TAMPA - The state covers two-thirds of the cost for certain storm-resilient home upgrades, up to $10,000 per household.

Homeowner Kendall Trosky of Tampa spent thousands on upgrades with the expectation of lower premiums but saw her premium rise instead.

Replacement cost estimators—which insurers do not have to disclose—can push premiums higher after upgrades.

For Trosky and many others pulled out of Citizens Insurance into takeout companies, shopping around for a lower rate isn’t an option. It can leave families paying more despite making state-backed improvements.

We don’t know how insurers calculate replacement costs, since they are not legally required to share their models. Following information requests to the office of Governor DeSantis and Florida’s CFO, we are unable to ve

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