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 Florida 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 Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV)