Wildfires risk in Florida

The letter from your mortgage company says you need proof of insurance. Then you look at a map and see your neighborhood in Marion County sitting next to a patch of palmetto and pine. That's when wildfire stops being a California story and becomes a Florida question.

Our statewide rating for wildfire risk in Florida is 3 out of 5. That's moderate. But averages lie. A house in downtown Miami and a house on the edge of Ocala National Forest do not share the same risk.

Why Florida looks like this

Florida burns. Not every year in every county, but often enough that the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Forest Service stay busy. The state's fire season usually runs late winter through spring, then again with lightning in summer. The fuels are grass, pine flatwoods, palmetto, and sawgrass.

The Panhandle counties—Liberty, Calhoun, Gulf, Franklin, and Santa Rosa—have long stretches of pine and scrub. The Big Bend, including Levy and Dixie counties, gets dry in spring. North-central Florida, around Alachua, Putnam, Marion, and Lake counties, has a mix of rural land and fast-growing subdivisions. On the east coast, Brevard, Volusia, and Martin counties have wildland-urban interface where homes back up to scrub. In southwest Florida, Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties have seen fires in the past.

What makes Florida different from the West? Flat ground and wind. Fires can move fast through grass and palmetto. Smoke can close highways. And because Florida has so many lightning strikes, a dry week matters. The National Interagency Fire Center tracks national fire activity. FEMA's National Risk Index shows county-level variation.

Insurance gaps people miss

Here's the good news: most standard homeowners insurance policies in Florida cover wildfire damage. Wildfire is treated as a fire peril. Fire is almost always a covered cause of loss on an HO-3 policy.

But read the exclusions. Flood damage is not covered by homeowners insurance. That matters in Florida because after a hurricane, the wind vs. flood split is the classic fight. For wildfire, the fight is different. If your home is in a wildland-urban interface, your insurer may ask for photos of defensible space. Some carriers may non-renew a policy if the roof is old or if brush is too close. If you have a mobile home policy or an older named-peril policy, wildfire may not be listed. That's a gap you want to find before a fire starts.

Renters: your landlord's insurance covers the building, not your belongings. Renters insurance usually covers fire, including wildfire. Get it.

If you live in a high-risk pocket, call your agent and ask: Is wildfire covered? What deductible applies? Would my policy renew after a claim? Get answers in writing if you can.

A practical weekend plan

If I had one weekend and a couple hundred dollars, I'd start within five feet of the house. That's the opinionated part. You don't need a contractor to clear pine needles, dead leaves, and palmetto from under the eaves, off the roof, and out of the gutters. Move firewood and propane tanks at least 30 feet away. Screen attic vents and dryer vents with metal mesh.

Then work outward. Keep grass mowed short within 30 feet. Prune tree branches so the lowest limbs are 6 to 10 feet off the ground. Remove any bushes that touch the foundation. If you have palm trees, keep dead fronds trimmed. In Florida, palm fronds and pine straw are the two fuels that carry fire to a house fastest.

Have a go-bag. Sign up for county alerts. Know your evacuation zone. In Florida, hurricane evacuation zones are common, but wildfire evacuations can be more localized. Your county emergency management office will tell you where to look. Ready.gov has a wildfire checklist.

Questions we get

Does homeowners insurance in Florida cover wildfire damage?

Usually yes. Wildfire is a fire peril, and fire is covered on most standard policies. But named-peril policies, mobile home policies, and some older policies may not list it. Check your declarations page and ask your agent directly.

Is wildfire risk in Florida really high enough to worry about?

For most homes, no. The statewide rating is 3 out of 5. But local risk is what counts. If you live near pine flatwoods in the Panhandle, the Big Bend, or the wildland-urban interface in Marion, Volusia, or Collier counties, a weekend of cleanup is cheap insurance.

What should I do first if I live in a Florida wildfire-prone county?

Clear the first five feet around your foundation. That's the highest-impact, lowest-cost step. Then call your insurance agent and ask whether wildfire is covered and what could cause a non-renewal. After that, make a go-bag and sign up for local alerts.

Official maps and agencies

Use these to verify current fire conditions, preparedness steps, and national data. Don't rely on one map.

• Florida Division of Emergency Management
• National Interagency Fire Center
• Ready.gov – Wildfires
• US Forest Service – Fire

One last thing: Florida's wildfire risk is not a reason to panic. It's a reason to spend one Saturday making your house boring to fire. Clear the needles. Move the firewood. Call your agent. That's the whole plan.