"While wealthy coastal counties bear the brunt of landfalling storms, poor residents in inland counties are navigating an even bleaker insurance market that leaves them at risk of no coverage."
"OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Steve Cates was walking back to his house from his mailbox, flipping through a clutch of newly delivered letters, when one envelope stopped him in his driveway. It was from his insurance company.
His home felt sturdy, but he knew getting insurance in this bucolic community on the north side of Lake Okeechobee was a struggle. His fiancée and several friends had had their policies canceled. His was dropped, too, the year before, although a few weeks later the insurance company had renewed the policy at a rate of a few hundred dollars more. The annual rate had jumped by 180 percent in six years, to $4,742, but he sent a check right in anyway.
Now, standing in his driveway, staring at yet another non-renewal letter, his hand shook. He still owed $30,000 on his mortgage. Going without insurance, as some people he knew were doing, would be difficult, because his mortgage company required insurance. He feared the life he had built in this home over two decades was about to end."
Amy Green and Peter Aldhous report for Inside Climate News July 6, 2025.
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