Florida has one of the country’s strictest building codes because of its climate, location, and history of destructive hurricanes. The Florida Building Code (FBC) requires windows to be impact-resistant or protected if located within one mile of the coast where the wind speed is 110 mph or greater. Those of us living inland in Parkland and Coral Springs probably also want to look into this, not just for protection but also the possible discounts available from insurance agencies (fancily called “Wind Mitigation Discounts”).
The most cost-effective options are panel shutters. Plywood panels are ½” thick. Storm panels are polycarbonate, steel or aluminum. Both can be screwed into place over windows and doors. This can be labor intensive, but the panels are easily stored afterwards. Unfortunately, there is little to no wind mitigation discount available for this type of protection. Both of these types of panel shutters are available at your local home improvement stores.
Accordion shutters are a permanent home addition that are custom installed around your windows and doors, therefore they are more expensive than panel shutters, but can still be quite reasonable. They are made of aluminum and are easily closed before a storm and opened again afterwards. Insurance companies will provide wind mitigation discounts for accordion shutters.
Colonial and Bahama shutters are also permanent home additions, and custom installed around windows and doors. As they are functional and aesthetically pleasing, they are slightly more expensive than accordion shutters. Bahama shutters hinge on the top of the window or door, and colonial shutters hinge on the sides. Both are easily closed and opened, and can be made from multiple different materials. Insurance companies also provide wind mitigation discounts for these types of shutters.
Rolling shutters are a high-tech, permanent home addition that are custom installed and made of high quality aluminum or steel. They deploy and retract with the press of a button. They are the most expensive shutter-style option but are offset by high wind mitigation discounts from insurance companies.
Accordion, Colonial, Bahama, and rolling shutters are all available from specialty shutter stores, and it’s recommended you do your research to see what options are best for you and what your own insurance company offers in terms of wind mitigation discounts.
The final option is, of course, not to have shutters at all but to go with impact resistant glass for your windows and doors. Those would be a permanent home addition and custom installed, however, once installed, they would never need to be removed or replaced unless they are damaged. They are quite expensive (usually running around three times the cost of regular windows), but again this is offset by the highest wind mitigation discount. These types of windows and doors are widely available, but it is highly recommended to do your research on the levels of protection and quality as not all impact-resistant glass is built the same.