Whether you live in Tampa, Miami, or anywhere else in the Sunshine State, a Florida pet insurance policy can prevent you from paying expensive vet bills and get treatment for your pet when it has an accident.
Taking your pet to the vet when it comes down with a fever or breaks a bone is never cheap. In fact, simple procedures or exams can cost thousands of dollars out of pocket unless you have pet health insurance.
The This Old House Reviews team received sample quotes, researched policies, and read customer reviews of the best pet insurance companies in Florida to help you find a provider that’s right for you and your pet.
Compare Other Pet Companies
Florida’s Best Pet Insurance Providers
Here are the top providers of pet insurance for Floridians:
- Spot: Most Customizable Plans
- Embrace: Best Deductibles
- Fetch Pet Insurance: Best Holistic Coverage
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Best for New Pet Owners
- Healthy Paws: Best Coverage Limit
- Prudent Pet: Most Comprehensive Plan
- Figo: Best for Extra Coverage Add-Ons
Spot: Most Customizable Plans
Spot scored a 91 out of 100 in our review and prioritizes affordability for all pet owners by offering customizable plans.
Spot Pet Insurance Highlights:
- Highly customizable: six annual limits, five deductibles, and three reimbursement percentages to choose from
- Great for cheap coverage
- Not the best fit for pet owners wanting 24/7 customer service or a comprehensive wellness plan
Learn More: Spot Pet Insurance Review
Embrace: Best Deductibles
We gave Embrace a 93.5 out of 100.
Embrace Highlights:
- Five pet insurance deductible options
- “Healthy Pet Deductible” diminishes your deductible by $50 each year you don’t file a claim
- If your pet rarely has health issues, the deducible you owe during a claim could be $0
Learn More: Embrace Pet Insurance Review
Fetch Pet Insurance: Best Holistic Coverage
Fetch scored a 91.5 out of 100 in our national review of top pet insurance providers, standing out for its comprehensive holistic care coverage. It covers therapies, such as stem cell therapy, homeotherapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic care.
Fetch Pet Insurance Highlights:
- Unlimited annual coverage cap option
- Up to $1,000 of behavioral therapy coverage
- Mobile app for filing claims and managing your policy
Learn More: Fetch Pet Insurance Review
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Best for New Pet Owners
Scoring an 89 out of 100, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is an ideal choice for new pet owners, since it provides a local vet finder tool, resources on pet breeds and their common health issues, and coverage for microchip implantation.
ASPCA Highlights:
- Five customizable annual coverage limit options
- Lower prices in Florida compared with other providers
- Pet insurance provider comparison tool on its website
Learn More: ASPCA Pet Insurance Review
Healthy Paws: Best Coverage Limit
Healthy Paws scored a 93.5 out of 100 in our national review and is typically ranked near the top of our recommendations, but we ranked it lower in this article since its pricing in Florida was significantly higher than competitors.
Healthy Paws Highlights:
- Great choice if you’re looking for a policy with no per-incident, annual, or lifetime limits
- While Healthy Paws pricing is high in Florida, coverage is still very comprehensive
Learn More: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
Prudent Pet: Most Comprehensive Plan
With a score of 95 out of 100, Prudent Pet is one of the top pet insurance providers in Florida for its comprehensive Ultimate Plan.
Ultimate Plan Highlights:
- Covers accidents & illnesses, plus unlimited annual benefit
- Features unique coverage for advertising and reward costs for lost pets, boarding fees, replacement costs for stolen animals, morality costs, and vacation cancellation fees
However, this provider doesn’t offer a wellness care add-on in Florida, so we recommend choosing another provider if you need preventive insurance coverage.
Learn More: Prudent Pet Insurance Review
Figo: Best for Extra Coverage Add-Ons
We gave Figo a score of 93 out of 100 for its optional third-party liability coverage. Third-party liability coverage is insurance that protects you from being sued for damage your pet caused outside of your property, such as broken pickets on a neighbor’s fence that occurred as a result of your dog scratching at the fence or trying to dig underneath it.
Figo’s third-party liability insurance has an annual cap of $10,000. Additionally, Figo’s add-on options include reimbursements for lost-pet advertising and reward money and cremation and burial costs in the event of your pet’s death.
Figo Highlights:
- Reduces your deductible each year you do not file a claim
- Covers older dogs and cats regardless of their age
- Has a Pet Cloud app that can be used for virtual vet visits and to connect with other pet owners in your area
Learn More: Figo Pet Insurance Review
Compare the Best Pet Insurance Brands in Florida
Taking your furry friend to the vet can be a big hit to your wallet. Being prepared for accidents and illnesses can help prevent you from a major financial set back.
Easily compare the top pet health insurance plans in the Sunshine State:
Superlative |
Reimbursement Choices |
Deductible Options |
Star Rating |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall |
70%, 80%, 90% |
$100, $250, $500 |
4.5/5 |
|
Most Customizable Plans |
70%, 80%, 90% |
$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000 |
4.4/5 |
|
Best Deductibles |
70%, 80%, 90% |
$200, $300, $500, $750, $1,000 |
4.5/5 |
|
Best for New Pet Owners |
70%, 80%, 90% |
$100, $250, $500 |
4.5/5 |
|
Best Holistic Coverage |
70%, 80%, 90% |
$250, $300, $500 |
4/5 |
|
Best Coverage Limit |
Varies |
Varies |
4.5/5 |
|
Most Comprehensive Plan |
70%, 80%, 90% |
70%, 80%, 90% |
4.5/5 |
|
Best Extra Coverage Add-On |
70%, 80%, 90%, 100% |
Varies |
4.5/5 |
|
Best for Dental Coverage |
90% |
$100, $250 or $500 |
4/5 |
*Based on sample quotes for a mixed four-year-old dog in Miami, Florida (33131 ZIP code)
What Is Pet Insurance?
Make sure you understand what pet insurance does and the types of coverage available before learning more about top providers in Florida. Below is a short video that explains the key concepts you need to know about pet insurance.
How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost in Florida?
When shopping for pet insurance, price can be an important factor. Do you want the cheapest pet insurance or a policy that offers more? Here are some ballpark figures before you get a few quotes:
Based on the sample quotes we received for a variety of dog and cat breeds in a few different zip codes in Florida, standard accident and illness plans average around $30–$60 per month for dogs and $15–$30 per month for cats.
Here are a few factors that can affect monthly premiums and tips on how to decrease them:
- Breed: One of the biggest variables that will affect your pet insurance premium is the breed of your dog or cat. Some breeds, such as golden retrievers or poodles, are notoriously more expensive than smaller or mixed breeds due to their susceptibility to illnesses and injuries. If an insurance carrier deems a breed riskier than others, it will raise premiums to reflect that.
- Age: Older cats or dogs are more expensive to insure since they’re more likely to experience health issues. Purchasing insurance for your animal while it’s young is a great way to keep pricing low.
- Location: Based on our research, plans in densely populated areas like Miami or Tampa are more expensive than plans in areas like Jacksonville or Pensacola. This factor is based on each company’s analysis of veterinary pricing in the area. If your local vets cost more than other cities, your premiums will likely be higher.
- Customization: If you’re not happy with your quoted premium, you can customize it by lowering your annual limits and reimbursement percentages while raising your annual deductible. This gives pet owners the opportunity to only pay for what they need, but it can result in maxing out coverage during the policy term.
- Discounts: To lower your monthly premium, check for eligible discounts from each provider while shopping for your pet insurance policy. For example, Spot and Prudent Pet offer a 10% discount for each additional pet you add to your policy, and Embrace offers a 5% military discount to active duty members.
Pet Laws in Florida
As with many states in the US, Florida has specific laws in regards to pets and pet ownership.
One of the most notable statewide pet laws is the Dangerous Dog law. Part of this law says the pet owner is responsible for injuries when the dog bites another person. This pertains to a person bitten in public or lawfully in a private location.
There are other local pet laws in Florida as well. Some of those include:
- It is considered to be “willfully negligent” for owners to allow animals to be off-leash in public areas in Clay County, Florida.
- Dogs cannot be tethered in extreme heat (nor should they be) in Miami-Dade County. They also cannot be tethered to other dogs.
- You can be fined if your dog is at least four months old and not vaccinated against rabies. You can also be fined if you fail to keep up with 12-month boosters.
Our Conclusion
As a pet parent in Florida, you can receive peace of mind that your furry friend gets the medical attention it needs after an unexpected incident with a pet insurance policy.
Whether Spot has your attention for its customizable plans or you want the flexibility Embrace’s deductible options provide, our recommendation to readers is to get quotes from a few different companies based on your location and pet’s information to compare offers.
Other Florida Home Service Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews team is dedicated to thorough, in-depth reviews of each product or service that we detail in our content. Determined to build trust with our readers through transparency, accuracy, and accountability, we’ve built a detailed rating system to score pet insurance brands. Included in this methodology are the following six factors with their respective scoring weights:
- Coverage (25)
- Plan options (20)
- Monthly cost (20)
- Company reputation (15)
- Customer service (10)
- Species eligibility (10)
Our researchers keep all data in each company’s score up to date, making any changes to our content when necessary to provide our readers with the most accurate information on relevant metrics, such as plan options, customer service, reputation, and monthly cost.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.