Updated October 30, 2026.

We’re an independent insurance agency in Gainesville, in business since 1983. Florida agency license L055907, held by Lee C. McGriff and Mack Williams Insurance Agency, Inc. We work with Jacksonville and Northeast Florida homeowners, in both Duval and St. Johns counties, by phone, email and video. This guide covers the home insurance questions families in Nocatee tend to ask. For the wider area, see our Jacksonville home insurance page.

About Nocatee: one community, two counties

Nocatee is a master planned community between the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Valley and U.S. 1 (Nocatee developer history). St. Johns County approved it in 2001 as a development of about 13,323 acres, of which about 11,332 acres are in northeast St. Johns County and about 1,991 acres are in southeast Jacksonville, which is Duval County (St. Johns County Resolution 2001-30, as quoted in Florida Division of Administrative Hearings Case No. 01-1851GM, Recommended Order, paragraph 31). The community describes itself today as about 14,000 acres, with up to 9,000 acres kept as preserve (Nocatee).

So most of Nocatee’s land is in St. Johns County, and part of it is in Duval County. That matters for insurance. Your county determines which flood maps, evacuation zones and building department records apply to your home, and insurers rate homes by location. When you ask for a quote, give us your full street address, not just “Nocatee” or “Ponte Vedra.”

Nocatee’s community development district is the Tolomato Community Development District, which includes all of Nocatee’s residents and businesses (Nocatee CDD guide). It was originally two districts, one in each county, which were merged into one in 2010 (City of Jacksonville ordinance). Your homeowners policy covers your own home, your belongings and your personal liability, so the questions below are about your house and household.

Newer homes, and roofs that are starting to age

The developer broke ground in 2005 (Nocatee developer history), so Nocatee’s homes range from the late 2000s to brand new. A newer home often has features that help with wind credits, but the first neighborhoods now have roofs approaching or past 15 years old.

Under Florida law, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. If the roof is at least 15 years old, the insurer must let you have it inspected by an authorized inspector, at your expense, before requiring a new roof, and it can’t refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age if the inspection shows at least 5 years of useful life left (section 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes). Insurers can still decline a home for other lawful reasons. Roof age counts from the last time the whole roof was built or replaced under the building code in effect at the time, so keep the permit and invoice for any roof replacement.

Wind mitigation and hurricane deductibles

Nocatee borders the Intracoastal Waterway and is in Northeast Florida’s hurricane exposure. Florida law requires residential property insurers’ rate filings to include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits or other rate differentials, or deductible reductions, for features shown to reduce wind damage (section 627.0629, Florida Statutes). The amount varies by insurance company and by home. A wind mitigation inspection documents features such as roof deck attachment, roof to wall connections, roof shape and opening protection on the state’s form OIR-B1-1802 (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation). The inspection may be at your own cost. The form says a report is valid for up to 5 years if the home hasn’t had material changes, so a new roof or new shutters is a good time to get a new report.

Your hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of the dwelling limit. Know the dollar amount before storm season, not after.

Flood: low mapped risk is not no risk

Homeowners policies generally don’t cover flood, so flood coverage is a separate policy. Our St. Johns County flood zones guide found that in the Nocatee Census community, 118 of 11,000 residential parcels (1.1%) have their main building in a high risk flood zone, and 76 more are in shaded Zone X, a moderate risk zone. In ZIP code 32081, which takes in most of Nocatee and other parts of Ponte Vedra, FEMA’s OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies data set (data as of September 8, 2026, queried October 30, 2026) lists about 1,458 NFIP policy records in force, about 1,347 of them in St. Johns County census tracts and about 111 in Duval County census tracts. These counts include every building type. The parcel figures above cover the St. Johns County side only.

Heavy rain can cause flooding outside mapped high risk zones. Check your own address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. If your home is on the Duval County side, note that FEMA has proposed updated flood maps for parts of Jacksonville; read Jacksonville’s flood maps are changing. An NFIP policy usually takes effect 30 days after you apply and pay the premium, with some exceptions (44 CFR 61.11).

Look up your evacuation zone with the tool for your county: St. Johns County’s My Evacuation Zone Locator, or the City of Jacksonville’s Evacuation Zone Search for the Duval County side. Your evacuation zone is not your flood zone.

If your home is insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Florida’s state-created insurer, section 627.351(6)(aa), Florida Statutes, requires flood coverage for Citizens personal lines residential policies with wind coverage effective on or after January 1, 2027, or earlier for a home in a FEMA special flood hazard area or with a dwelling replacement cost of $400,000 or more. Policies written on a condominium unit owners form are exempt. See our Citizens flood requirement page.

Coverage amounts

Your dwelling limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild the home today, not the purchase price or market value, and the land isn’t part of the rebuild cost. If you’ve added a pool, a screened enclosure, an outdoor kitchen or upgraded finishes, let us know. Before issuing a homeowners policy, a Florida insurer must offer replacement cost coverage and law and ordinance coverage, which helps pay the added cost of meeting current building codes when damaged parts of the home are repaired or rebuilt (section 627.7011, Florida Statutes).

Teen drivers, carts, pools and liability

Nocatee’s Greenway trail system includes bicycle and electric cart paths (Nocatee CDD guide). A golf cart is treated differently from a street-legal low-speed vehicle under Florida law. If you own a street-legal low-speed vehicle (LSV), Florida law requires it to be registered and insured, including personal injury protection and property damage liability (section 316.2122, Florida Statutes). Many Florida homeowners policies don’t cover golf carts, and those that do usually limit the coverage. See our golf cart and LSV guide, and ask us to check your policy.

Families with teenagers, pools or frequent guests have more liability exposure. Newer vehicles, teens reaching driving age and adult children still on the policy all change your auto picture. A personal umbrella can add a layer of liability coverage above your home and auto policies, subject to its terms. Most umbrella policies require you to carry minimum liability limits on those underlying policies, and the minimums vary by insurance company, so it helps to look at all three together. See our auto insurance and personal umbrella pages.

What to have ready

  • The full property address and county
  • Year built, roof year and roof type
  • Your current declarations page and policy expiration date
  • A wind mitigation or 4-point inspection report, if you have one
  • A pool, cart or LSV, or other additions

A licensed member of our team will review your request and contact you by phone or email. Coverage isn’t in place until it’s bound.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nocatee in St. Johns County or Duval County?

Both. When it was approved in 2001, about 11,332 of its roughly 13,323 acres were in St. Johns County and about 1,991 acres were in southeast Duval County (Jacksonville). Check your property record to confirm your county.

Do I need flood insurance if my home is in Zone X?

Federal law doesn’t require it outside high risk zones, but any lender can ask for it, Citizens policyholders may be required to carry it, and homeowners policies generally don’t cover flood.

Can an insurer refuse my home because the roof is old?

Not solely for that reason if the roof is less than 15 years old. If it’s 15 years or older and an authorized inspector finds at least 5 years of useful life left, the insurer can’t refuse to issue or renew solely because of roof age (section 627.7011(5), Florida Statutes). Insurers can still decline for other lawful reasons.

Sources

General information, not legal or coverage advice. Coverage depends on the policy issued, its terms and underwriting. Sources checked October 30, 2026. McGriff-Williams Insurance is an independent insurance agency in Gainesville, in business since 1983 and licensed in Florida. We are not affiliated with FEMA, the NFIP, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Nocatee, its developer or the Tolomato Community Development District. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency’s website(s).