WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — About 240 miles north of West Palm Beach and 100 feet above sea level is a part of Florida where skyrocketing insurance rates don't exist.
"We don't get the big storms, and I don't want to jinx it," Ocala-area realtor Courtney Moody said. "We get a rainstorm when you guys get a hurricane."
Lower insurance, she said, is now resulting in an increase in clients relocating to the Central Florida town from South Florida, with as much as 30% of people looking for a move.
"We are an hour to each coast," Moody said. "We're not that far away to go and visit, but I don't want to live there because of the insurance costs."
"When you look at risk compared to the price of home insurance, typically coastal communities such as Palm Beach County are going to pay more than inland counties," Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute said.
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The Insurance.com website most recently listed the average homeowners' insurance premium in Marion County, where Ocala is located, at $1,750.
Risk is only one factor in determining insurance rates, Friedlander said.
"Just because you live in an inland county doesn't mean your risk has disappeared, and that's why in general you might see lower rates, but you're not going to see necessarily bargain-premium living in an inland county,” he said.
For those who aren't moving, Friedlander said there are ways for homeowners to reduce risk and save money.
"In the state of Florida, if you take steps to make your home more resilient to windstorm damage, for example, fortifying your roof, your windows and garage door, steps like that, you'll get discounts," Friedlander said.