Citizens Property Insurance was built as the insurer of last resort, and the state would rather it were smaller. Depopulation is the mechanism: private carriers are approved to assume blocks of Citizens policies, and the policyholder gets a letter.
Citizens reported roughly 294,000 policies in force in mid-May 2026, down from about 819,000 a year earlier and from a peak near 1.42 million in October 2023 (Citizens, figures published to its depopulation pages). Whatever else that is, it is a lot of letters.
What the letter is asking
It is telling you a private carrier has offered to assume your policy, and asking whether you want to stay with Citizens. The mechanics matter: for many offers, doing nothing means the transfer goes ahead. The deadline is short and the letter does not read like a deadline.
There is also an eligibility rule with teeth. If a private offer comes in at or under a defined margin above your Citizens premium, you can become ineligible for Citizens on renewal whether or not you accept. That is the part most people miss, because it means declining is not always a way of staying put.
The questions worth asking
Who is the assuming carrier and what is their financial rating. What is the new premium, and is it comparable at the same deductibles and the same coverage A. Does the new policy carry the same hurricane deductible, the same roof settlement basis, and the same flood exclusions you already understood. And what is the carrier’s actual claims record in Southwest Florida, which is not the same question as the rating.
Bring the letter to any office before you respond. We will read the offer against your current declarations page and tell you what changes, and there is no obligation attached to that conversation.