''This building was supposed to be my retirement fund. But my only solution may be to sell the building,'' Rivero said. He worries he couldn't pass on all of the costs of maintenance, taxes and insurance to his tenants, who may have to pass on those costs to their customers. He already passed on the tax increases. ``If I had to do it for insurance, my tenants would leave.''

Pablo Conde, president of A&A Underwriters in Miami, finds that some insurers will cover a building's full value for fire and theft, and then negotiate on the windstorm part of the policy, if they're willing to write policies at all.

Sometimes clients will limit hurricane coverage because they can only afford so much insurance. Others have raised deductibles to keep premiums manageable.

''You only pay for exactly the amount of insurance you need and look at deductibles and limits carefully. In the past, you might have overinsured yourself, but not today,'' said Ricky Arriola, president of Inktel Direct, a printing facility in West Miami-Dade.

Nowadays, agents say, risk-averse private insurers prefer newer buildings -- those constructed after 2001, when the state's more stringent building code was put in place -- and locations far from coastal areas.

THE ALTERNATIVES

While private companies are stepping back from the market, surplus lines carriers have moved in to fill the gap.

Already, seven new surplus lines companies have been approved to sell commercial insurance in Florida this year, according to the Florida Surplus Lines Office.

Among the new companies are Ironshore Insurance Ltd., a Bermuda-based surplus lines company that started with nearly $1 billion in capital, and Delaware-based Praetorian Specialty.

Many private commercial carriers that are renewing selectively, such as The Hartford and Zurich American, have sister companies in the surplus market. Those insurers are writing plenty of coverage, agents say.

These surplus carriers include Empire Indemnity owned by The Hartford, Lexington Insurance owned by AIG, and Scottsdale Insurance owned by CNA.

MOVEMENT IN D.C.

A development last week in Washington could potentially help very small businesses. A U.S. House committee passed a bill that would extend the National Flood Insurance Program to include windstorm protection, although the proposed coverage limits for businesses are low. The bill faces stiff resistance from Republicans, insurers and some consumer groups.

One big change coming to the market, thanks to a law passed in the regular session: In September, Citizens Property Insurance will begin writing much more business coverage. It will cover up to $2.5 million per policy.

Owners who need more coverage can buy in the private or surplus marketPreviously, the state-run insurer could only offer wind policies of up to $1 million in the state's designated wind-pool area, roughly east of Interstate 95 in South Florida.

Relief can't come soon enough for many businesses.

''Insurance is the oil that keeps the economy going. You couldn't build anything or run a business without it. But it's very frustrating now to find the coverage clients need,'' says Conde.