Why Wildfires Elsewhere in the US Will Make Fort Lauderdale Property Insurance More Expensive

Even though wildfires might be burning on the opposite side of the country, they can still drive up your property insurance premiums here in Fort Lauderdale. The property insurance industry is now completely global, and a quiet hurricane season in the Sunshine State is no longer a guarantee of reduced rates. If you’re having any issues with a property insurance claim in Fort Lauderdale, contact an experienced lawyer for guidance.

Wildfires Could Spike Insurance Costs in the Long Term

As of August 2026, the Pacific Northwest is facing 95 large wildfires. Washington and Oregon are the hardest-hit states, and many people have already lost their homes. While Florida is enjoying a relatively quiet hurricane season (as of this writing), the long-term effects of these wildfires could be catastrophic for the average Floridian homeowner.

In the short term, homeowners probably won’t notice much of a difference. However, the impact of rampant wildfires in the Pacific Northwest could take two years to fully set in. To understand how this delay works, it is important to grasp how insurance companies purchase “reinsurance.”

Reinsurance is when your property insurance provider purchases its own insurance policy. In doing so, they offload some of their risk onto the global market. This is why a wildfire in Spokane County, Washington can drive up your premiums in Fort Lauderdale. While reinsurance allows smaller insurance companies to compete and offer relatively affordable policies, it also means that global catastrophes affect everyone’s policies.

Insurance companies purchase reinsurance coverage for 12-month periods, which means that a wildfire in August doesn’t affect reinsurance prices until June of the following year. Then, your property insurer in Florida must ask the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) for permission to raise your rates. This process takes another few months.

Finally, your insurer must wait until you renew your policy to increase your rates. This means that it might take two years to feel the impact of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.

Wildfires Will Likely Continue Around the Globe

Regardless of whether fires are sparked by natural causes or arsonists, they are likely to continue in the future. As a result, the multi-billion-dollar price tag associated with the recent fires in the Pacific Northwest represents just a small portion of projected burdens on the global reinsurance market.

Insurers in Florida may be more dependent on global reinsurance than insurers in other states. Local insurers have stepped in to fill the gap left by a mass exodus of major carriers after a string of destructive hurricanes. These smaller insurers cannot compete without support from the reinsurance market.

In May of 2026, Gulf Coast News reported that by 2035, global reinsurance issues could drive up premiums by a staggering 75 percent.

Contact Our Fort Lauderdale Property Insurance Lawyers Today 

At Fuxa & Tyler, our legal team is made up of a diverse combination of attorneys who are well-positioned to protect the legal rights and financial interests of policyholders. If your property insurance claim was denied, we can help. For a free consultation, please call us today at (954) 990-5251. With an office in Sunrise, we represent policyholders in Broward County and throughout the state of Florida.

Source:

kgab.com/ixp/102/p/protect-home-wildfire-smoke/