Hurricane Screens in Florida
MagnaTrack Retractable Protection
Florida homeowners don’t need to choose between storm protection and everyday livability anymore. Hurricane screens from Commercial Residential Aluminum (CRA), installed in partnership with MagnaTrack, give you Category 5-rated hurricane protection that deploys in seconds and disappears into a compact housing when you don’t need it.
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MagnaTrack Screens
The Defender System
Category 5 hurricane protection, uses patented MagnaTrack technology with magnetic fields that dampen the impact of wind loads and flying debris. Combines insect, solar, and privacy protection in one system. Backed by a 15-year fabric warranty.
Vinyl Systems
Clear or tinted vinyl system that protects outdoor spaces from rain, wind, and debris, enabling year-round use. Improves energy efficiency by retaining conditioned air or heat. Available up to 26' wide and 18' tall. Operated by remote control or integrated home automation.
Solar Screens
Block 70%–97% of harmful UV rays, reducing heat and energy costs even on the hottest days. Available in multiple colors and mesh densities. Darker fabrics provide better visibility day and night; lighter colors reflect more light.
Insect Screens
Insect-protection mesh that maximizes airflow. 16/14 mesh is ideal for flies and mosquitoes; 17/20 mesh protects against tiny insects like noseeums. Keeps birds, rodents, and insects out while you enjoy the outdoors.
Fixed Screen Systems
Fixed-track hurricane screens designed for window and door protection. Certified for Category 5 (156+ mph) hurricane protection. Two-sided application, removable when not needed, and easy to store and install. Max sizes: 10'W x 20'H or 20'W x 10'H.
MagnaTrack's retractable screens stay built into your lanai, patio, window, or entryway, ready to close with the push of a button before a storm arrives, and just as easily rolled back out of sight the moment it passes.
For homeowners across CRA's Florida service areas, that means real hurricane readiness without sacrificing the view, the airflow, or the curb appeal you already love about your home.
What are Hurricane Screens and Why Do Florida Homes Need Them?
Hurricane screens are motorized or manually operated storm barriers that roll down over windows, doors, lanais, patios, and entryways to shield your home from high winds and windborne debris, the two forces responsible for most hurricane-related property damage in Florida. When deployed, they create a rated barrier between your home’s glass, screens, and structure and whatever the storm is throwing at it.
For Florida homeowners, hurricane protection matters for more than just the storm itself:
Wind and debris defense.
A single piece of storm debris can shatter a window in seconds. Hurricane screens absorb and deflect that impact before it reaches your home.
Insurance considerations.
Many Florida insurers offer premium credits for homes with approved wind mitigation features, including code-compliant hurricane protection. Ask your insurance provider how hurricane screens may affect your windstorm coverage.
Faster, easier prep.
Traditional shutter panels take time to haul out, position, and bolt on, often during the exact 24–48 hour window when time is tightest. Retractable screens deploy in moments.
Everyday, year-round use.
The best hurricane screens work as hard in July as they do during a named storm, doubling as insect screens, sun and UV shades, and privacy screens for lanais, patios, and pool decks.
MagnaTrack Hurricane Screens: The Technology and Materials Behind the Protection
CRA installs the MagnaTrack Defender System, a patented retractable screen technology engineered specifically for high-wind environments like Florida’s Gulf Coast and Central Florida corridor. Here’s what sets it apart.
How MagnaTrack’s magnetic system works Most retractable and roll-down screens rely on side tracks, zippers, or friction-fit channels that can jam, snag, or blow out under wind pressure. MagnaTrack instead uses a dual-pull magnetic system built from rare-earth neodymium magnets embedded along the screen’s side channels. As wind pushes against the screen, the magnetic track self-adjusts and re-tensions in real time, keeping the mesh flat and secure instead of flapping, jamming, or tearing loose. Because there’s no zipper or mechanical track to fail, the system is also less prone to the service calls that plague conventional roll-down screens.
Storm performance MagnaTrack's Defender Series is engineered to meet or exceed the Miami-Dade and Florida Building Code standards for roll-down hurricane screens, among the strictest wind-load and impact codes in the country, with tested performance against sustained winds exceeding 150 mph and Category 5 hurricane conditions.
Materials
Screen mesh:
High-tenacity, tightly woven fabric engineered to resist punctures and tears from wind-driven debris, while still allowing airflow and visibility when partially deployed.
Magnetic track system:
Rare-earth neodymium magnets, the strongest naturally occurring magnets used in retractable screen manufacturing, integrated into aluminum side channels.
Finish options:
A range of colors and frame finishes to match your home's existing exterior, fascia, or lanai framing.
Housing and components:
Powder-coated aluminum and stainless-steel hardware, chosen to resist the corrosion that salt air and humidity cause to lesser materials over time. The hood is made from extruded aluminum, which adds strength, vs. cold-rolled, thin aluminum.
Everyday functionality Because MagnaTrack screens are retractable rather than permanently mounted, homeowners use them well beyond hurricane season, as UV and heat-blocking shades on a sun-exposed lanai, as insect barriers for an open patio, or as a privacy screen for a pool deck facing the street. The same button that protects your home in June protects your evening barbecue in October.
Hurricane Screens vs. Other Storm Protection Options
Florida homeowners typically compare hurricane screens against three alternatives. Here’s how they stack up.
MagnaTrack Hurricane Screens
Accordion / Bahama Shutters
Storm Panels
Impact Windows
Deployment time
Seconds, via remote or wall switch
A few minutes per
opening, manual
30–60+ min, requires
storage & installation
None needed,
permanently installed
Daily-use function
Sun/UV shade, insect screen, privacy
Fixed shade only (Bahama)
or none
None, stored when
not in use
None beyond the
window itself
Storage required
No, stays mounted year-round
No (accordion) /
Yes (Bahama, partial)
Yes, requires garage
or shed space
No
Visibility while deployed
Partial visibility through mesh
None
None
Full visibility,
always
Upfront cost
Moderate
No (accordion) /
Yes (Bahama, partial)
Lowest
Highest
Best for
Lanais, patios, entryways, pool cages, windows
Whole-home
window protection
Budget-conscious, occasional-use protection
New construction
or full remodels
MagnaTrack Hurricane Screens
Deployment time: Seconds, via remote or wall switch
Daily-use function: Sun/UV shade, insect screen, privacy
Storage required: No, stays mounted year-round
Visibility while deployed: Partial visibility through mesh
Upfront cost: Moderate
Best for: Lanais, patios, entryways, pool cages, windows
Accordion / Bahama Shutters
Deployment time: A few minutes per opening, manual
Daily-use function: Fixed shade only (Bahama) or none
Storage required: No (accordion) / Yes (Bahama, partial)
Visibility while deployed: None
Upfront cost: No (accordion) / Yes (Bahama, partial)
Best for: Whole-home window protection
Storm Panels
Deployment time: 30–60+ min, requires storage & installation
Daily-use function: None, stored when not in use
Storage required: Yes, requires garage or shed space
Visibility while deployed: None
Upfront cost: Lowest
Best for: Budget-conscious, occasional-use protection
Impact Windows
Deployment time: None needed, permanently installed
Daily-use function: None beyond the window itself
Storage required: No
Visibility while deployed: Full visibility, always
Upfront cost: Highest
Best for: New construction or full remodels
Hurricane screens fill a specific gap: they offer the deploy-and-forget convenience of impact windows at a lower cost, with the daily livability of a shade or insect screen that shutters and panels simply don't provide. For lanais, pool enclosures, and patios in particular, where impact glass isn't practical, a retractable screen is often the only option that delivers both storm protection and everyday comfort.
Why Florida Homeowners Choose CRA for Hurricane Screen Installation
Retractable hurricane screens perform to their rated specifications only when they’re installed correctly, on properly reinforced framing, with the magnetic track system aligned and tensioned to code. That installation expertise is where CRA’s decades of Florida aluminum experience come in.
Established Florida contractor.
CRA has served Florida homeowners since 1992, with a team of over 200 experienced professionals and more than 30,000 completed screening and enclosure projects in the last five years alone.
Licensed, insured, and credentialed.
CRA is a Florida State Licensed Contractor (Lic. SCC056736, CGC058897) and an Accredited BBB member with an A+ rating.
Structural expertise on top of screens.
As the only aluminum enclosure company in Florida backed by nine U.S. patents on its structural framing systems, including its proprietary ChannelLock Self-Mating Beam (SMB) technology, CRA understands how a hurricane screen system needs to integrate with your existing lanai, pool cage, or entryway framing, not just how to mount a track.
A dedicated MagnaTrack partnership.
CRA sells and installs MagnaTrack hurricane screens directly, meaning your project goes through one licensed team from initial quote to final deployment test, rather than a shutter installer without aluminum framing experience.
Built for Florida's climate.
From salt air on the Gulf Coast to UV exposure and daily temperature swings statewide, CRA's crews install every hurricane screen system with Florida's specific wear factors in mind, not a one-size-fits-all national approach.
Hurricane Screen Installation Areas
CRA installs MagnaTrack hurricane screens for homeowners throughout its Florida service footprint, including:
- Hillsborough County: Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace
- Sarasota County: Sarasota, Venice, North Port, Longboat Key
- Manatee County: Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach
- Lee County: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach
- Pinellas County: St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Palm Harbor, Dunedin
- Charlotte County: Punta Gorda
- Pasco County: New Port Richey, Port Richey, Dade City, Zephyrhills
- Orange, Lake, Seminole & Osceola Counties: Orlando, Winter Park, Clermont, Sanford, Kissimmee, and surrounding Central Florida communities
See the full list of Florida service areas to confirm coverage at your address, or call CRA directly to ask about your neighborhood.
Get Your Home Storm-Ready with Hurricane Screens from CRA
Hurricane season doesn’t wait, and neither should your storm prep. CRA’s licensed team will assess your lanai, patio, windows, or entryways and recommend a MagnaTrack hurricane screen configuration sized and rated for your specific home.
or call 855-272-2243 to schedule your on-site assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hurricane screens are motorized or manual retractable barriers, made of tightly woven, storm-rated mesh, that deploy over windows, doors, lanais, and patios ahead of a storm. They protect against wind-driven debris and high winds, the two leading causes of hurricane property damage, while retracting out of sight when not in use.
MagnaTrack screens use a patented dual-pull magnetic track system built from rare-earth neodymium magnets instead of the zippers or friction tracks found in many competing systems. This lets the screen self-adjust and re-tension under wind pressure, reducing jams, snags, and the service calls common with conventional roll-down screens, while meeting Miami-Dade and Florida Building Code standards for hurricane protection.
It depends on your priorities. Storm panels are typically the lowest upfront cost but require manual installation and off-season storage. Accordion and Bahama shutters offer strong protection but little daily-use function. Retractable hurricane screens like MagnaTrack combine the deploy-and-forget convenience shutters can’t match with year-round use as sun shades, insect barriers, and privacy screens, all in one system.
Yes. Because MagnaTrack screens are retractable rather than permanent, most homeowners use them year-round for UV and heat protection, insect defense on lanais and patios, and added privacy, not just during active storms.
CRA installs MagnaTrack hurricane screens across its Florida Gulf Coast and Central Florida service areas, including Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Venice, Bradenton, Orlando, and the surrounding communities. Visit CRA’s Florida service area page to confirm availability at your address.
Pricing depends on the number and size of openings, the screen configuration (manual vs. motorized), and any structural framing work required. CRA provides project-specific quotes after an on-site assessment. Contact CRA for a no-obligation estimate.
Some Florida insurers offer premium credits for wind mitigation features, which may include code-compliant hurricane screens. Coverage and credit eligibility vary by insurer, so homeowners should confirm details directly with their insurance provider or agent.
