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, including St. Johns County, by phone, email and video. This guide covers the home insurance questions families in RiverTown tend to ask. For the wider area, see our St. Johns County home insurance page and our Julington Creek Plantation and Nocatee home insurance guides.

About RiverTown

RiverTown is a master planned community in northwest St. Johns County along about three miles of the St. Johns River, a few miles south of Julington Creek, with its main entrances off County Road 244 (Longleaf Pine Parkway), reached from County Road 210 (Rivers Edge II CDD, April 2026 report; Jax Daily Record, December 14, 2011). When building restarted in 2011 after a pause, the community covered 4,170 acres and its plan called for 4,500 homes (Jax Daily Record). Homes are still being built. In the St. Johns County 2026 tax roll, about 2,900 homes are recorded in RiverTown’s subdivisions, about 92% of them were built in 2017 or later, and more than 400 were built in 2025 (Florida Department of Revenue tax roll data).

RiverTown is in St. Johns County, so St. Johns County’s flood maps, evacuation zones and building department records apply to your home, and insurers rate homes by exact location. When you ask for a quote, give us your full street address, not just “RiverTown.”

The Rivers Edge, Rivers Edge II and Rivers Edge III community development districts (CDDs) serve RiverTown and operate and maintain community facilities (Rivers Edge CDD, Rivers Edge II CDD, Rivers Edge III CDD). Your homeowners policy covers your own home, your belongings and your personal liability, so the questions below are about your house and household.

Roof age on newer homes

Because most RiverTown homes were built in the last ten years, many still have their original roof. 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 (one the insurer approves), 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 generally counts from when the entire roof was last built or replaced under the building code in effect at the time. Keep your closing documents, which show when the home was built, and keep the permit and invoice for any roof replacement. If you’re buying a newly built home, insurance companies usually ask for the year built, roof type and construction details, so have them ready before closing.

Wind mitigation and hurricane deductibles

RiverTown is inland from the beaches, but homes here can still have wind damage from tropical storms. 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 as long as no material changes are made to the home and nothing on the form is found to be inaccurate, so it’s worth getting a new report after a new roof or new shutters. On a newly built home, a report can document the home’s features from the start.

Your hurricane deductible is usually a percentage of the dwelling limit. Know the dollar amount ahead of time, not after a loss.

Flood: the river, ponds and Zone X

Homeowners policies generally don’t cover flood, so flood coverage is a separate policy. Our St. Johns County flood zones guide found that in ZIP code 32259 (St. Johns), which includes RiverTown, 709 of 24,862 residential parcels (2.9%) have their main building in a high risk flood zone, and FEMA letters still in effect cover about 560 of those 709. Using the same method and data as that guide, of more than 3,000 residential parcels recorded under RiverTown subdivision names, 2 have their main building in a high risk flood zone.

A low risk map doesn’t mean no risk. RiverTown sits on the St. Johns River, some of its trails run through preserved wetland buffers (RiverTown parks and trails), and heavy rain can cause flooding outside mapped zones. Check your own address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, and look up your evacuation zone with St. Johns County’s My Evacuation Zone Locator. Your evacuation zone is not your flood zone. An NFIP policy usually takes effect 30 days after you apply and pay the premium, with some exceptions (44 CFR 61.11).

As of the 2026 Florida Statutes, 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 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 that don’t cover wind and policies written on a condominium unit owners form are exempt. See our Citizens flood requirement page.

Coverage amounts on a newer home

The purchase price of a new home includes the land and reflects the builder’s pricing, so it isn’t the same as the cost to rebuild. 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 or an outdoor kitchen since closing, tell us so the limit can be reviewed. 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).

Golf carts

RiverTown posts a golf cart path map on its amenities site, and the Rivers Edge CDD posts a golf cart map and St. Johns County’s golf cart ordinance. Under St. Johns County Ordinance 2018-42, a cart may use a county road only if it is a designated road marked with signs or pavement markings, and the county can designate only roads posted at 25 mph or less. St. Johns County updated its golf cart ordinance with Ordinance 2024-7, enacted January 16, 2024 and effective January 24, 2024, so go by the current ordinance. A street-legal low-speed vehicle is a different vehicle under Florida law, and it must be registered and insured (section 316.2122, Florida Statutes). LSV drivers need a valid driver license; ask before letting a learner drive one. Many Florida homeowners policies cover golf carts only in narrow situations, and some exclude them, so ask us to check your wording. Our golf cart and LSV guide walks through St. Johns County’s rules, and see our golf cart insurance page.

Teen drivers, pools and liability

Families with teenagers, pools, boats 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, boat 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, or your closing date for a new home
  • A wind mitigation report, if you have one
  • A pool, golf cart, boat 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.

See also our flood insurance page and where we work.

Frequently asked questions

Is RiverTown in Jacksonville?

No. It’s in unincorporated northwest St. Johns County, south of Jacksonville. That means St. Johns County’s flood maps and evacuation zones apply, not Duval County’s.

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, RiverTown or its developers, or the Rivers Edge, Rivers Edge II or Rivers Edge III Community Development Districts.