Month: November 2025

How Workers’ Comp Insurance Protects Your Business and Employees

Posted on by agentinsure

When you own a business, it’s important to protect it with the right commercial insurance. One important type of commercial insurance is workers’ compensation. It’s a type of coverage that every business with employees should have. It offers protection against work accidents and helps your business handle the financial aftermath of one. If you have employees and you aren’t covered, call Hamilton Fox & Company Inc., serving Pinecrest, FL, to get started with a policy.

How Workers’ Comp Protects Your Business

When you have employees, there is always the danger of a fall or another accident. This is true whether you have one employee or 100.

When you’re not prepared and don’t have workers’ compensation insurance, it can be highly detrimental to your business. You could be forced out of business by all of the costs of a serious accident. You could even be sued. But with workers’ comp, your injured employee will receive benefits in exchange for forfeiting their right to sue.

How It Protects Your Employees

Just like your business, your employees need to be protected against the costs associated with accidents. As devastating as it can be for a business when there’s a serious accident, it can be even more devastating for the employee it happens to. The costs of accidents can be enormous, and employees count on you to have workers’ comp in case this happens. 

Get Workers’ Comp Insurance

If you have employees, you need workers’ comp insurance to keep yourself and them protected. To get started, call us at Hamilton Fox & Company Inc., serving Pinecrest, FL.

NFIP Flood Insurance Extended: What Pinecrest, Coral Gables & South Miami Homeowners Need to Know

Posted on by agentinsure

If you own property in Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Coral Gables, South Miami, or the surrounding area we have important news about your flood insurance coverage. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been reauthorized through January 30, 2026, ensuring continued flood protection for homeowners and businesses throughout Miami-Dade County.

What This Means for Pinecrest and Coral Gables Homeowners

Your Current Flood Insurance Policy

If you already have NFIP flood insurance in Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Coral Gables, or South Miami, your coverage continues without interruption. All policy terms remain exactly as they were before the reauthorization.

Filing Flood Insurance Claims in Miami-Dade

FEMA continues to process and pay flood insurance claims throughout South Florida. Whether you’re in Coral Gables or Cutler Bay, if you need to file a claim, there are no delays or disruptions to the claims process.

Important Information for Realtors, Lenders & New Homebuyers in Palmetto Bay and Beyond

Closing on a Home in Pinecrest, Coral Gables or Cutler Bay?

The NFIP reauthorization is excellent news for anyone buying or selling property in South Florida’s flood zones. Here’s what realtors, lenders, and homebuyers in Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Coral Gables, and South Miami need to know:

For Home Closings, including Miami-Dade County:

  • Flood insurance policies can now be issued without delay for properties in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA)
  • Lenders can proceed with closings that require NFIP flood insurance as a condition of the mortgage
  • The standard 30-day waiting period for new flood insurance policies still applies for those properties where there is no loan closing, so plan accordingly

For Real Estate Professionals in Pinecrest and South Miami: If you have clients who were waiting on flood insurance to complete their transactions in Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, or other South Florida communities, those applications are now moving forward. Policies that were put on hold are being released, and new applications are being accepted and processed normally.

Why Flood Insurance Matters in Pinecrest, Coral Gables & Palmetto Bay

Living in Miami-Dade County means understanding flood risk. From hurricane season storm surge affecting Cutler Bay to heavy summer rains impacting Coral Gables and South Miami, our communities face unique challenges. The NFIP reauthorization ensures:

Questions About Flood Insurance in South Miami or Coral Gables?

As your local independent insurance agents serving Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Coral Gables, and South Miami, we’re here to help you navigate these updates and ensure your property stays protected. Whether you’re looking for a new NFIP policy or private flood option (private flood option in many cases is a less expensive alternative to NFIP coverage), need to review your current flood insurance coverage, or have questions about flood zones in your area, we’re just a phone call away.

Citizens Property Insurance Non-Primary Residence Surcharge:

Posted on by agentinsure

Are You Paying Hundreds (or Thousands) Extra Without Knowing?

At Hamilton Fox Insurance, as your dedicated South Florida independent home insurance experts, we’re committed to empowering homeowners with the knowledge to protect their biggest investment. If you’re a Citizens policyholder in areas like Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables, or South Miami, there’s a potential hidden cost you need to know about: the non-primary residence surcharge. We’ve helped countless South Florida homeowners uncover and eliminate these charges applied in error, and today, we’re breaking it down for you.

What is the Citizens Non-Primary Residence Surcharge?

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Florida’s insurer of last resort, classifies properties as either primary residences or non-primary ones to ensure fair risk pricing. A primary residence is defined as a home (or rental property) occupied by you or your tenant for more than nine months per year—think your everyday family hub or long-term lease. Non-primary residences include second homes, vacation getaways, or seasonal spots like snowbird retreats in our sunny suburbs.

Under Florida law (bolstered by recent reforms like those in HB 1503), Citizens can now apply higher rate caps to non-primary policies—up to 50% above the prior year’s rate. This isn’t a flat “surcharge” in the traditional sense but acts like one: it accelerates premium hikes. For context, while primary residence rates rose an average of 12.3%, non-primary policies face steeper increases to depopulate Citizens faster.

The Implications: Skyrocketing Rates for Non-Primary Homes

The big takeaway? If your property doesn’t qualify as primary, you’re looking at much higher premiums. For a $400,000 waterfront home in Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay or South Miami this could mean a jump from $3,000 to $4,500 or beyond. These hikes hit harder in zones near Biscayne Bay, Brickell and Coconut Grove, where we see more rental properties. Worse yet: Eligibility rules tightened in 2023, with proof of residency now required via driver’s license, voter registration, or homestead exemption. Without it, your policy could silently shift to non-primary status mid-term.

The Hidden Trap: You Might Be Overpaying Without Realizing It

Here’s the expert alert we’ve seen trip up too many South Florida homeowners: Unless you or your agent are monitoring your Citizens policy closely—reviewing declarations pages, endorsements, notices— you could be slapped with the non-primary surcharge without realizing it. If you missed the request from Citizens for proof of primary residence, your policy could be surcharged in error and automatic renewals can embed the increase quietly. In our audits, we’ve caught cases where an outdated address pushed a primary home into surcharge territory, costing clients hundreds or thousands annually.

What Should You Do Next?

At Hamilton Fox Insurance, we make spotting these overcharges simple through our complimentary policy review process. We dive deep into your Citizens docs, identify any non-primary surcharges and work with homeowners to submit the appropriate paperwork to remove them—often saving clients thousands. Our South Florida, Spanish-speaking team, and 24/7 client portal ensure you’re always up to date on all policy changes.

Could your policy be hiding a surcharge? Contact us today—we’ll audit it free and fast, no obligation.

Tired of being a Citizens policyholder—expensive flood requirements, possible improperly applied non-primary surcharges? Let us pull you out of Citizens with one of our competitively priced private carriers. We will likely save you money in the process.

Let’s chat and safeguard your peace of mind.

Reference: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Rate Filings & Florida Statutes (e.g., HB 1503)