As the owner of a commercial building and or business here in Florida you need to make sure you protect your investments by having flood insurance policies in place before a disaster happens.

It could strike in the form of a tropical storm, a hurricane, or even an internal burst pipe. In a matter of minutes your livelihood could be in jeopardy. Flood insurance guarantees you the ability to clean up, rebuild if necessary, and replace any damaged items incurred by the moisture.

Flood insurance policies normally take 30 days from the date of inception to go into effect, so don't wait until a flood warning is in effect. The time to buy your policy is now.

Many people think that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) will cover your flood damage, should a disaster occur. They rely on it to be there in the event of an emergency. The problem with going that route is that unless an actual emergency situation is declared by the state and federal government, even though in your mind and to your property it is a true emergency, funds are not released. Adding to that very non-stable base, there is a cap on claims of $250,000. So if your business is washed away or incurs damage beyond that, you are left with the expense out of pocket. Relying on FEMA you also run the risk that their nest egg of fund may run low and not allow them the ability to make payouts to every single individual as needed or in a timely basis so that you can reopen and re-establish your business and income stream. Along with The National Flood Insurance Program, we also have access to many private flood insurance markets that may offer higher limits than the National Flood Program, at a competitive cost.

Choosing to cover your property with a private policy is your best and safest bet. It guarantees all valid claims will be paid out directly to you, the property owner and at the policy levels, you set yourself. Not those mandated by the government.

While the major coverages are the same, a business flood policy differs from a personal flood policy in some technical respects. Ask Centennial Insurance Services agents to explain all the differences and options.