Automobile insurance in Florida is a minimally mandatory program. The state law mandates that any person who owns an automobile in Florida, not drives – just owns – must carry the minimum state-required insurance. Florida recently reinstated personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. The previous law expired on October 1, 2007 and the reinstatement goes into effect on January 1, 2008. During this lapse, Florida drivers should be very careful as PIP isn’t technically required.

Required coverage

We asked Brian Labovick, a car accident attorney in South Florida who specializes in auto accident cases, about what types of insurance are currently required in Florida. According to Labovick, “As of today, the state requires two types of insurance. First, it requires one called property damage in the amount of $10,000, which means that if you damage someone else’s property with your car (run over their mailbox, run into their car, run over their briefcase, bump into their bumper, etc.) it will pay up to $10,000 of the other person’s auto or property damage.”

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Although PIP coverage won’t be reinstated until January 1, 2008, drivers should make sure that they have the necessary coverage. Labovick explained PIP insurance. “PIP insurance does what its name says, which is protects you, the owner of the insurance or first party insured, from damages to your body. If you needed medical work after an automobile accident, it would pay 80% of those medical bills up to $10,000.”

PIP also functions simultaneously as a lost wage claim policy. So, as Labovick explained, “If you’re out of work, it will pay 60% of your lost wages up to $10,000, but not both. You have to share that pot of $10,000 with lost wages or medical benefits. So, if (God forbid) someone dies in an accident, the PIP insurance will pay up to $5,000 for that person’s death benefit to help pay for the funeral, casket, etc. That’s it. There’s no other mandated insurance in the state of Florida.”