Updated October 30, 2026.

We’re an independent insurance agency in Gainesville, about 40 minutes north of Ocala, in business since 1983. Florida agency license L055907, held by Lee C. McGriff and Mack Williams Insurance Agency, Inc. We work with Ocala and Marion County families by phone, email and video. This page is for owners of larger and custom homes who want their home, auto and umbrella coverage to work together, and who want to understand the questions that come up as a home’s value and a family’s assets grow.

Ocala’s higher value neighborhoods

  • Golden Ocala (NW Ocala) is a gated golf community with ten neighborhoods (Golden Ocala).
  • Country Club of Ocala (SE Ocala) had a median listing price of $1.2 million in September 2026 (Realtor.com). Homes there run from 2,000 to more than 7,000 square feet, behind a 24/7 manned gate (Florida’s Choice Realty blog).

Horse farms and acreage homes outside the city raise their own questions, such as barns, fencing and liability for visitors. Tell us how the property is used so we can look at the right kind of policy.

Rebuild cost, not market value

Your dwelling limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild the home, not what it would sell for. On a custom home, those numbers can be far apart. Custom millwork, imported stone, high ceilings, specialty roofing and outdoor kitchens can all cost more to replace than a sales comparison suggests, and the land under the home isn’t part of the rebuild cost at all.

Before issuing a homeowners policy, a Florida insurer must offer replacement cost coverage and law and ordinance coverage (section 627.7011(1), Florida Statutes). Law and ordinance coverage helps pay the added cost of meeting current building codes when damaged parts of the home are repaired or rebuilt. It can be limited to 25% or 50% of the dwelling limit, and a policy covering the dwelling includes the 25% level unless you reject it in writing (section 627.7011(2)). On an older or custom home, it’s worth asking which level you have.

If you’ve renovated, added a room, replaced the roof or upgraded finishes since the policy was written, let us know. A limit set years ago may not match the home you have today.

Citizens and higher value homes

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Florida’s state-created insurer, limits eligibility by a home’s dwelling replacement cost. Under section 627.351(6)(a)3., Florida Statutes, a home with a dwelling replacement cost of $700,000 or more is generally not eligible for Citizens coverage, with a higher $1 million limit only in counties where the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation finds there isn’t a reasonable degree of competition. Citizens policyholders with a dwelling replacement cost of $400,000 or more have also had to carry flood insurance for policies effective on or after January 1, 2026 (section 627.351(6)(aa)). See our Citizens flood requirement page.

Valuables, collections and the things inside

Jewelry, watches, art, silver, firearms and collections often have special limits on a standard homeowners policy, especially for theft. Ask whether scheduling them separately makes sense. A scheduled item is usually listed with a description and a value, and an appraisal or receipt helps. Keep photos and records somewhere other than the house, and update values when you add to a collection.

Contents coverage matters too. A larger home usually holds more furniture, electronics and clothing than the default contents limit assumes, so it helps to walk through the house room by room.

Liability, auto and umbrella

The more you have, the more there is to protect. A pool, a dock, guests, household help, a teen driver or a golf cart can all lead to a liability claim.

  • Personal umbrella. 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 personal umbrella page.
  • Auto. Newer vehicles, teens reaching driving age and adult children still on the policy all change your auto picture. See auto insurance.
  • Golf carts and LSVs. If you drive one in a community or on public roads, see our golf cart and LSV guide.

Wind mitigation on a larger home

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. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation posts the form on its wind mitigation resources page. Wind mitigation reports matter mainly for homes built in 2001 or earlier. If your newer home has impact rated windows and doors, ask us whether a report would help. The inspection may be at your own cost. McGriff-Williams Insurance doesn’t do wind mitigation inspections.

Also check your hurricane deductible. It’s usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, so on a higher limit the dollar amount can be larger than many owners expect.

Sinkholes and ground movement

Marion County sits on limestone. The Florida Geological Survey’s database of reported subsidence incidents listed 491 reports in Marion County as of October 30, 2026, and 3 of them were marked as verified sinkholes. Reports are voluntary and many aren’t verified, so a nearby report doesn’t mean a property has a sinkhole, and having no report nearby doesn’t mean one can’t form.

Homeowners policies from admitted insurers must include catastrophic ground cover collapse, which has a narrow definition. Broader sinkhole loss coverage must be offered for an additional premium, and the insurer may inspect first (section 627.706, Florida Statutes). See our Marion County sinkhole guide.

Flood

Homeowners policies generally exclude flood, so flood coverage is a separate policy. In Marion County, nearly half of NFIP flood claims from 1979 through mid 2026 (115 of 237, or 49%) were on buildings rated in moderate to low risk zones (B, C or X), not high risk zones, according to FEMA’s OpenFEMA claims data as of September 8, 2026. A higher value home may also need more building coverage than the NFIP’s limit, so ask about options above it. Check your address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, and see our flood guides.

What to have ready for a review

  • Your current declarations pages for home, auto and any umbrella
  • Year built, roof year and roof type, and any recent renovations
  • A 4-point or wind mitigation report, if you have one
  • A list of valuables with appraisals or receipts
  • Who lives in the household and who drives

Options vary by home and by insurance company. A licensed member of our team can review your coverage, explain the trade-offs in plain English and compare options from the insurance companies we represent. Coverage isn’t in place until it’s bound.

See also home insurance in Ocala and Marion County. Back to Ocala insurance.

Talk with us

Want a second look at coverage on a larger Ocala home? Call (352) 371-7977 or contact us.

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 or Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, or with any community or real estate company named on this page. 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).