Florida flood disclosure law now requires sellers to report past flooding, flood claims and repair aid

ORLANDO, Fla. – November 14, 2026 – Florida flood disclosure law now requires every residential seller to tell the buyer, in writing and at or before the signing of the sales contract, whether flooding damaged the home during their ownership, whether they filed a flood insurance claim and whether they received any assistance for flood damage. Voyance Real Estate LLC, the Orlando brokerage led by broker and owner Alex D. Silva, REALTOR®, has published a guide that walks owners of hurricane-damaged homes through those questions and the selling paths that follow.

Section 689.302 of the Florida Statutes was created in 2024. In 2025 the Legislature widened it through Senate Bill 948. Sellers must now disclose any known flooding that damaged the property, not only flooding tied to an insurance claim, and any repair assistance, not only federal aid. The expanded form took effect on October 1, 2025, according to Florida Realtors.

The form sits on top of a long-standing Florida rule from the 1985 Florida Supreme Court decision Johnson v. Davis: a home seller must disclose known facts that materially affect value and that a buyer cannot readily observe. Repaired storm damage can be one of those facts. Selling as-is does not remove the duty.

The Voyance guide lays out three paths for owners in Central and South Florida. The first is selling as-is, priced for the home’s current condition, which is usually the fastest listing route. The second is repairing first, which can support a higher price when the insurance payout and timeline allow and the work is permitted. The third is selling with a claim still open, which takes coordination because claim checks are often made out to both the owner and the mortgage company.

Key points

• 3 questions every Florida residential seller now answers on the flood disclosure
• Oct. 1, 2025: expanded disclosure in effect
• 1985: Johnson v. Davis, the Florida disclosure precedent
• 21 years in real estate for Alex D. Silva, a Florida licensee since 2005
• Service in English, Spanish and Portuguese

“After a storm, most sellers want to know what the house is worth. The better first question is what they have to disclose, because that answer shapes the price, the buyer pool and whether the deal survives the buyer’s insurance review. I want every owner I work with walking into a listing with the paperwork already done and no surprises waiting at the closing table,” said Alex D. Silva, REALTOR®, broker and owner of Voyance Real Estate.

Records make a damaged home easier to price and easier for a buyer to insure. The guide recommends keeping together the claim number and adjuster reports, contractor estimates and invoices, before-and-after photos, permits and final inspections, and any FEMA or SBA correspondence. Buyers’ insurers often require a 4-point or wind mitigation inspection, and insurance problems can cancel a sale late in the process, so Voyance reviews insurability before listing. Voyance Real Estate is a brokerage, not a cash buyer, and provides general real estate information rather than legal advice. Sellers are advised to ask a Florida real estate attorney what to put in writing.

The full guide is published at https://voyancerealestate.com/sell/sell-hurricane-damaged-house-florida/.

About Voyance Real Estate

Voyance Real Estate LLC (Florida brokerage license CQ1055970) is an Orlando brokerage founded in 2018 and led by broker and owner Alex D. Silva (Florida broker license BK3153327). It handles residential and commercial sales across Central and South Florida, including short sales, probate and storm-damaged homes, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. More at https://voyancerealestate.com.

Media Contact
Company Name: Voyance Real Estate LLC
Contact Person: Alex D. Silva
Email: Send Email
Phone: (407) 472-9854
City: Orlando
State: Florida
Country: United States
Website: https://voyancerealestate.com

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