King Tide Flood Claim Checklist for Florida Condo Boards (Printable)

Short answer

The short version for a board president

King tide water is flood. Your master property policy excludes it. The claim belongs to the association's flood policy, the RCBAP or a private flood policy. Report it in writing now, photograph every waterline before cleanup, list every piece of below-grade equipment with model and serial numbers, and put the proof of loss date on the calendar. For an October 27 loss under an NFIP policy, the signed and sworn proof of loss is due by December 26, 2026 unless FEMA extends it in writing.

1. 01Make the building safe. Keep people out of flooded electrical rooms and elevator pits until a licensed electrician clears them.
2. 02Send written notice of the loss to the flood carrier today and get a claim number. Send a separate written notice to the property carrier if any rain or wind played a part.
3. 03Photograph and video every waterline with a tape measure in frame. Do this before pumping, drying, or demolition.
4. 04List every damaged item of building equipment: switchgear, panels, elevator machinery, pumps, water heaters, HVAC, fire pump, generators, fuel tanks. Record model and serial numbers.
5. 05Get written findings from a licensed electrician and your elevator contractor. Keep every mitigation invoice.
6. 06Calendar the proof of loss deadline. Do not sign a proof of loss you believe is incomplete.
7. 07Document the building again before the November 22 to 29 and December 22 to 27 king tide cycles so each event stands on its own.

Phase 1. Day 0: safety and shutoffs

• Have the property manager or a licensed electrician de-energize flooded panels and switchgear before anyone enters a wet electrical room. Saltwater and energized equipment are a life safety issue first and a claim second.
• Take elevators out of service if the pit or machine room took water. Call your elevator contractor for an inspection before anyone restores them.
• Shut off gas to flooded water heaters and boilers if you can do it safely, or call the utility.
• Post notices at garage entrances and stairwells. Note the time water entered and the time it receded in the manager's incident log. Those times matter later when a carrier asks which event caused what.
• Save the tide gauge reading and local news coverage for your date of loss as PDFs. NOAA publishes verified water levels for the Trident Pier gauge at Port Canaveral, the Virginia Key gauge in Miami, and others.

Phase 2. Notice to the carriers, in writing

The RCBAP says that in case of a flood loss you must "give prompt written notice to us." Email counts, and it leaves a record. Send it to the agent and to the carrier's claims address shown on the declarations page, and ask for the claim number in reply.

• Flood carrier (RCBAP or private flood): date of loss, building address, a one-paragraph description of where water entered and what it reached, and a request for the adjuster assignment. Keep the description to the event. Do not itemize or value damage in the notice.
• Property (master) carrier: if any rain came through the roof, a window, or a wall opening during the same days, or if wind did anything to the building, give that carrier written notice too. Florida law bars a claim on a property policy if notice is not given within one year of the date of loss, and the flood exclusion in that policy does not excuse you from telling them. Two carriers, two claims, two files.
• Private flood policies set their own notice and proof of loss terms. Read the conditions section of the actual policy. Do not assume it mirrors the NFIP form.
• If the association does not know who writes its flood policy, check the insurance appraisal file, the budget line for flood premium, the lender's escrow records, or ask the agent of record.
• Log every call: date, time, who you spoke with, claim number, what was said. FEMA's own claims checklist tells policyholders to do exactly this.

Phase 3. Photos and video before cleanup

• Photograph every waterline on every wall, column, door, and piece of equipment. Put a tape measure in the frame so the height is readable. Shoot wide, then medium, then close.
• Video a slow walk of the garage, each mechanical room, the elevator pit, the lobby, and any ground-floor common area. Narrate the date, time, and location as you go.
• Photograph the exterior: the street, the seawall, the pool deck, the dock, and the landscaping. The NFIP does not cover most of those, but the pictures prove how high the water got and where it came from.
• Keep the originals with their metadata. Do not send compressed copies through text messages as your only record.
• Do not throw anything away before the adjuster sees it unless it is a health hazard or local law requires removal. If you must discard, keep samples of carpet, flooring, and drywall, and photograph the pile before it leaves.
• Separate damaged from undamaged property and protect what is undamaged. The policy requires it, and it keeps the claim clean.

Phase 4. The below-grade equipment list

This is where condo flood claims are won or lost. NFIP coverage in a basement, or in an enclosure below the lowest elevated floor of an elevated building, is limited to a specific list of items. Most of what fails in a flooded Florida garage is on that list. Build a schedule of every item below, with location, make, model, serial number, age, and condition.

• Main switchgear, meter banks, transformers, and distribution panels.
• Electrical junction and circuit breaker boxes, outlets, and switches.
• Elevator machinery, controllers, pit equipment, and related equipment. The RCBAP covers elevators, dumbwaiters, and related equipment, except related equipment installed below the base flood elevation after September 30, 1987. Your elevator contractor can tell you what was installed when.
• Pumps: sump pumps, domestic water booster pumps, sewage ejector pumps, and the tanks that go with them.
• Water heaters, boilers, furnaces, and heat pumps.
• Central air conditioning equipment and air handlers.
• Fire pump, fire pump controller, jockey pump, and the fire alarm panel if it sits below grade.
• Generators, automatic transfer switches, fuel tanks, and the fuel in them.
• Footings, foundations, posts, pilings, piers, and foundation walls.
• Stairways and staircases attached to the building.
• Required utility connections for every item above.
• Clean-up expense. The policy lists it separately. Keep the invoices.

What is generally not covered in those same below-grade areas: finished walls and floors, paint, trim, lighting beyond the listed electrical items, stored contents, and most personal property. Finished lobby and office space at grade is a different analysis. Ask before you assume either way.

Saltwater is corrosive. Electrical and elevator components that test fine on day 3 can fail on day 30. Do not let the scope be closed on a visual inspection alone. Ask the electrician and the elevator contractor to say in writing whether each component should be replaced, cleaned and tested, or monitored, and why.

Phase 5. Contractor findings and mitigation invoices

• Licensed electrician: written report, by component, stating what was submerged, what was tested, what failed, and what the recommendation is. Ask for the test results, not just a summary.
• Elevator contractor: written report on the pit, the machine room, the controller, and the car, plus a quote to repair or replace.
• Plumber or mechanical contractor: written findings on water heaters, pumps, and HVAC.
• Mitigation: pumping, extraction, drying, dehumidification, antimicrobial treatment, generator rental, temporary power, temporary lighting, security. Keep every invoice and the daily drying logs.
• Utility correspondence: FPL or your utility's notices about disconnection, inspection requirements, and reconnection.
• Ask every vendor to date and sign their report and to describe the cause as flood water, with the date. Vague reports slow claims down.

Phase 6. Board records and resident communications

Florida condominium law requires the association to keep minutes of all board and member meetings as official records, permanently. Treat the flood like any other major board matter: document what the board decided, when, and why.

• Board minutes: the decision to report the claim, the vendors engaged, the emergency spending authorized, and who was assigned to deal with the carrier.
• Resident notices: dated copies of every notice about elevators, power, hot water, parking, and access.
• Property manager's incident log: times, calls, visitors, and vendor arrivals.
• Unit owner communications. Tell owners plainly: the association's flood policy covers the building and common elements. A standard HO-6 condo unit owner policy excludes flood. A unit owner's own NFIP dwelling policy can cover the owner's building items and contents, and it can pay the owner's share of a flood loss assessment the association levies, up to the policy's building limit and subject to its conditions. Owners should ask their own agents now, before any assessment is discussed.
• If a special assessment for flood repairs becomes possible, say so early in writing so owners with flood policies can give their carriers notice.

Phase 7. Document the things the NFIP does not cover anyway

The RCBAP's Property Not Insured section lists, among other things, land, lawns, trees, shrubs, and plants; fences, retaining walls, seawalls, bulkheads, wharves, piers, bridges, and docks; walks, decks, driveways, and patios outside the exterior walls; underground structures such as wells and septic systems; hot tubs, spas, and swimming pools and their equipment; and currency and valuable papers. Photograph all of it anyway.

• Seawall and cap: cracks, displacement, scour behind the wall, sinkholes in the lawn behind it.
• Dock and boat lift: electrical pedestals, pilings, decking.
• Pool deck, pool equipment, and the pool itself.
• Landscaping, irrigation controllers, and site lighting.
• Why bother: a private flood policy or a separate endorsement may cover some of these. The property policy may respond to wind damage on the same items. And a photographed baseline tells you what the next king tide did versus this one.

Phase 8. The sworn proof of loss, 60 days

The RCBAP requires that "within 60 days after the loss" you send the carrier a proof of loss, "which is your statement of the amount you are claiming under the policy signed and sworn to by you." It must include the date and time of loss, a brief explanation of how it happened, your interest in the property, other insurance, specifications of the damaged building and detailed repair estimates, mortgagee names, who occupied the building, and the inventory of damaged personal property if contents are claimed.

Counted from this event: October 26 loss, December 25. October 27 loss, December 26. October 28 loss, December 27. FEMA has extended the window after some large events. Do not plan around an extension until you see it in writing.

The policy says the adjuster may help you complete the form "as a matter of courtesy only," and that you must still send the proof of loss within 60 days even if the adjuster does not furnish the form. It also says that in completing the proof of loss "you must use your own judgment concerning the amount of loss and justify that amount." Read that twice. The number on the proof of loss is the board's number, not the adjuster's.

If the carrier presents a proof of loss based on an estimate the board believes is incomplete, the board is not required to sign it. The association can submit its own proof of loss with its own estimates and documentation, and it can request additional payment later if more damage is found. FEMA's claims checklist says an additional payment can be requested at any time, even after you think the claim has settled. A signed proof of loss for a partial amount is better than a missed deadline. Talk to a public adjuster or an attorney before the deadline if you are unsure.

Phase 9. Denials, underpayments, and the clocks that follow

• If the carrier denies all or part of the claim in writing, you can appeal to FEMA. The appeal must be filed within 60 calendar days of the date on the denial letter. Include the denial letter, the policy number, and your supporting documents.
• The RCBAP says that if you sue, you must start the suit within one year of the date of the written denial of all or part of the claim. Filing an appeal does not extend that year. If you file suit, or complete an appraisal, the FEMA appeal option is gone.
• Coinsurance: RCBAP building coverage carries an 80 percent coinsurance requirement. If the building is insured for less than 80 percent of its replacement cost, or less than the maximum available under the NFIP, the payment is reduced in proportion. Pull the insurance appraisal and the declarations page now so the board knows where it stands.
• Increased Cost of Compliance: if the local building official determines the building is substantially damaged, the policy can pay up to $30,000 toward elevation, floodproofing, relocation, or demolition required by the floodplain ordinance. It is a separate claim with its own proof of loss.
• Mold: the policy excludes mold that results primarily from a condition within your control, including failure to inspect and maintain the property after a flood recedes. Dry the building fast and keep the drying logs.

Phase 10. The next tide cycles: keep the events separate

The National Weather Service office in Melbourne lists the remaining 2026 king tide windows for east central Florida as November 6 to 11, November 22 to 29, and December 21 to 28. South Florida counties list November 22 to 29 and December 22 to 27. Each event that puts water in the building is its own date of loss with its own 60-day clock.

• Before each window: photograph the current condition of the garage, the mechanical rooms, and the exterior so the record shows what was already damaged.
• After each window: new photos, a new incident log entry, and if water entered, a new written notice with the new date of loss.
• Do not let two events blend into one claim file. The carrier will ask which event caused what, and the association should be able to answer with dates.
• Temporary protection: sandbags, flood barriers at garage entrances, raising equipment that can be raised. Keep the receipts. Reasonable steps to protect the property from further damage are part of the claim, and failing to take them can hurt it.

When to bring in a licensed public adjuster

NFIP claims are adjusted by an adjuster working for the Write Your Own insurance company that services the policy. That adjuster works for the carrier. A Florida licensed public adjuster works for the policyholder. On a condo flood claim, the work is documentation: building the below-grade equipment schedule, getting the contractor findings into usable form, separating flood from rain or wind, preparing the proof of loss, and keeping the deadlines.

Consider getting help if the loss involves switchgear, elevators, or a fire pump; if the first estimate came back as a cleaning and testing allowance when your contractors say replace; if the board is being asked to sign a proof of loss it does not understand; if the proof of loss deadline is inside 30 days; or if the building has both a flood claim and a property claim running at the same time. A public adjuster does not give legal advice and cannot promise an outcome. Questions about the association's governing documents, assessments, or a lawsuit belong with association counsel.

Commonly Asked Questions

Related

• Download the printable checklist (PDF) →
• RCBAP: how condo association flood insurance works →
• The NFIP proof of loss: 60 days, explained →
• NFIP flood claim, step by step →
• NFIP claim denied or underpaid: the appeal →
• SCCA member checklist for Space Coast boards →
• King tide flood claims in South Florida →
• Your building flooded in Florida: what to do →
• Rain flooding vs flood insurance: which policy →
• Proof of loss forms in Florida →
• Wind vs flood damage →
• Underpaid or denied claim: what to do next →
• Condo association claims in Florida →
• Should you hire a public adjuster? →

About the Author

James Coyne

Florida Licensed Public Adjuster, License W482618. Founder of Coyne Commercial Group, Firm License G350978, Sanford, Florida. Represents commercial property owners, condominium and HOA associations, and homeowners on insurance claims statewide.

Sources

• FEMA, NFIP Residential Condominium Building Association Policy, Standard Flood Insurance Policy (F-144, October 2021): flood definition, basement coverage list, Property Not Insured, Requirements in Case of Loss, Suit Against Us, Coinsurance
• FEMA, NFIP Dwelling Form Standard Flood Insurance Policy (F-122, October 2021): Condominium Loss Assessments, III.C.3
• FEMA NFIP, Flood Insurance Claims Checklist (January 2026)
• FEMA NFIP, Summary of Coverage: Residential Condominium Buildings (May 2024)
• FloodSmart.gov, Appeal a Claim: 60 calendar days from the date on the denial letter; one year to file suit
• FloodSmart.gov, Increased Cost of Compliance coverage: up to $30,000
• NOAA Tides and Currents, Trident Pier, Port Canaveral (station 8721604), verified water levels October 26 to 28, 2026, MHHW datum
• National Weather Service Melbourne, King Tides: 2026 date windows for east central Florida
• Town of South Palm Beach, 2026 King Tides: November 22 to 29 and December 22 to 27
• Fla. Stat. 718.111(11) and (12): association insurance, optional flood coverage, minutes kept as official records
• Fla. Stat. 627.70132: notice of a property insurance claim within 1 year of the date of loss
• Fla. Stat. 626.854: public adjuster definition, duties, and advertisement notice

This page is for general information, not legal advice or a coverage determination. Confirm any deadline or obligation against your policy, your association’s governing documents, and current Florida law.