Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and in Florida a golf cart is one of the easiest things to lose to a storm. It sits low, it usually lives in a garage or carport, and its batteries and controller don't tolerate water. Good golf cart hurricane prep takes one afternoon early in the season and about an hour when a storm is actually headed your way.
Work through this checklist in three stages: early in the season, when you're in the forecast cone, and in the final day or two.
Golf cart hurricane prep at the start of the season
Read your insurance policy now, not later
The Florida Department of Financial Services notes that many insurers stop binding new or additional homeowners coverage once a watch or warning is issued for any part of the state. By the time a storm is in the news, it's usually too late to add coverage.
Questions to ask your agent:
- Does my homeowners policy cover the cart at all, or only while it's on my property?
- Is flood or rising water covered? FEMA points out that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.
- Does my policy include windstorm coverage, and what is my hurricane deductible?
- If I have a separate golf cart policy, does its comprehensive coverage include flood as well as wind, fire and falling trees?
- Are my upgrades (lithium conversion, lift kit, wheels, enclosure) covered, and up to what limit?
Our guide to storm damage insurance claims for golf carts covers what happens after the fact.
Take dated photos and record the serial number
Photograph all four sides of the cart, the seats, the dash, the battery compartment and any accessories, and shoot a short walk-around video. Write down the serial number (usually on a plate or sticker on the frame; your owner's manual shows where) and the VIN if your cart is registered as a low-speed vehicle. The Florida Department of Financial Services recommends that home inventories include receipts, photos, videos, purchase dates and serial numbers, and that applies to your cart too.
Keep copies off-site, such as in cloud storage, not just on a phone that could get wet.
Know your evacuation zone
Look up your zone at floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone or on your county's emergency management site. If you live in a zone likely to be ordered out, decide now where the cart will ride out the storm, since you'll be leaving in your car, not your cart.
When your area is in the forecast cone
Move the cart to high ground, ideally indoors
The best place for a golf cart during a hurricane is inside a sturdy building on ground that doesn't flood. A garage protects against wind and flying debris, but it does nothing against storm surge or rising water. If your garage has flooded before or you're in a surge zone, find somewhere higher, like a friend's garage inland or a storage unit on high ground.
This matters even more with lithium. In late August 2023, as Hurricane Idalia approached, Florida's then-CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis urged owners of EVs and other lithium-ion devices, golf carts included, to move them away from areas storm surge could reach. He warned that leaving them in a garage during an evacuation creates a serious fire risk.
How to protect your golf cart from flooding if it stays home
- Park at the highest point on your property, away from trees, power lines and anything that could fall or blow into it
- Take off the vinyl enclosure, which catches wind like a sail, and remove golf bags, coolers and cushions
- Strap the cart to a solid anchor with rated ratchet straps so it can't roll or shift
- Set the parking brake and chock the wheels
Straps help against wind, but they won't stop water. If surge is expected where you live, moving the cart is the only real protection from flooding.
The last 24 to 48 hours before the storm
Set the charge and power the cart down
- Lead-acid carts: charge fully, then unplug. Lead-acid batteries store best at a full charge.
- Lithium carts: follow your battery maker's storage instructions. Many lithium manufacturers recommend storing at a partial charge rather than 100 percent, and many packs have a main switch or storage mode.
- Unplug the charger from the wall and the cart to protect it from power surges.
- Turn the key off, put the cart in neutral and set the Run/Tow switch to Tow if your cart has one. Keep the key with your important documents.
- Disconnect the main negative cable if you're comfortable doing it, or use the battery's disconnect switch. Wear insulated gloves and eye protection.
What not to do with your golf cart during hurricane season
- Don't drive a golf cart through floodwater, before or after the storm. A cart sits low, so water reaches the batteries, motor and controller quickly.
- Don't leave a lithium cart plugged in or parked in an attached garage while you evacuate.
- Don't park under trees, next to a pool screen enclosure or under a carport with a weak roof.
- Don't wait for a hurricane watch to read your policy or take photos.
- Don't turn on or charge a cart that sat in floodwater, even after it dries out.
If water reaches your golf cart anyway
Storms don't always follow the forecast. Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Helene in 2024 both brought major storm surge to Florida's Gulf coast. If your cart sat in water, especially saltwater, leave it off and unplugged. NHTSA advises against parking a damaged vehicle with a lithium-ion battery in a garage or within 50 feet of a house or other structure, so if it's safe, have it moved outside and away from buildings. If a lithium battery shows heat, swelling, hissing or smoke, get away from it and call 911.
Then photograph everything and call your insurer. Our article on whether to repair or sell a damaged golf cart can help you decide what comes next, and if the answer is selling, we buy flood and storm damaged golf carts as-is.
A little Florida hurricane season golf cart prep now saves a lot of trouble later. If a storm has already damaged your cart, get a free quote or call 954-350-0440. Photos of the cart, the waterline and the battery compartment help us give you a faster, more accurate offer, and we can come to you for an on-site evaluation and pickup.