When Insurance Costs Force You to Leave: A Florida Flood Story | Datos Insights | Ep. 405

What happens when the cost of insuring your home starts to outweigh the cost of leaving it? Matthew Grant is joined by Carrie Thomas, Account Director at Datos Insights, for a firsthand account of what it is actually like to navigate one of the most challenging insurance markets in the world. Having relocated from the Carolinas to St. Petersburg, Florida, Carrie found herself caught in a system where cover is harder to access, pricing is volatile and the rules around eligibility create unexpected gaps. Despite not being in a designated flood zone, she faced rising premiums, limited options and ultimately the decision to go without flood cover altogether. Set against the backdrop of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, the conversation explores what it feels like to live with climate risk first-hand, from uncertainty around evacuation to watching storm surge reshape a community overnight. Topics include: Why insurers are pulling back from markets like Florida and what that means for homeowners How flood risk, eligibility and pricing create unexpected protection gaps What it feels like to navigate insurance decisions during an active hurricane season The trade-offs between state-backed Citizens cover and private market alternatives Why insurance costs are becoming a key driver in relocation decisions How catastrophe events are reshaping perceptions of risk at a household level Why improved data does not automatically lead to more affordable insurance How initiatives like Elevate Florida are adapting to increasing flood exposure What insurers are balancing as claims pressure meets long-term sustainability Carrie’s recommendations: Podcast: The Rest is History Book: Millennium by Tom Holland 👉 Listen on your preferred podcast platform: https://www.instech.co/knowledge-cent... 📌 Subscribe for more episodes:    / @instechofficial   🔍 Explore the InsTech podcast archive: https://www.instech.co/item-type/podc... ---------------- If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn -   / matthewjggrant   Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning - https://www.instech.co/sign-up-to-the... Leave us a message! Want to leave a message for the InsTech team? Drop us a voicemail with questions for guests or hosts, ideas for next episodes or just general musings - https://www.speakpipe.com/widget/inli... --------- 00:00 Welcome and intro 01:41 From the Carolinas to Florida: the insurance reality 03:33 How flood cover was dropped despite making no claim 04:30 No flood zone, no requirement, no cover 06:47 Hurricane Helene: storm surge and the evacuation dilemma 09:28 Hurricane Milton: evacuating to Orlando and waiting it out 10:41 Why staying on Citizens or leaving both have a catch 14:23 Can better data lead to more affordable insurance? 16:24 What is Elevate Florida and how are homes being raised 18:46 What Datos Insights does and who it serves 21:42 Recommendations and sign off