Florida Personal Lines Study Guide

Two bodies of Florida law generate most of the 20-44 exam: a no-fault auto system that requires coverages other states do not and omits one that everybody assumes is mandatory, and a set of cancellation and nonrenewal notice periods indexed on two axes at once. Neither behaves like the national baseline, which is exactly why they are worth the study time.

Florida auto — no-fault, and no required bodily injury liability

Florida is a no-fault state under F.S. § 627.736: each driver’s own insurer pays their medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, and a claimant may step outside that system to sue only by meeting the serious-injury tort threshold.

The minimum limits are the fact most often stated wrong. A basic Florida policy requires $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 of Property Damage Liability — and no bodily injury liability at all (F.S. §§ 627.7275, 324.022). PIP pays 80% of medical expenses and 60% of lost wages, plus a $5,000 death benefit (§ 627.736(1)).

Uninsured motorist — offered, and rejected only in writing

Because Florida requires no bodily injury liability, uninsured motorist coverage carries unusual weight. Under F.S. § 627.727(1) UM must be offered at limits equal to the bodily injury liability limits on the policy, and the insured may reject it — but only in writing. A signed rejection creates a conclusive presumption of an informed rejection, which is strong language: it forecloses a later argument that the insured did not understand what they gave up. Underinsured motorist coverage is offered and rejected on the same terms.

Negligence — Florida moved the line in 2023

Florida used to be a pure comparative negligence state. HB 837, effective 24 March 2023, changed it to modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar (F.S. § 768.81(6)): a claimant found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing. Medical malpractice claims are excepted and remain pure comparative. Any study material printed before March 2023 describes the old rule, and this is one of the most common places out-of-date Florida content shows up.

For drivers who cannot obtain coverage in the voluntary market, the residual mechanism is the Florida Automobile Joint Underwriting Association (FAJUA) (F.S. § 627.311).

Cancellation and nonrenewal — indexed on product and on reason

Florida does not publish one notice period. It publishes several, and which one applies depends on what the policy is and why it is being cancelled.

• Nonpayment of premium — 10 days, auto and homeowners alike.
• Personal auto, other permitted causes — 45 days, with the reason stated (F.S. § 627.728(3)).
• Auto nonrenewal — 45 days, reason stated (§ 627.728(4)).
• Homeowners — 120 days to cancel or nonrenew for most reasons, but 20 days during the first 90 days of new business (§ 627.4133(2)).

The initial windows are their own fact: an insurer has broader latitude during the first 60 days of a new auto policy and the first 90 days of new residential property business. After that, cancellation is limited to statutory grounds — and in every case a specific reason must be stated proactively, not merely supplied if the policyholder asks.