Sanibel · Lee County · Insurance
This is the Sanibel page for wind damage roof claim. The short version: you want to file a wind claim for a storm that wasn't a named hurricane, and you can have it without a salesperson at the door.
Get a written quoteRoof-to-wall connections built to old code are a major wind mitigation factor, and hurricane clips added during a replacement can improve the score. Additions from later decades were often tied into the original roof without proper flashing; those seams are where the leaks live. Roof-to-wall attachment matters more here than anywhere; clips or straps added during a tear-off can move a home a full category on its wind mitigation report.
On cost: uses your regular flat deductible, which is why many Florida homeowners with real damage from a tropical storm or squall line come out much better than under the hurricane deductible.
Insurers can no longer refuse to write a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old, and roofs older than that can qualify with a passing inspection showing at least five years of remaining life.
How it works
In Florida, carriers can't surcharge for a single claim from a declared event, but claims history does affect your ability to shop for coverage. In Texas, it varies by carrier.
Creased or folded shingles that have lost their seal, lifted tabs, missing shingles, and ridge cap damage — concentrated on the side the wind came from. Uniform wear on all slopes is age, not wind.
Insurers can no longer refuse to write a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old, and roofs older than that can qualify with a passing inspection showing at least five years of remaining life. Sanibel is inside the everyday service radius, so there's no travel surcharge and no "we'll be in the area next month."