Florida Drivers Handbook  |  2.4. Insurance Laws

	Your Driving Privilege
		2.1. Revocation, Suspension, & Cancellation
		2.2. The Point System
		2.3. Driving While Impaired
		2.4. Insurance Laws
		2.5. Crashes — Your Responsibilities

Florida Motor Vehicle Insurance Laws

In Florida, there are two motor vehicle insurance laws. They are the Financial Responsibility Law and the No-Fault law. It is important that you understand these laws because if you do not have the proper insurance, you can lose your driver license and license plate(s) and have to pay large fees to get them back.

The Financial Responsibility Law

The Financial Responsibility Law requires owners and operators of motor vehicles to be financially responsible for damages and/or injuries they may cause to others when a motor vehicle crash happens. This law requires any pers on to have bodily injury liability insurance at the time of the following:

You must have the following minimum insurance coverage:

If involved in any of the above violations and you do not have insurance to comply with the Financial Responsibility Law, your driver license and/or license plates will be suspended for up to three years. You will have to pay a $15 reinstatement fee and show the department certified proof of full liability insurance on Form SR-22 for three years from the original suspension date to get your driving privilege back.

In addition, if you are the driver or the owner of a vehicle which is in a crash that is your fault, this department can require you to pay for the damages before your driving privilege is reinstated.

Under this law, to protect yourself and others, you should have liability insurance on any motor vehicle you own or drive, including motorcycles.

The No-Fault Law

The Florida No-Fault Law requires owners of motor vehicles with four or more wheels (excluding taxis and limousines), that has been in the state for at least 90 days or non-consecutive days during the past 365 days to purchase a policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state. The minimum coverages are:

You cannot buy a license plate and registration for a car, or other four-wheel vehicle, without having coverage issued in Florida. Once you have this insurance, anytime you renew it, fail to renew it, cancel it, or the insurance company cancels, the insurance company must notify this department. The department will then notify you to provide proof of new coverage. If you fail to provide proof of insurance, your driver license and license plate(s) will be suspended for up to three years.

You must maintain insurance coverage throughout the vehicle registration period or you must surrender the license plate(s) to any driver licenses office.

If your driver license and license plate(s) are suspended for not having insurance under the No-Fault Law, you will have to pay $150 and show proof of current insurance to get them back. For a second time within three years, you will pay $250. For a third time within three years, you will have to pay $500. Also, if your driver license and plate(s) have been under suspension for 30 days or more for a no-fault insurance violation, a police officer can seize your license plate immediately.

General Information

You will be issued a Florida Insurance I.D. Card from your insurance company. You must have this card ready to show to any law enforcement officer to prove that you have the required insurance. If not, you may receive a ticket for not having proof of insurance.

If your driver license or license plate(s) are suspended for not obeying either of these laws, you cannot get a temporary license for any reason, not even for work purposes only. Any person who makes a false statement or commits forgery about their motor vehicle insurance can be guilty of a second degree misdemeanor.

The Department will always provide you with an opportunity to prove insurance coverage or be heard before being suspended. How to comply:

Remember: Automobile insurance is an important part of your driving privilege. Protect yourself and others by having and keeping the proper insurance coverage.