A homeowner in Plantation walks out the back door the morning after a tropical storm and finds the pool cage flattened across the deck. Twin aluminum beams snapped at the column footings, two screen panels shredded into the pool, the rest of the cage tilted at an angle no one wants to look at. The screen-repair company comes out the same week and quotes $32,000 to demolish what is left and rebuild to the current Florida Building Code. The homeowner files the claim. Three weeks later the adjuster calls back with two pieces of news. The first is that the cage damage is covered under the Limited Screened Enclosure Endorsement on the policy. The second is that the endorsement caps payout at $10,000, applies the hurricane deductible against that $10,000, and settles on Actual Cash Value rather than replacement cost. The check, after depreciation and the deductible, is for less than the cost of hauling the old cage to the dump.
Pool screen enclosures are one of the most misunderstood coverages on a Florida homeowners policy. Most homeowners assume the cage is included with the house because it is physically attached to it. Most policies treat the cage as a separate, optional, endorsement-only piece of coverage with a low sub-limit and a depreciated payout. The gap between those two assumptions is where homeowners get hurt. This guide walks through how Florida HO-3 forms actually handle screened enclosures, what the Limited Screened Enclosure and Carport Endorsement does, how Citizens treats the same structure, the deductible math that decides whether a claim is worth filing at all, and how to size coverage before the next storm.
Pull your declarations page now and look for any of these line items: 'Limited Screened Enclosure,' 'Carport Coverage,' 'Coverage L Enclosure,' or 'Hurricane Coverage for Screened Enclosures.' If none of those appear, your pool cage is almost certainly excluded from hurricane and named-storm coverage. The exclusion is in the policy whether or not the agent ever flagged it at binding.
Why Pool Cages Are Excluded from the Base Florida HO-3
Almost every Florida HO-3 policy form contains an exclusion that strips coverage from any structure constructed to be open to the weather. The language varies by carrier but the structures captured are consistent: aluminum-framed screened enclosures, screen pool cages, carports, awnings, pergolas, gazebos, tiki huts, and lanais with screen or fabric roofing. The reasoning is straightforward from the carrier's perspective. These structures are designed with porous roofs and walls that present a much larger windload to hurricanes than a hardened residence, they fail at lower wind speeds than the main dwelling, and they generate frequent, expensive claims in a state where the average pool cage costs roughly $12 to $14 per square foot to rebuild new.
The exclusion is usually written into both Coverage A (Dwelling) and Coverage B (Other Structures). That means even if the cage is physically attached to the rear of the house, even if it shares a roofline with the lanai, even if the building department treats it as part of the structure, the homeowners policy does not pay for hurricane damage to it unless a screened enclosure endorsement has been added. The result is one of the most common surprises in Florida homeowners insurance: a homeowner sees the cage in the same building footprint as the house and assumes the coverage follows, then learns at claim time that it does not.
Where coverage may already be automatic
There is one fact pattern where coverage may already be built into the base policy. If the screened area sits underneath the main roof of the house (a lanai or covered porch whose ceiling is the same hardened roof system as the rest of the home), the area is generally treated as part of the dwelling under Coverage A, and the screen panels and frames within it may be covered without an endorsement. Carriers and policy forms vary here, so read the actual language. The line that matters is whether the screen system is the roof or whether the screen system is under a roof. If it is under a hardened roof, it is usually covered; if the screen system itself is the roof, it is excluded.
The Limited Screened Enclosure and Carport Endorsement
The mechanism Florida carriers use to put coverage back on the cage is the Limited Screened Enclosure and Carport Endorsement (sometimes labeled Limited Pool Cage Coverage, Coverage L, or a similar carrier-specific name). The endorsement is optional, separately rated, and almost always sub-limited well below the actual replacement cost of the structure.
Typical limit options
Most Florida carriers offer the endorsement in fixed-dollar tiers, commonly $10,000, $25,000, and $50,000, with $10,000 increments available on some forms. A handful of carriers cap at $50,000 regardless of the actual replacement cost of the structure; a smaller number write higher limits on request and on a case-by-case basis with photos of the cage.
| Cage Size (square feet) | Replacement Cost (approx.) | Endorsement Tier That Covers It |
|---|---|---|
| 800 sq ft (small lanai) | $10,000–$12,000 | $10,000 endorsement may fall short |
| 1,400 sq ft (typical pool cage) | $17,500–$20,000 | $25,000 endorsement |
| 2,200 sq ft (large pool + patio) | $27,500–$32,000 | $50,000 endorsement; consider higher |
| 3,500 sq ft (extended panoramic) | $45,000–$55,000 | $50,000 endorsement falls short |
Replacement-cost figures above are 2026 ballpark estimates based on $12.50–$13.50 per square foot for new Standard View construction in Florida; mid-view, panoramic, and Clearview systems run more. Aluminum prices have climbed sharply since 2020 and policy limits set years ago will not keep up with current rebuild costs. The right limit is the one that covers the full replacement of the cage today, not the limit the carrier defaulted to at last renewal.
Frame versus screen mesh
Most endorsements cover the aluminum frame structure of the cage. Many do not cover the screen mesh itself. The split matters in two scenarios: a windstorm that shreds the mesh but leaves the frame standing (most common), and a partial cage failure where the frame survives but every panel needs to be re-screened. Florida rescreen costs run roughly $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot installed, so a 1,400-square-foot cage runs $2,100 to $4,900 just to re-mesh. Read the endorsement to confirm whether the screen system is included or whether it falls into a Coverage C personal property category, which typically has its own deductible and its own sub-limit.
ACV versus replacement cost
Many Florida screen enclosure endorsements pay on Actual Cash Value (replacement cost minus depreciation), even when the underlying dwelling coverage is written at replacement cost. A 15-year-old aluminum cage that costs $25,000 to rebuild new might depreciate at 3 percent to 4 percent per year, producing a 45 to 60 percent depreciation hit. The ACV check on a fully destroyed cage in that scenario runs $10,000 to $13,500 against a $25,000 rebuild bill. The remainder comes out of the homeowner's pocket. A small number of carriers do offer screen enclosure endorsements on a replacement-cost basis; verify the settlement basis on the endorsement page itself, not on the agent's quote summary.
How Citizens Handles Screened Enclosures
Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last resort, writes a meaningful share of Florida homes and treats pool cages on the same basic structure: excluded from the base policy, covered only through a Limited Screened Enclosure Endorsement, with the screen mesh typically not included and the payout on an ACV basis. Citizens has tightened the coverage available for these structures over the last several rate cycles, and several of the discretionary upgrades that used to be available have been withdrawn or capped at lower limits. If your home is on a Citizens policy and the pool cage matters to you, read the current declarations page and the current endorsement; do not rely on memory of how the policy was written at first binding.
Citizens HO-3 forms typically exclude carports, porches, aluminum-framed screened enclosures, screen pool cages, and similar structures constructed to be open to the weather. Coverage comes back only by adding the Limited Screened Enclosure and Carport endorsement, and even then the mesh and roof material are commonly excluded.
The Hurricane Deductible Math Most Homeowners Miss
Florida Statute § 627.701 requires every personal lines residential property policy to offer hurricane deductible options of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent, or 10 percent of the dwelling limit. For a home with a $400,000 Coverage A, a 2 percent hurricane deductible is $8,000, a 5 percent deductible is $20,000, and a 10 percent deductible is $40,000. The deductible applies on an annual calendar-year basis: if a second hurricane hits the same home in the same calendar year, the remaining unused portion of the deductible carries forward, and the homeowner does not start over from scratch.
The trap on pool cage claims is that most policies apply the hurricane deductible across the entire policy, not against each coverage separately. A $25,000 screen enclosure endorsement does not have its own $1,000 standalone deductible. When a named storm flattens the cage and nothing else, the hurricane deductible applies first; the cage endorsement pays whatever is left, up to the endorsement limit, and on whatever settlement basis the endorsement specifies.
Worked example
A $400,000 dwelling, 2 percent hurricane deductible ($8,000), and a $25,000 Limited Screened Enclosure Endorsement on an ACV basis. A named storm destroys a 12-year-old aluminum cage that costs $22,000 to rebuild new. The carrier calculates ACV at roughly 55 percent of replacement cost ($12,100), then subtracts the $8,000 hurricane deductible. The check is $4,100 against a $22,000 rebuild. If the endorsement were on a replacement-cost basis instead, the check would be $14,000 ($22,000 minus the $8,000 deductible). The difference between the two settlement bases on the same loss is roughly $10,000.
Run this math on your own policy before the next storm. If your Coverage A is high enough that the hurricane deductible by itself exceeds the cage replacement cost, the screen enclosure endorsement may pay nothing on a cage-only loss. Some Florida homeowners with $700,000 dwelling limits and 5 percent hurricane deductibles ($35,000) are paying premium for a $25,000 cage endorsement that will never trigger on a cage-only claim, because the deductible alone exhausts the cage value. In that case the right move is usually to drop the endorsement and self-insure the cage.
Building Code and the Real Cost of Rebuilding
When the cage is destroyed and you rebuild, the replacement has to meet the current Florida Building Code, not the code in force when the original cage was built. Miami-Dade and Broward sit inside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), where pool enclosures must be designed to wind loads under Florida Building Code Chapter 16 and engineered to design speeds that range from roughly 156 mph to 195 mph depending on risk category. Permit applications in HVHZ counties typically require engineer-sealed plans. Removable vinyl or acrylic glazed panels must carry a decal stating that the panel must be removed when wind speeds exceed 75 mph.
Two practical consequences follow. The first is that an aluminum cage built in 1998 to the pre-1994 wind code will not be replaced as a like-for-like rebuild; it has to be upgraded to current code, which costs more. The second is that a screen enclosure endorsement that does not include any Ordinance or Law component leaves the code-upgrade delta uncovered. If your dwelling policy carries Ordinance or Law coverage at 25 percent or 50 percent of Coverage A, confirm whether that coverage extends to the screened enclosure rebuild or whether it is limited to the dwelling only. Most homeowners assume the broader Ordinance or Law limit covers the cage rebuild; in many forms, it does not.
Wind, Hurricane, and Non-Storm Damage Are Treated Differently
The hurricane exclusion that strips base coverage from a pool cage is specific to losses caused by the peril of hurricane, sometimes broadened to include all named-storm wind. Damage from a non-hurricane source, such as a falling tree, a vehicle backing through the cage, vandalism, or a fire spreading from the main dwelling, is usually covered under the base policy's other-structures coverage without the endorsement. The exclusion is also not absolute on every form: a small number of Florida carriers cover screen enclosures up to a sub-limit against all perils including hurricane without a separate endorsement. Read your declarations page before assuming you have or do not have coverage; the answer depends on the specific carrier and form.
- check_circleFalling tree (non-hurricane): typically covered under Coverage B, subject to the all-other-perils deductible.
- check_circleVehicle impact: typically covered under Coverage B, subject to the all-other-perils deductible.
- check_circleFire spread from dwelling: typically covered under Coverage B, subject to the all-other-perils deductible.
- check_circleHurricane wind: typically excluded from Coverage A and Coverage B; coverage requires the screened enclosure endorsement, subject to the hurricane deductible.
- check_circleNamed-storm wind (non-hurricane): varies by carrier; some treat the same as hurricane, some treat as ordinary wind under Coverage B.
- check_circleWear, age, corrosion, gradual rust: never covered; the policy excludes deterioration regardless of the peril language.
Right-Sizing Coverage Before the Next Storm
The work to right-size pool cage coverage takes about an hour and is mostly about reading the documents you already have. Pull the declarations page and the screened enclosure endorsement (if any). Measure the cage in square feet (length times width of the footprint, then add the slope of the roof for an honest estimate). Multiply by $13 per square foot as a 2026 ballpark for a Standard View aluminum rebuild in Florida. Compare that number to the endorsement limit on the policy. If the limit is materially below replacement cost, raise it at next renewal. If the endorsement settles on ACV and the cage is more than 10 years old, ask whether the carrier writes a replacement-cost version of the same endorsement and what it costs.
Then run the hurricane deductible math once. If the deductible alone exceeds the realistic cage replacement cost, the endorsement is not protecting you on a cage-only loss; either drop the endorsement and self-insure or shop a carrier whose form applies a separate, smaller deductible to the screened enclosure coverage (a handful do). And before hurricane season, do the physical work the policy expects: remove vinyl and acrylic panels rated for less than 75 mph, store loose furniture and grills inside the main dwelling, and document the pre-loss condition of the cage with timestamped photos. Florida claims often turn on whether the homeowner can show what the cage looked like the week before the storm.
The Bottom Line
Almost every Florida HO-3 policy form excludes screen pool cages and aluminum-framed enclosures from the base coverage, on the theory that these structures are built to be open to the weather and fail at lower wind speeds than the hardened dwelling. The Limited Screened Enclosure and Carport Endorsement puts coverage back, usually in fixed-dollar tiers from $10,000 to $50,000, often on an ACV settlement basis, and often excluding the screen mesh itself. Citizens treats these structures the same way and has tightened the available limits over the last several rate cycles. The hurricane deductible under § 627.701 applies to the entire policy and frequently absorbs most or all of a cage-only payout, especially on higher-value homes with 5 or 10 percent deductibles. Match the endorsement limit to the realistic rebuild cost in 2026 dollars, verify the settlement basis on the endorsement itself rather than on the quote summary, run the deductible math before assuming the coverage will pay, and document the cage with photos every hurricane season. The endorsement is cheap insurance when it is sized correctly; it is dead premium when it is not.