OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — We continue to track Florida's coverage collapse, which is reaching areas located miles from the state's coastline.
Reporter Matt Sczesny traveled to Okeechobee County on Thursday to hear from a resident who described the insurance troubles facing local residents.
WATCH BELOW: Okeechobee residents not isolated from rising insurance costs
Okeechobee is a much different part of Florida from what coastal residents are used to. It might be miles from the ocean, but is not isolated from insurance problems, soaring premiums and cancellation notices.
We visited the home of Steve Cates, which is located on the northeast shore of Lake Okeechobee, and will soon lose its insurance coverage.
"I got the notice of cancellation, which cancels in Novemeber," Cates told us.
He said his insurer gave "no reason" for the cancellation.
Cates said the nonrenewal notice came after four straight years of premium hikes ranging from $1,316 to over $4,742, a total increase of 260%.
"I've been here since 2005, and I've been through all the hurricanes and had very minimal damage here," Cates said. "My fiancé has been in a 40-year-old manufactured home and never had any damage hardly, very small claims, if any, and she got canceled."
Stories like this are something that Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford told us that he hears frequently.
"A lot of our homes, it's hard to get insurance," Watford said.
We asked him why that's the case, considering the communities around the lake are far from the strongest coastal winds and home values remain modest.
"We have a lot of mobile homes in our community, which are very difficult to get. ... We have a lot of older homes too," Watford said. "For one reason or another, the insurance is much more costly."
The figures are so costly that people like Cates are thinking about selling their home and moving.
"Okeechobee is a good community, but we're getting priced out of our own homes right here," Cates said.
Homeowners are facing some very difficult choices, and also finding out their lifestyle here in the middle part of Florida is getting a lot harder.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
