Miami Florida Car Insurance Question
Reader’s Question:
Could I get an insurance policy in one state from another state?
Chuck
Miami, Florida
States generally require you to buy an insurance policy from a state licensed insurance provider. That means if you live in Florida you must buy car insurance policy with an insurance provider licensed in FL. There can be exceptions, for example if your car is registered and insured in one state but you go to school in another state.
It might also be possible to transfer your car insurance from one state to another if your insurance provider is licensed in both states. To verify more state specific insurance information you may contact the state’s insurance regulator.
Florida Law Car Insurance
Reader’s Question:
I have a vacation house in FL. I reside most of the time in New York. I want to purchase a vehicle and register and insure it in Florida. I am going to use it when I went on vacation there. Can I do this?
Pat
Miami, FL
Yes, it should be possible for you to register and insure a car to keep at your vacation house in FL. There are many “snowbirds” that live part of the year in FL and the other part in a different state.
Florida law requires any part-time or seasonal resident living in Florida for 90 days or more during the year to get a Florida personal injury and property damage liability (PDL) and personal injury protection (PIP) auto insurance for their car. Since it sounds as if your car will stay in Florida year round then you will need to keep this Florida minimum insurance on the vehicle for the whole year.
For the months that you are not in FL you must continue to maintain insurance on your car or surrender your FL tag and registration at the nearest driver license or tag office. If you choose to do this, when you next return to FL you can register the car after you have acquired proof of Florida insurance once again.
To get more information on how to register a vehicle in FL, contact the FL Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV)
Florida FL Car Insurance Question
Reader’s Question:
Do I have to have a drivers license in Florida to obtain auto insurance on my car that is registered in Florida?
Helen
Clearwater, FL
Florida insurance companies’ guidelines vary however most will permit you to obtain insurance on your Florida registered car without having a Florida license. If you live in Florida normally though you will want, and be required by Florida statutes, to get a Florida license.
I understand that there are situations in which you will have a vehicle registered in Florida but carry an out of state driver’s license. These kind of situations could include such circumstances as a college student who has purchased a vehicle in FL but has a license from their home state or an individual who purchases a vehicle to keep at their Florida vacation home while keeping their license from their permanent address.
Car Insurance Rate Florida FL
Reader’s Question:
Do two auto insurance points can increase your insurance rates in Florida?
Bruce
Miami, FL
Yes, it is possible that 2 insurance points could cause your car insurance rates to increase. It really depends upon your insurance company’s rating system and state insurance laws if your rates will go up due to two insurance points.
For instance, in Florida the state law states that your 1st minor infraction won’t surcharge your insurance rates, but it may not allow for discounts depending on the carrier. Therefore, it is important to understand your state to provide a more accurate answer.
If your state permits insurance points to be used and for insurance carriers to use their own rating system, then you would need to contact your insurance company to find out how two insurance points will affect your auto insurance premiums.
You should also be able to contact your state’s insurance regulator since insurance companies will be required to file their insurance rates with this state agency.
Auto In Insurance PIP Florida FL
Reader’s Question:
In the state of Florida, is PIP coverage mandatory for a taxi cab?
Michael
Clearwater, FL
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV), vehicles used as livery services, like taxicabs and limousines, are exempt from the mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) coverage that personal car insurance policies must include according to the Florida no-fault insurance law.
Although PIP is not a requirement on a Florida Commercial Auto Policy, it may be included on some insurance policies. Commercial policies have many more options and variables that can cause PIP to be included or not included so you may speak to an car insurance agent about what options you may choose to add on to your policy to give you the best protection for you, your vehicle and the passengers that you will transport in the taxicab and what coverages you are mandated to have on your taxicab.
Auto Insurance Clearwater FL
Reader’s Question:
I just moved to Florida. What are the state requirements for car insurance in Florida?
Percy
Clearwater, FL
Aside from Property Damage Liability (PD), Florida requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP) as basic coverage referred to as a PIP/PD with the following coverage: $10,000 limit for PD and $10,000 limit for PIP. PIP helps pay for reasonable medical expenses. In Florida, Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage is not required.
No-Fault system is followed in Florida: that is, regardless of fault, your insurance company will make payments up to a specified limit. With this system though, some of your rights to sue are lost.
Florida Car Insurance Question
Reader’s Question:
How do I report about someone that does not have car insurance In Florida? What information do I have to have about them to show to the police or the right agency?
Amy
Orlando, Florida (FL)
The Bureau of Financial Responsibility department in Florida has its own insurance information phone number to call.
It differ in each State how you go about reporting a person that you are aware of that is operating a vehicle without insurance. In many states if you contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles they can forward you to the correct state agency to report the uninsured motorist.
No matter what state you are located in, if you know someone whose car is uninsured and yet it looks like that the Department of Motor Vehicle has not yet been informed, you can try reporting that car owner to them. To inquire or report problems, the DMV has a consumer hotline that you can call into . They might be able to take the information or direct you onto the Financial Responsibility Unit or other appropriate state agency.
Car Insurance Miami Florida
Reader’s Question:
I have a NY driver’s license and I will be attending college in Miami, Florida, should I keep my vehicle insured with NY or do I need to have it changed to Florida.
Andrew
Miami, FL
You can continue to keep your New York policy if this is temporary situation.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles any individual who has a car in Florida for more than 90 days during a 365-day period must buy personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability insurance coverage.
Therefore as a college student from New York if you keep your New York insurance you will still have to make certain that you also have these coverages required by the state of Florida. So it is likely that it would be more affordable to register and insure your car in Miami, Florida since you could not only just place Florida insurance on the vehicle and since New York state does not accept out of state car insurance on New York registered cars.
Car Insurance Florida
Reader’s Question:
I am just wondering if points from traffic violations in other states are reported back in the State of Florida?
Ben
Hollywood, FL
Most states report to Florida traffic infraction convictions to the state of Florida but not directly to your insurance provider. There is the Drivers License Compact (DLC) that Florida and most other states participate in which requires members to report traffic violation convictions back to the home state of the motorist. Even the states that are not members of this DLC agreement like Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin, still note that they usually report the home state of a motorist.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Services (HSMV) if you receive a traffic ticket out of state and they receive information on it, the HSMV will then add the infraction to your FL driving record. You will still receive points as if the conviction happened in Florida.
Florida Car Insurance
Reader’s Question:
What is the minimum bodily injury liability to carry on auto insurance in Florida?
Katie
Hialeah, FL
Vehicle owners or operators in Florida may be required to carry two types of insurance:
According to the FL No Fault law any individual who has a vehicle in Florida for more than 90 days during the preceding 365 days, a resident in Florida, is employed in Florida or has children in school in Florida must buy Personal Injury Protection ($10,000) and Property Damage Liability coverage ($10,000).
The second type of car insurance is listed under the Financial Responsibility Law. It states there that Florida requires drivers to carry additional liability insurance if they have caused accidents involving bodily injury or have been convicted of traffic offenses like DUI.
Therefore in FL if the insured get involved in an accident, the Financial Responsibility Law, regulated by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, also requires Bodily Injury Liability coverage of $10,000 Bodily Injury one person up to $20,000 Bodily Injury one accident.
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