Florida State Automobile Insurance Laws

Written by Melissa Baker on October 10, 2010 – 2:31 am

old vintage convertible image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com If you drive without insurance in Florida, your license could be suspended for up to three years. In one typical year, Florida drivers were involved in more than 250,000 car accidents with 3,000 deaths, according to the law firm Lilly, O’Toole and Brown. Like most states, Florida requires licensed drivers to take out and maintain auto insurance. The state insurance laws include requirements covering the kinds of insurance needed and the amount of coverage.

No Fault Coverage

Any driver with a valid Florida license plate must have an auto insurance policy that provides a minimum $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage, according to the state government. Personal injury protection covers drivers and their families, even when they are passengers in someone else’s car; property damage covers any damage the driver causes. Florida is a “no fault” state so the insurance pays regardless of who was at fault.

If a Florida driver is found liable for an accident that causes injuries, then the state’s Financial Responsibility Law comes into play. Under that law, the driver must have bodily liability insurance as well: $10,000 coverage for one person, $20,000 for two. This pays for injuries as well as for legal costs if there’s a lawsuit. The higher coverage is also required under other circumstances, such as the state suspending the driver’s license for accumulating too many points. As long as a driver avoids situations requiring higher coverage, they can get by with the lower no-fault levels.

Drivers must have a Florida policy for any car driven in Florida more than 90 days each year, the state says, regardless of whether the 90 days are consecutive. Drivers must maintain insurance on any car that’s registered in the state and has a valid license plate, even if it’s only in use for one or two months a year. Car owners who spend most of their time out of state can cancel their insurance and registration in Florida when they’re away and pay to re-register when they return.

If a driver moves to Florida, they must take out a policy through a Florida-licensed, Florida-based insurance agent. Drivers can, however, ask their current agent to transfer their policy to a Florida branch of the same company.