Car Insurance Requirements in FL

The State of Florida requires drivers to carry insurance on all registered vehicles.Florida state contour with Capital City against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com

Florida requires all drivers in the state with a registered vehicle to carry liability insurance. There are over 14 million registered vehicles in the state of Florida. The state has one of the highest rates of uninsured motorists in the country, despite the requirement. Insurance coverage must include bodily injury and property damage coverage.

Insurance Requirements

Drivers in Florida must maintain a minimum amount of car insurance on any registered vehicle in the state. The Florida car insurance requirements apply to all vehicles, even those that are not driven but maintain a vehicle registration. Drivers who do not live in Florida for a portion of the year, but maintain the registration on their vehicles, must maintain car insurance.

The minimum coverage a driver must have on a vehicle is $10,000 personal injury protection insurance and $10,000 property damage liability insurance to maintain registration in the state, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Personal injury protection insurance covers drivers when riding in someone else's vehicle, as a pedestrian or bicyclist. This type of insurance provides coverage regardless of who is at fault for the injury.

Drivers must purchase motor vehicle insurance from a Florida insurance company or one that is licensed to sell insurance in the state. The Florida Department of Financial Services licenses insurance companies to sell automobile insurance in the state of Florida.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can suspend a driver's license and registration if motor vehicle insurance is not maintained on a registered vehicle. The license suspension is for three years or until proof of insurance is shown by the driver. To reinstate a driver's license for noncompliance with the financial responsibility law in Florida a driver must pay a fee of $150 or up to $500 for subsequent violations of the law.