Hurricane season for South Florida renters

What to settle with your landlord before June

Leases split storm work in different ways, and plenty say nothing at all. Ask now, in writing, so nobody is guessing with a cone on the map.

• Shutters or impact glass on every opening, and if shutters, who installs and removes them
• Where the panels, tracks and hardware are stored, and whether every piece is there
• What to do with patio furniture, grills and potted plants, and where they can go
• Whether the landlord or the condo association has a generator rule
• Who to call, and how, if the roof leaks or a window breaks during the storm

Count the panels in May, not the day before landfall. A missing bracket for the sliding door is a five-minute fix in spring and an impossible one when every hardware store is out.

Evacuation zones are not flood zones

Florida's Know Your Zone lookup tells you which lettered evacuation zone your address sits in. Emergency managers order zones out by letter, mostly because of storm surge, the ocean pushed ashore by the wind. That map is separate from FEMA's flood zones, which drive flood insurance and come up in flood zones for renters. A home can be outside every high-risk flood zone and still sit in an early evacuation zone.

Look up both when you tour, not after you sign. If you'd have to leave for a Category 1, plan where you'd go and how, especially without a car.

When insurers stop selling

The Florida Department of Financial Services warns that insurers stop accepting new applications and coverage increases once a hurricane watch or warning is issued. That means the policy you have when the cone appears is the policy you get. A landlord's insurance covers the building, not your furniture or your laptop, so a renter without a policy carries the whole loss.

While it's calm, remember that flood isn't covered by a renters policy, and a separate flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program usually takes 30 days to start. Details are in renters insurance in Florida.

Supplies, and the tax you no longer pay

Since August 1, 2025, Florida has exempted a list of hurricane supplies from sales tax permanently, in place of the old two-week holidays. The permanent list covers common batteries such as AA, AAA, C, D, 6-volt and 9-volt, portable generators, tarps, portable gas cans and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Water and food for at least several days, plus a manual can opener
• Medications, copies of IDs and your lease, and cash in small bills
• A phone power bank, a battery radio and flashlights
• Photos or video of everything you own, saved somewhere off the phone

Rent during and after a storm

An evacuation order doesn't pause the lease. If the home comes through fine, rent is due on the usual date, even if you spent the week inland.

Under section 83.63, if a storm you didn't cause leaves the home substantially unusable, you can end the lease and leave right away, or move out of the part you can't use and pay less rent for it. Since 2025 the landlord also has to let you collect your belongings once it's safe, or give you a reasonable date to do it. The full process is in when a storm damages your rental.