Washington, D.C. — With hurricane season already raising anxiety for many South Florida families, U.S. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) hosted a policy briefing this week in Washington to tackle Florida’s growing property insurance crisis — an issue now affecting homeowners across the nation.
“Everywhere I go in Florida, people are deeply concerned about property insurance,” said Rep. Wilson during the June 5th event. “Premiums are sky-high, options are shrinking, and many insurers are simply refusing to provide coverage. We must find real solutions.”
Wilson, who introduced the Homeowners’ Defense Act, is pushing for federal action to help stabilize insurance markets, support state disaster risk management, and encourage prevention efforts that could lower future costs. Today, the average cost of property insurance in Florida has reached a staggering $11,000 per year, according to Insurify.
Joining Wilson at the briefing were Reps. Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-2), Nikema Williams (GA-5), and Jonathan Jackson (IL-1). The lawmakers stressed that the insurance affordability crisis is now being felt well beyond Florida, with rising premiums hitting homeowners in states like Illinois and Louisiana as well.
“We are seeing families being forced to make impossible choices — whether to buy insurance or pay for healthcare or groceries,” said Rep. Frost.
Experts from organizations such as the Consumer Federation of America and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association pointed to factors like climate change, legal system challenges, inflation in repair costs, and outdated regulatory processes as key drivers of soaring insurance rates and limited coverage availability.
Locally, Miami-Dade County Commission Vice Chair Kionne McGhee issued a stark warning: “Families are losing generational wealth. Some are skipping meals just to afford their mortgage and insurance payments. This situation must be addressed — now.”
The briefing concluded with a clear message: urgent federal action, stronger oversight of insurance companies, and greater investment in community resilience are needed to ensure that homeowners in Florida — and across the country — are not priced out of protecting their homes.
