Hurricane Shutters and Motorized Screens for Jacksonville & St. Augustine, Florida Homes

It depends on what you're trying to solve. Hurricane shutters protect your home from storm damage and qualify you for insurance discounts in Florida. Motorized screens make your outdoor space usable day-to-day by blocking bugs, sun, and heat. They solve different problems.

Most coastal homeowners in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Northeast Florida start with shutters for storm season, then add screens later for daily comfort — but the right starting point depends on your priorities. If you're more worried about insurance and storm exposure, shutters come first. If your patio sits unused most of the year because of mosquitoes or heat, screens may matter more. We can walk you through both during a free assessment.

Motorized roll-down shutters deploy in about 10 seconds per opening with a single button press. A typical Florida home can be fully secured in under 30 minutes — including the time it takes to walk through the house. Manual systems like accordion shutters or storm panels take longer, usually 30 to 60 minutes for the whole home depending on the number of openings.

The practical difference matters most when a storm shifts unexpectedly or strengthens close to landfall. Motorized systems remove the last-minute scramble; manual systems require planning ahead by a day or two. Either approach is faster and more reliable than plywood, which most insurance companies no longer recognize as approved storm protection.

Yes, in most cases. Quality retractable screens lock into an extruded aluminum track on all four sides, which creates a complete seal that mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and other insects can't bypass. The same mesh blocks up to 90% of UV rays and solar heat, which typically drops the temperature on a covered lanai or patio by 10 to 15°F during Florida summers.

Two caveats worth knowing: the bug-blocking depends on the mesh size you choose (no-see-um mesh is tighter than standard insect mesh), and the cooling effect is most noticeable on covered patios with shade. An open, sun-baked deck will feel cooler but won't reach the same temperature drop as a covered lanai. The system works best when paired with an existing roof or pergola. If have questions about pergolas, visit our sister company Titan Outdoor Solution.

In most cases, yes. Florida insurance companies typically offer 10–30% discounts on the wind portion of your premium when you install approved hurricane shutters — the exact amount depends on your insurer, your home's construction, and which openings are protected. To qualify, the shutters need to meet Florida Building Code requirements, and homes in High-Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ) need products tested to Miami-Dade NOA standards.

Two things to confirm before counting on the discount: every opening that faces outward generally needs to be protected (partial coverage often doesn't qualify), and your insurance company will require engineering documentation and a wind mitigation inspection. Titan provides the documentation; an independent inspector files the wind mitigation report. Over time, the premium savings often cover the cost of the shutters themselves.

Most hurricane shutter installations take 1 to 3 days depending on the size of the home and the number of openings being protected. Motorized screen installations on a typical lanai usually take 1 day. Custom configurations, large homes, or projects involving electrical work for motorized systems can extend the timeline.

Titan handles permits and inspections for both shutters and screens across St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Northeast Florida. That includes the building department paperwork, the engineering specifications submitted with the permit, and coordination of the inspection. Homeowners don't need to contact the building department directly. Code compliance is part of the install, not an add-on.

Pricing varies widely based on the type of shutter, the number of openings, and the size of each opening. As of 2026, typical ranges in Northeast Florida look like this:

Storm panels (manual aluminum or steel): $7–$15 per square foot installed — the most affordable option, but requires storage and manual deployment before each storm

Accordion shutters: $20–$30 per square foot installed — permanently mounted, manually deployed, mid-range cost

Roll-down shutters (manual): $30–$45 per square foot installed

Motorized roll-down shutters: $45–$70 per square foot installed — fastest deployment, highest convenience, often qualify for the largest insurance discounts

A typical Florida home with 10–15 protected openings ranges from roughly $8,000 for storm panels to $35,000+ for fully motorized roll-downs. Insurance discounts of 10–30% on wind premiums often offset 30–50% of the cost over the life of the shutters. Free quotes are based on a walk-through of the actual home, since opening sizes and access conditions affect the final number.