What If I Am a Part-Year Resident?
If you are a snowbird, and your vehicle is registered and plated in another state, where your other residence is located, then you are not required to have PIP coverage in Florida. You are, however, required to have at least the minimum coverage required by your state to operate a motor vehicle legally in Florida. Otherwise, if your car is registered and plated in Florida, you must have PIP coverage, even when you are at your other home outside of Florida.
Is Florida’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
Deciding whether Florida’s minimum coverages are enough is a personal decision. However, the required minimum amounts could be considered relatively low. In the event you are in a car accident and sustain injuries or cause injuries to others, with only the minimum coverage, your insurance will only pay up to $10,000.
Unfortunately, this could leave you paying for any additional amounts above the $10,000 coverage out of your own pocket. Ideally, it is recommended to consider getting higher amounts of PIP and PDL coverages for the following reasons:
- If you have significant and severe injuries, $10,000 will be inadequate to cover all your medical bills and lost wages
- If you injure someone else and they sue you because you were at fault for the accident, and their damages are more than $10,000, you will have to pay them directly
Additional Car Insurance Coverage Available to Florida Drivers
Besides PIP and PDL, insurance providers in Tampa offer additional car insurance coverage for Florida drivers, including:
- Bodily injury liability (BIL): When you are at fault for the accident, BIL pays for the other person’s injuries
- Collision: Collision covers the costs of repairing or replacing your damaged vehicle
- Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage pays to repair or replace your vehicle if it is stolen, vandalized, or damaged by weather events, such as storms and floods
- Medical payments/Med Pay: Medical payments, also called Med Pay, cover the costs of you and any injured passengers in your vehicle, regardless of who was at fault for the accident
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries when the other driver is at fault and does not have insurance. Underinsurance motorist coverage provides added protection when the other driver is at fault and does not have sufficient coverage.