One of the most common worries I hear from buyers looking at a home that is not brand new goes something like this: “The windows aren’t impact rated, so is this house safe in a hurricane?” It is a fair question, and the good news is that the answer is usually much better than people expect. Florida changed the rules for new homes in 2002, the core impact test those homes had to pass is still the standard today, and the real wind numbers from our recent storms in Tampa Bay tell a very reassuring story. Here is what I walk my clients through.
Are older homes in Florida safe in a hurricane?
The year a home was built tells you a lot, and 2002 is the year that matters most. On March 1, 2002, Florida’s first statewide building code took effect. From that day on, new homes in the wind-borne debris region, which includes coastal communities like Apollo Beach near Tampa Bay, had to be built with protected openings. That means every window and glass door had to be either impact rated or covered by approved hurricane shutters. So when you are looking at a home built in 2002 or later, you are looking at a home that was designed from day one to keep flying debris out of the house.
Homes built before 2002 are not automatically a problem either. Many have been upgraded over the years with impact windows, roll-down shutters or storm panels, and adding protection to an older home is very doable. The key is knowing what the home has and having the paperwork to prove it, which I cover below.
Do houses built after 2002 in Florida have impact windows?
Many do, and every one of them was built with hurricane protection on the openings. The 2002 code gave builders two ways to meet the rule: impact rated windows and doors, or regular glass paired with approved shutters. Both choices had to pass the same impact test. So a 2006 home with shutters and a 2024 home with impact glass were both built to keep wind-borne debris out. When someone says “the windows aren’t impact rated,” the better question is “how are the openings protected?” For a home built after 2002, the answer is that they are.
Is a 2007 impact window still impact rated if it looks thinner than today’s windows?
Yes. This is the part most people never hear. To earn an impact rating, a window or shutter has to survive a large-missile test: a 9-pound 2×4 fired at it at about 34 mph, plus a series of smaller steel ball hits. That large-missile test has been the core standard since the 2002 code, so a window that passed it in 2007 was tested against the same kind of hit a window faces in 2026.
What did change is the wind pressure windows are designed for. The 2010 Florida Building Code switched to newer, higher wind speed maps, and many of today’s windows are built with heavier frames and thicker glass to meet those numbers. So an older impact window may look slimmer than the newest vinyl frames, but it was impact rated for its date, and that is a real, documented level of protection.
What wind speed are Florida houses built to withstand?
Homes in Hillsborough County are designed for wind speeds of 130 mph and up, with higher numbers closer to the coast. One important detail: building code wind speeds are measured as 3-second gusts, while the hurricane categories you hear on the news are based on 1-minute sustained winds. So the fair way to compare is code design speed against the peak gusts a storm actually produced. That comparison is where the real data gets encouraging.
How strong do hurricane winds actually get in Apollo Beach and Tampa Bay?
Here are the measured winds from the National Weather Service in Ruskin, right next door to Apollo Beach, and the National Hurricane Center for our most recent storms.
| Storm | Station | Highest sustained wind | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton, Oct 2024 | Tampa International Airport | 61 mph | 96 mph |
| Milton, Oct 2024 | Albert Whitted Airport, St. Pete | 67 mph | 101 mph |
| Helene, Sept 2024 | Tampa International Airport | 47 mph | 67 mph |
| Helene, Sept 2024 | Albert Whitted Airport, St. Pete | 53 mph | 82 mph |
| Idalia, Aug 2023 | Egmont Channel, mouth of Tampa Bay | 51 mph | 62 mph |
Milton was the strongest storm our area has felt in decades, and even then the peak gusts at our airports topped out around 96 to 101 mph. That is well below the 130 mph and higher that homes here are designed for. In every one of these storms, the sustained winds measured at land stations stayed under hurricane force, which starts at 74 mph. And for perspective, the last direct hurricane landfall in Tampa Bay was in 1921, more than a century ago.
None of this means we take storms lightly. Water, not wind, is usually the bigger story here, which is why I also wrote the Apollo Beach flood zone guide. But when it comes to wind, a home built to code since 2002 has a lot of cushion built in.
What is better, hurricane windows or shutters?
Both protect the home when they carry the right approval, so it really comes down to how you want to live. Impact windows are always on duty, which is wonderful if you travel or want nothing to put up when a storm is coming. Shutters cost less up front and many are quick to close. Here is how the main types compare, with installed costs from Angi’s September 2026 cost guide.
Roll-down shutters
Roll-down shutters live in a box above the window and come down with a crank or a motor. They are the easiest to use and among the strongest, and they run about $25 to $60 per square foot installed. If you choose motorized, ask about a manual override or battery backup for when the power goes out.
Accordion shutters
Accordion shutters fold out from the sides of the opening and lock in the middle. One person can usually close up a whole house in under half an hour, and they run about $15 to $30 per square foot.
Storm panels
Storm panels are the aluminum or steel panels you screw or bolt into tracks around each opening. They are the most budget-friendly permanent option at about $10 to $20 per square foot, but they need storage space and take more time to put up.
Bahama and colonial shutters
Bahama and colonial shutters are the decorative louvered styles that stay mounted on the house and give you shade and privacy every day. They run about $20 to $35 per square foot and work on windows but not on doors.
Fabric storm screens
Fabric storm screens are the newer woven panels and roll-down screens that let light through. They are light, easy to store and very popular here. Temporary fabric panels start around $5 to $15 per square foot, and roll-down fabric screens run higher.
Are hurricane fabric screens approved in Florida?
Many are, and some carry very high ratings. You will hear fabric screens described as “rated to 120 mph” or “150 mph” depending on whether they use spring tension or magnetic tracks, but that is sales language rather than the official rating. Hurricane products in Florida are rated by their Florida Product Approval number or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, a design pressure in pounds per square foot, and whether they passed the large-missile impact test. For example, one approved magnetic-track fabric system lists a design pressure up to 200 psf, and an approved grommet-style fabric panel lists up to 110 psf with large-missile approval. My advice is simple: ask for the FL number or NOA, not the mph. And because fabric flexes under load, it has to be installed with the gap from the glass the approval calls for.
Do impact windows or shutters lower insurance in Florida?
They can, through the wind mitigation inspection. On the state’s wind mitigation form, the top opening protection credit goes to homes where every glazed opening is protected by products that passed the large-missile test, and the inspector needs proof, such as product approval numbers, labels or permit records. One unprotected window can drop the whole house to the lowest rating, so it pays to cover every opening and keep your paperwork in one place. When I represent a buyer, getting a copy of the current wind mitigation report is one of the first things I ask for.
How do I know if my windows are impact rated?
Start with the year the home was built, because that tells you most of the story. If the home was permitted after March 1, 2002, the building code required its openings to be protected when it was built. That means either the windows and doors themselves are impact rated, or the home came with approved hurricane shutters or panels. So if the windows on a 2002 or newer home turn out not to be impact glass, look for the shutters that came with it. Panels are often stored in the garage or attic, and accordion or roll-down shutters will already be mounted on the house.
To confirm what you have, look in the corner of each pane for a permanent etched mark, and on the frame for a label naming the manufacturer and the approval. Impact glass is laminated, so you will often notice a double reflection when you look at it at an angle. The strongest proof is matching the window or shutter model to its Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA, and checking the permit records with the county. If the seller has the original window or shutter invoices, those are worth their weight in gold at insurance time.
What if the home I love was built before 2002?
Then we find out what has already been done and what it would cost to finish the job. Plenty of older Apollo Beach homes already have impact windows or shutters added, and the ones that don’t can often be protected for less than buyers expect, especially with panels or fabric screens. Some of our most charming streets were built long before 2002, and with the right protection in place they can earn the same opening protection credit as a brand new home.
If you are weighing a home and wondering how it is protected, send me the address and I will help you sort out the windows, shutters, wind mitigation report and insurance picture before you make an offer. And tell me a little about how you plan to use the home. Will you be here year round, or splitting time with another place up north? That changes which kind of protection makes life easiest for you.
Sources
National Weather Service Tampa Bay, Hurricane Milton post-storm summary (Oct 2024), Hurricane Helene summary (Sept 2024), Hurricane Idalia summary (Aug 2023), and the 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane. National Hurricane Center, Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Florida Building Commission, changes to wind speed maps in the 2010 Florida Building Code. STRUCTURE magazine, hurricane-driven building code enhancements. Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form OIR-B1-1802. Angi, hurricane shutter cost guide (Sept 2026). Florida Building Commission product approval FL8363. MagnaTrack hurricane screens. Florida wind zone lookup.