Security First Insurance homeowners insurance

Overview

Security First Insurance Company is an Ormond Beach, Florida property insurer that writes homeowners, condo, renters and landlord coverage in Florida. It sells through independent agents and directly, through its own sales line and online quote tool, and it is one of the few Florida domestic carriers to offer an HO-5 open-perils homeowners policy as its flagship. Security First ranked #65 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $333.3 million (0.18% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data, roughly 1.8% of Florida's homeowners market based on the same data.

By policy count it is larger than that share suggests. Florida Office of Insurance Regulation quarterly data put Security First 13th in the state at the end of June 2026, with 157,986 policies in force, including about 50,000 dwelling fire policies on rental and non-owner-occupied homes. The company says it has more than 400 employees.

It is privately held and closely identified with its founder, Locke Burt, a former Florida state senator who is chairman and chief executive.

History

Burt served in the Florida Senate from 1991 to 2002, a period that included Hurricane Andrew, and the company says he helped write the laws that created the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. After leaving office he created Security First, which dates its service to Florida homeowners to 2005. Melissa Burt DeVriese, who joined in 2009 and previously served as general counsel and chief administrative officer, is now president; chief operating officer Gregory Moraski came from 27 years in claims at Nationwide.

Security First took policies from Citizens in two rounds of depopulation approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation on November 30, 2023 and February 29, 2024, with assumptions in February and May 2024. Since the 2022–2023 Florida reforms it has turned to rate cuts and product changes, described below.

Homeowners coverage

The Premier Homeowners policy is an HO-5 for homes with Coverage A (dwelling) limits from $500,000 to $5 million, with a $750,000 minimum in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. It insures belongings on an open-perils basis at replacement cost, and includes equipment breakdown, service line and lock replacement coverage, personal injury coverage, higher special limits, and coverage for lost or misplaced jewelry, furs and watches. Signature+ is the HO-3 for Coverage A limits from $200,000 to $5 million, with equipment breakdown and service line coverage optional. Both offer liability limits up to $500,000 and loss-of-use coverage of 10% of Coverage A, with a prepaid debit card for immediate expenses. Security First also writes condo (HO-6), renters (HO-4) and three dwelling forms: Dwelling Basic (DF-1), Dwelling Owner and Dwelling Landlord (both DF-3).

Read the deductible page closely, because Security First uses more than one. Beside the hurricane deductible ($500, $1,000, $2,500, or 1%, 2%, 3%, 5% or 10% of Coverage A), its homeowners forms carry an all-other-perils deductible, a separate water deductible and a separate roof deductible ($1,000, $2,500 or 2% of Coverage A on Signature+). Water coverage is limited on homes over 40 years old. A Disappearing Deductible endorsement cuts the all-other-perils and water deductibles by 20% for each claim-free year, capped at a $5,000 reduction on large HO-5 deductibles, but never touches the hurricane deductible. Say your home is insured for $600,000 with a 2% hurricane deductible: you pay the first $12,000 of hurricane damage regardless of your claims record.

Optional add-ons include scheduled personal property, golf cart physical damage and liability, hurricane coverage for screened enclosures and carports, dog liability, sinkhole coverage and identity theft monitoring through PrivacyMaxx for $25 a year.

Discounts and savings

Wind mitigation credits, documented on the state's wind mitigation inspection form, cover building code compliance, roof-deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, secondary water resistance and opening protection; every opening must be protected for that credit. Security First says a hip roof can cut the premium by nearly 32%. Other credits listed on its site: new construction, central burglar and fire alarms, whole-home sprinklers, brick, concrete, stone or fiber-cement siding, being within 1,000 feet of a hydrant and five miles of a fire station, paperless documents, a policyholder 55 or older, roof slope, wood soffits, secured communities and water leak detection devices. Signature+ and Premier add military and first responder, multi-policy and smoke detector discounts, and since October 2026 Premier policyholders who buy auto insurance through the same agent can get up to 3% off the all-other-perils premium.

You can also trade coverage for price. The Roof Surfaces Payment Schedule endorsement, which the company says saves an average of 5%, pays wind and hail roof damage on a sliding scale: for a composite shingle roof, up to 100% under one year old, 80% at five years and 60% at 10 years (see Roof payment schedules and ACV roof endorsements). Choosing Limited water coverage, capped at $10,000 for sudden discharges, saves an average of 10%, and water coverage can be excluded entirely. Both are real coverage reductions, not discounts.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Security First writes only in Florida, although Demotech lists licenses in many other states. Its president told WPTV the company is committed to writing more policies in southeast Florida. Rates have been falling: Insurance Journal reported an average 5.2% cut, then an average 8% homeowners decrease announced in October 2025, and an average 5.6% cut for Dwelling Basic policies effective July 15, 2026, along with expanded eligibility and new discounts for Dwelling Owner policies from June 15, 2026. Individual renewals can still rise with roof age, coverage changes or location.

Claims

Claims can be reported 24 hours a day at 877-333-9992, through the MySFI customer portal, or by live chat. A claims examiner manages the file, and a field adjuster or a contractor from the company's First Choice Repair Network, which it says includes more than 150 licensed Florida contractors, inspects the damage. Using the network is optional, and the company warns that a contractor waiving your deductible is illegal. After Hurricane Isaias in October 2026, Security First posted the same claim channels on its home page. Florida law requires insurers to pay or deny most residential claims within 60 days.

Ratings and reputation

Demotech affirmed Security First's Financial Stability Rating of A (Exceptional) on September 14, 2026; the company has no AM Best rating, which is common among Florida domestic carriers (see demotech rating). For 2026–2027 it reports $1.48 billion of total reinsurance, $970 million available for a single large event, a $12.5 million net retention per event and $125 million of surplus to cover retentions, with protection it says reaches a 1-in-259-year event. Insurance Journal, using Florida Department of Financial Services data that exclude mediation requests, reported 102 complaints against Security First in 2024, a third of its 2020 total. It was not ranked in J.D. Power's 2025 or 2026 home studies.

Who it suits

Security First suits Florida homeowners who want an open-perils HO-5, particularly on homes worth $500,000 or more, and those who like to see a carrier's reinsurance program spelled out. It suits less well buyers who want one simple deductible, an AM Best rating or coverage outside Florida, and older homes may face limited water coverage.

• Strengths: HO-5 Premier policy with equipment breakdown and service line built in; Demotech A (Exceptional) affirmed September 2026 and a published $1.48 billion reinsurance program; repeated rate cuts in 2025 and 2026; a long list of mitigation and device credits.
• Weaknesses: Florida only; separate roof and water deductibles on top of the hurricane deductible; limited water coverage on homes over 40 years; no AM Best rating or J.D. Power ranking.

How to contact Security First Insurance