Pensacola Hurricane Isaias Temporary Housing: Live in an RV on Your Own Lot

    By Michael Wojciak, founder, Agile RV Housing

    Updated October 7, 2026: Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are inside the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Watch, and NHC forecasts 5 to 7 feet of storm surge from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida, a stretch that includes Pensacola (NHC Advisory 4).

    Agile RV Housing places a fully set up RV on your own lot in Pensacola, Escambia County, or Santa Rosa County when storm damage leaves your home unlivable. It is for homeowners with homeowners insurance. Your policy's Loss of Use coverage (Coverage D, also called Additional Living Expense) often pays for it once your adjuster approves it, and we work with your adjuster.

    Delivery is about four days from approval to move-in. The main variable is scheduling the electrical contractor. The rate is $120 to $140 a night, tax included, and our rate has not changed for the storm. Delivery and setup are priced separately for each property. We serve Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pace, Navarre, and all 48 contiguous states.

    Call (614) 655-4286

    Isaias and the Pensacola area. Isaias was a 45 mph tropical storm at the National Hurricane Center's 10:00 a.m. CDT advisory on October 7. NHC forecasts it to become a strong hurricane, with winds near 105 to 110 mph, as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast Friday afternoon, October 9. The Hurricane Watch and the Storm Surge Watch both cover Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. NHC expects 3 to 6 inches of rain, with local totals up to 10 inches, Friday into the weekend. Coastwide updates are on our Hurricane Isaias temporary housing page.

    Can you legally live in a camper in Florida after a storm?

    Yes. After the Governor declares a state of emergency for a natural disaster, Florida law bars a county or city from blocking a resident from living in one RV or similar unit on the lot of a home made uninhabitable, for up to 36 months or until the repaired home gets its certificate of occupancy, whichever comes first.

    The conditions are a good-faith effort to rebuild, such as applying for a building permit; a unit connected to water and electric that is not a health or safety threat; and the resident living in it. Escambia County adds its own land use permit for disaster recovery housing, and Agile RV Housing works through it with you.

    Florida state law (applies in both counties)

    Fla. Stat. 125.023 covers counties and Fla. Stat. 166.0335 covers cities. Both were added in 2023. The protection runs up to 36 months from the Governor's declaration or until the repaired home gets its certificate of occupancy, whichever comes first. The conditions:

    • You are making a good-faith effort to rebuild, for example by applying for a building permit.
    • The unit is connected to water and electric and is not a health or safety threat.
    • The resident of the damaged home lives in it.

    State law is the broadest protection a Pensacola-area homeowner has. It covers Pensacola, Milton, Gulf Breeze, and every unincorporated area of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

    Unincorporated Escambia County (Cantonment, Molino, Perdido Key, and other areas)

    Escambia County Land Development Code Sec. 4-7.13(b)(2) provides a land use permit for a temporary structure, RV, or manufactured home as disaster recovery housing on the lot of a single-family home made unfit to live in, in any zoning district. The conditions:

    • One unit, lived in by the resident of the damaged home.
    • Electric, potable water, and sewer hookups that meet the Florida Building Code.
    • Apply within 6 months of the disaster.
    • The unit can stay up to 18 months after the disaster and is removed within 10 days of the certificate of occupancy.

    Most Agile RV Housing families stay about five months, well inside that 18-month window. The county's permitting after a storm page explains the process.

    City of Pensacola

    Inside Pensacola city limits, Fla. Stat. 166.0335 applies after a Governor's declaration.

    Pensacola Beach

    Approvals on Pensacola Beach come from the Santa Rosa Island Authority. Fla. Stat. 125.023 still applies after a Governor's declaration, and we coordinate the approval with you.

    Santa Rosa County (Pace, Navarre, Milton, Gulf Breeze)

    In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, Land Development Code 4.02.03(d) permits living in an RV while a single-family home is built, with an issued single-family building permit, for up to 1 year. It allows one owner-used RV with permitted utility connections, and the RV must be road ready in flood zones.

    For storm-damaged homes, Fla. Stat. 125.023 covers you for up to 36 months after a Governor's declaration. Milton and Gulf Breeze are cities, so Fla. Stat. 166.0335 covers homes inside their limits.

    Flood zone rules

    Escambia County's flood area rule, LDC Sec. 4-2.15, limits an RV to 14 days unless it is highway ready or meets manufactured home standards. The federal rule is similar: in a FEMA flood zone, an RV has to be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and highway ready, on its wheels with quick disconnect utilities (44 CFR 60.3(c)(14)). We look up your flood zone and plan the placement around it, and the free zoning check is a good first step.

    Does homeowners insurance cover temporary housing in Pensacola?

    A Florida homeowners policy that covers wind often pays Loss of Use when wind damage makes a Pensacola home unlivable, and an RV on your own lot can be that housing once your adjuster approves it.

    Citizens Property Insurance includes Loss of Use in its HO-3 homeowners policy and in its HW-2 wind-only policy (Citizens personal policies). How your hurricane deductible applies varies by Florida insurer. Under the standard ISO homeowners form, it applies to the total of all Section I loss, which includes Loss of Use, so ask your insurer how it applies to your living expenses.

    Have these three answers before you plan housing:

    1. Your Loss of Use limit, in dollars, and any time limit.
    2. If you are with Citizens, which form you have: HO-3 or HW-2.
    3. How your hurricane deductible is applied.

    What loss of use percentage does a Citizens wind-only policy pay?

    On a Citizens Property Insurance HW-2 wind-only policy, Loss of Use is 10 percent of Coverage A, the dwelling limit on your declarations page. For example, an HW-2 policy with $250,000 of Coverage A carries $25,000 of Loss of Use.

    That dollar figure has to last through the whole Pensacola repair, so the housing choice matters. An Agile RV Housing unit at the top of our $120 to $140 nightly range, tax included, sleeps a family of up to five. The same family in hotels needs two rooms, and two rooms at typical ALE-approved rates cost more than $140 a night before meals, pet fees, and laundry. The RV draws substantially less against the ALE limit than an extended hotel stay. See what RV housing costs and our ALE coverage guide.

    Does flood insurance cover additional living expenses in Pensacola?

    No, not on an NFIP policy. Section V.A.5 of the National Flood Insurance Program's standard policy excludes additional living expenses incurred while the building "is unable to be occupied for any reason" (44 CFR Part 61, Appendix A(1)).

    With surge and hurricane winds both forecast for the Pensacola coast, one house can carry a flood claim and a wind claim. The adjuster decides what each policy pays, and the wind side can still trigger Loss of Use under your homeowners or Citizens policy. FEMA cannot pay for needs that insurance covers (FEMA), so insured Escambia and Santa Rosa County homeowners arrange temporary housing through their insurer. More in our flood insurance and temporary housing guide.

    How long does a Florida insurance company have to pay a hurricane claim?

    Under Fla. Stat. 627.70131, a Florida insurer must acknowledge your claim within 7 days, inspect within 30 days of receiving proof of loss, and pay or deny within 60 days. Fla. Stat. 627.70132 gives you one year from the hurricane's landfall to give notice of a hurricane claim.

    If you and your insurer disagree on a claim of $500 or more, the Florida Department of Financial Services runs a mediation program that is free to you, because the insurer pays its cost (Fla. Admin. Code 69J-166.031); call 1-877-693-5236. For a Pensacola homeowner who needs housing now, the step that matters most is the adjuster's written approval of an RV on your lot.

    Long-term RV rental in Pensacola, delivered to your lot

    Agile RV Housing's long-term RV rental in Pensacola is housing for a homeowner whose house is being repaired, set up on that homeowner's own lot and usually paid by Loss of Use once the adjuster approves it. The rate is $120 to $140 a night, tax included. Delivery and setup are priced separately.

    Stays run 60 days or longer, then month to month with no maximum. Most families stay about five months. If you are stationed at NAS Pensacola or Whiting Field, you keep your commute. Your kids stay in their Escambia or Santa Rosa school, pets stay with you, and you see progress on the house every day and are there for every inspection.

    Temporary power pole for an RV in Escambia County

    A licensed electrical contractor installs the power for every Agile RV Housing unit in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, and we arrange the contractor. If the house has lost its utility power, the electrician and your electric utility coordinate a temporary power pole for the RV.

    Scheduling the electrician is the main variable in delivery, which is about four days from approval to move-in. We set up the water and sewer ourselves. Escambia's disaster permit calls for electric, potable water, and sewer hookups that meet the Florida Building Code, and the state law calls for a unit connected to water and electric, so the utility work is part of meeting the rules. See RV utility setup.

    How do you get temporary housing for an insurance claim near Pensacola?

    Tell your adjuster you want an RV on your own property as your Loss of Use housing, and ask for the approval in writing. An RV on your own lot is commonly approved as ALE housing even when it is not the first option offered. If the adjuster asks about local rules, Fla. Stat. 125.023 and 166.0335 are worth mentioning.

    You choose who provides your temporary housing. Your insurer or its housing agency may suggest a provider, and the choice stays yours. Your insurer may route housing through a temporary housing agency. In that case, name Agile RV Housing when you talk to your housing specialist. We are a preferred vendor with the national temporary housing agencies, including ALE Solutions, Alacrity, Sedgwick, CRS, and National Corporate Housing, and we work with all of them. You can also call us directly at (614) 655-4286.

    How we have done this

    Agile RV Housing has completed over 100 long-term placements in the last two years, and founder Michael Wojciak has 10 years in RV rental and fleet operations. Agile is a preferred vendor with the national temporary housing agencies.

    For a Pensacola-area home, that experience goes into the parts that take the most care: the Escambia land use permit or the Santa Rosa Island Authority approval, the flood zone, and hookups that meet the Florida Building Code.

    Call (614) 655-4286. Tell us where you are and who insures you. We will tell you which county and state rules apply, and what to ask your adjuster. Or start with the free zoning check.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Can Escambia County or the City of Pensacola stop me from living in an RV on my lot after a hurricane?

    After the Governor declares a state of emergency for a natural disaster, Florida Statutes 125.023 and 166.0335 bar a county or city from blocking one RV on the lot of a home made uninhabitable, for up to 36 months or until the home's certificate of occupancy. You must be rebuilding in good faith, have the unit connected to water and electric, and live in it.

    What permit does Escambia County use for disaster recovery housing?

    Escambia County uses a land use permit under Land Development Code Sec. 4-7.13(b)(2). It allows one RV, temporary structure, or manufactured home on the lot of a damaged single-family home in any zoning district, for up to 18 months after the disaster. Apply within 6 months of the disaster.

    I live on Pensacola Beach. Who approves an RV?

    The Santa Rosa Island Authority handles approvals on Pensacola Beach. Florida Statute 125.023 also applies after a Governor's declaration. Agile RV Housing checks your Pensacola Beach address and coordinates the approval with you.

    Does a Citizens policy include Loss of Use for an RV on my property?

    Citizens Property Insurance includes Loss of Use in its HO-3 homeowners policy and its HW-2 wind-only policy. On an HW-2 policy, Loss of Use is 10 percent of Coverage A. Ask your Citizens adjuster to approve an RV on your own property as your Loss of Use housing.

    My home is in a flood zone in Navarre. Does that change anything?

    In unincorporated Santa Rosa County, which includes Navarre, an RV used during construction must be road ready in flood zones. Under the federal rule, an RV in a FEMA flood zone must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and highway ready. Agile RV Housing plans the placement around both.

    Is the hurricane deductible the same with every Florida insurer?

    No. How the hurricane deductible applies varies by Florida insurer. Under the standard ISO homeowners form it applies to the total of all Section I loss, which includes Loss of Use, so ask your insurer how it applies to your claim and your living expenses.

    Sources

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