More on: Citizens, Universal Property, Slide, Tower Hill, People's Trust, American Integrity, Kin, Heritage.

What a public adjuster costs on an Isaias claim

For a year after the Governor's emergency order, Florida law generally caps a public adjuster's fee at 10% of the claim payment, with some exceptions (s. 626.854). The fee is taken out of that payment.

More reading: public adjuster fees in Florida and how to check a public adjuster's license.

Isaias claims by area

  • Pensacola, Navarre and Gulf Breeze

  • Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island

  • Crestview and north Okaloosa County

Talk to a licensed public adjuster

LET US HANDLE YOUR CLAIM

Bring the latest letter from your insurer to the call, even if all it does is confirm the claim number.

Base Claims is a licensed public adjusting firm in Hallandale Beach, and we take claims across Florida.

General information only. Coverage depends on your policy and the facts of your claim. Base Claims is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.

Base Claims Public Adjusters, 2400 NE 9th St, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009. Benji Licht, Licensed Public Adjuster, FL Lic. #W523574. Yossi Garber, Licensed Public Adjuster, FL Lic. #G173942.

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