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Florida Statute 324.022 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 324.022 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Link to State of Florida Official Statute
F.S. 324.022 Case Law from Google Scholar Google Search for Amendments to 324.022

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XXIII
MOTOR VEHICLES
Chapter 324
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
View Entire Chapter
324.022 Financial responsibility for property damage.
(1) Every owner or operator of a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state shall establish and maintain the ability to respond in damages for liability on account of accidents arising out of the use of the motor vehicle in the amount of $10,000 because of damage to, or destruction of, property of others in any one crash. The requirements of this section may be met by one of the methods established in s. 324.031; by self-insuring as authorized by s. 768.28(16); or by maintaining an insurance policy providing coverage for property damage liability in the amount of at least $10,000 because of damage to, or destruction of, property of others in any one accident arising out of the use of the motor vehicle. The requirements of this section may also be met by having a policy which provides coverage in the amount of at least $30,000 for combined property damage liability and bodily injury liability for any one crash arising out of the use of the motor vehicle. The policy, with respect to coverage for property damage liability, must meet the applicable requirements of s. 324.151, subject to the usual policy exclusions that have been approved in policy forms by the Office of Insurance Regulation. No insurer shall have any duty to defend uncovered claims irrespective of their joinder with covered claims.
(2) As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Motor vehicle” means any self-propelled vehicle that has four or more wheels and that is of a type designed and required to be licensed for use on the highways of this state, and any trailer or semitrailer designed for use with such vehicle. The term does not include:
1. A mobile home.
2. A motor vehicle that is used in mass transit and designed to transport more than five passengers, exclusive of the operator of the motor vehicle, and that is owned by a municipality, transit authority, or political subdivision of the state.
3. A school bus as defined in s. 1006.25.
4. A vehicle providing for-hire transportation that is subject to the provisions of s. 324.031. A taxicab shall maintain security as required under s. 324.032(1).
5. A personal delivery device as defined in s. 316.003.
(b) “Owner” means the person who holds legal title to a motor vehicle or the debtor or lessee who has the right to possession of a motor vehicle that is the subject of a security agreement or lease with an option to purchase.
(3) Each nonresident owner or registrant of a motor vehicle that, whether operated or not, has been physically present within this state for more than 90 days during the preceding 365 days shall maintain security as required by subsection (1) that is in effect continuously throughout the period the motor vehicle remains within this state.
(4) The owner or registrant of a motor vehicle is exempt from the requirements of this section if she or he is a member of the United States Armed Forces and is called to or on active duty outside the United States in an emergency situation. The exemption provided by this subsection applies only as long as the member of the Armed Forces is on such active duty outside the United States and applies only while the vehicle is not operated by any person. Upon receipt of a written request by the insured to whom the exemption provided in this subsection applies, the insurer shall cancel the coverages and return any unearned premium or suspend the security required by this section. Notwithstanding s. 324.0221(3), the department may not suspend the registration or operator’s license of any owner or registrant of a motor vehicle during the time she or he qualifies for an exemption under this subsection. Any owner or registrant of a motor vehicle who qualifies for an exemption under this subsection shall immediately notify the department prior to and at the end of the expiration of the exemption.
History.s. 8, ch. 88-370; s. 1, ch. 89-238; s. 302, ch. 99-248; s. 4, ch. 2007-324; s. 7, ch. 2017-150.

F.S. 324.022 on Google Scholar

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Amendments to 324.022


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 324.022
Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

S324.022 - NONMOVING TRAFFIC VIOL - REMOVED - M: S
S324.022 - NONMOVING TRAFFIC VIOL - FAIL TO HAVE MTR VEH LIABILITY INSURANCE - M: S

Cases Citing Statute 324.022

Total Results: 11  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Clay Elec. Co-Op., Inc. v. Johnson, 873 So. 2d 1182 (Fla. 2003).

Cited 193 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2003 WL 22966277

...The Legislature has determined that the risk of loss from automobile accidents is best borne by automobile liability insurance. To that end, every automobile owner is required to carry automobile liability coverage or otherwise comply with the financial responsibility law. See § 324.022, Fla....
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Garcia Ex Rel. Est. of Garcia v. Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc., 510 F. Supp. 2d 821 (M.D. Fla. 2007).

Cited 22 times | Published | District Court, M.D. Florida | 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15335, 2007 WL 686625

...United States v. DBB, Inc., 180 F.3d 1277, 1281 (11th Cir.1999) ("We do not look at one word or term in isolation, but instead we look to the entire statutory context."). [10] See Plaintiff's Memorandum in Opposition, P. 7. [11] See also Fla. Stat. § 324.022 (the requirement of having sufficient financial responsibility for property damage can be met by having an insurance policy that provides coverage in the amount of at least $30,000 for combined property damage and bodily injury liability for any one crash), and Fla....
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Grant v. New Hampshire Ins. Co., 613 So. 2d 466 (Fla. 1993).

Cited 3 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 18 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 107, 1993 Fla. LEXIS 169, 1993 WL 32053

...of ability to respond in damages for liability on account of accidents arising out of the use of a motor vehicle: (a) In the amount of $10,000 because of bodily injury to, or death of, one person in any one accident. [4] The appellants also cite to "section 324.022, Florida Statutes, (1986)" to support their contention that as an operator of a motor vehicle registered in Florida Grant was required to maintain liability insurance up to $10,000. However, section 324.022, Florida Statutes (Supp....
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DaimlerChrysler Ins. Co. v. Arrigo Enter., Inc., 63 So. 3d 68 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 7171, 2011 WL 1878009

...ury liability and property damage liability shall contain limits of not less than $1 million." Id. Nothing in Chapter 324 precludes a long-term motor vehicle lessee from obtaining only the minimum coverage required for financial responsibility under section 324.022....
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Welford v. Liberty Ins. Corp., 190 F. Supp. 3d 1085 (N.D. Fla. 2016).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court, N.D. Florida | 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84024, 2016 WL 3360431

...to keep a tag and be legal”) (doc. 58 at 16-17), which in Florida (surprisingly) is only Personal Injury Protection ("PIP”) coverage under Florida’s “no fault” law [see Fla. Stat. §§ 627.730-627.7405 ], and property damage coverage under Fla. Stat. § 324.022 ....
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Classy Cycles, Inc. v. Bay Cnty., 201 So. 3d 779 (Fla. 1st DCA 2016).

Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 14507

...316 and are expressly preempted. Chapter 316 has various statutes concerning security or insurance requirements. 7 Section 316.646 states the requirement to maintain property damage liability security, typically insurance. This section incorporates section 324.022 regarding financial responsibility for property damage. In section 324.022 motor vehicle is defined to only refer to four-wheeled vehicles, and requires owners or operators of four-wheeled vehicles to maintain $10,000 in security (again typically insurance) for damage to property of others....
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Progressive Specialty Ins. Co. v. Florida Hosp. Ocala, Inc. D/B/A Adventhealth Ocala A/A/O Sandra Thomas (Fla. 6th DCA 2024).

Published | Florida 6th District Court of Appeal

...The essential obligation of the Financial Responsibility Law is to “establish and maintain the ability to respond in damages for liability . . . in the amount of $10,000 because of damage to, or destruction of, property of others in any one crash.” § 324.022(1), Fla. Stat....
...The obligation arises for “[e]very owner . . . of a motor vehicle required to be registered in this state.”6 Id. The $10,000 responsibility requirement may be satisfied “by maintaining an insurance policy providing coverage for property 6 Section 324.022 was added in 1988 and took effect October 1, 1989....
...1970) (footnote omitted); see also Grant v. N.H. Ins. Co., 613 So. 2d 466, 471 n.4 (Fla. 1993). 8 damage liability in the amount of at least $10,000 . . . in any one accident arising out of the use of the motor vehicle.” § 324.022(1), Fla....
...named insured . . . to a limit of $10,000 in medical and disability benefits . . . resulting from bodily injury . . . arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle.” 7 For individual, private car owners, section 324.022(1) also allows satisfaction of the responsibility requirement “by having a policy which provides coverage in the amount of at least $30,000 for combined property damage liability and bodily injury liability” per accident; by a Flo...
...Florida over the course of a year, even if registration is not required. They have identical provisions requiring coverage for any car that “has been physically present within this state for more than 90 days during the preceding 365 days.” §§ 324.022(3), 627.733(2), Fla....
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United Auto. Ins. Co. v. Reece, 4 So. 3d 80 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009).

Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 1958, 2009 WL 529589

...denying bodily injury coverage based on the Named Driver Exclusion. Moreover, exclusionary denial of coverage for property damage does not apply because coverage for property damage is mandatory pursuant to Florida’s Financial Responsibility Law. § 324.022, Fla....
...Bramlitt, 228 So.2d 288, 290 (Fla. 1st DCA 1969) (“When not required to be carried by law, a liability policy ... is voluntary and may contain such terms as may be agreeable to the parties.”). Since United Auto’s property damage liability coverage was statutorily mandated by section 324.022, it was prevented from excluding property damage liability coverage and it consequently paid that claim....
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Sommerville v. Allstate Ins. Co., 65 So. 3d 558 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011).

Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 8987, 2011 WL 2421043

...required to be registered in this state, shall ... establish and maintain the ability to respond in damages for liability on account of accidents arising out of the use of the motor vehicle in the amount of $10,000 because of damage to, or destruction of, property of others in any one crash. § 324.022, Fla....
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Antonelli v. United Auto. Ins. Co., 133 So. 3d 1007 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014).

Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2014 WL 21012, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 1

...We reverse, however, that portion of the final judgment finding no personal injury protection (“PIP”) or property damage coverage under the policy at issue because, as UA correctly points out, those particular coverages are statutorily mandated. § 627.736, Fla. Stat. (2013); § 324.022, Fla....
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State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Anna Bevilacqua Spangler (11th Cir. 2023).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Argued: Nov 18, 2022

...arising out of the use of [a] motor vehicle.” See Fla. Stat. USCA11 Case: 21-12062 Document: 36-1 Date Filed: 04/03/2023 Page: 8 of 23 8 Opinion of the Court 21-12062 § 324.022(1)....

This Florida statute resource is curated by Graham W. Syfert, Esq., a Jacksonville, Florida personal injury and workers' compensation attorney. Attorney Syfert regularly works with Chapter 324 in the context of auto insurance and financial responsibility and represents clients throughout Northeast Florida. For legal consultation, call 904-383-7448.