Exhibit 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION


      I, Bradley I. Meier, certify that:


1. I have reviewed this quarterly  report on Form 10-QSB of Universal  Insurance
Holdings, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make the statements
made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.  Based  on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.  The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and  I  are  responsible  for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and we have:

      a) designed such disclosure  controls and procedures,  or caused
      such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
      supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
      registrant,  including its  consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made
      known to us by others within those entities, particularly during
      the period in which this report is being prepared;

      b) evaluated the  effectiveness of the  registrant's  disclosure
      controls  and  procedures  and  presented  in  this  report  our
      conclusions about the  effectiveness of the disclosure  controls
      and  procedures,  as of the end of the  period  covered  by this
      report based on such evaluation; and

      c)  disclosed  in this  report  any  change in the  registrant's
      internal  control over financial  reporting that occurred during
      the  registrant's  most recent fiscal quarter (the  registrant's
      fourth fiscal  quarter in the case of an annual report) that has
      materially  affected,  or is  reasonably  likely  to  materially
      affect,   the  registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
      reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,  based on our
most recent  evaluation of internal  control over  financial  reporting,  to the
registrant's  auditors  and the audit  committee  of the  registrant's  board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

      a) all significant  deficiencies and material  weaknesses in the
      design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
      which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's
      ability  to record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
      information; and

      b) any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management
      or  other   employees  who  have  a  significant   role  in  the
      registrant's internal control over financial reporting.



Date:  August 16, 2004                    /s/ Bradley I. Meier
                                          ------------------------------
                                          Bradley I. Meier
                                          Chief Executive Officer