Florida gives you more time than the month California does to acquire insurance if you plan to stay in Florida for a substantial period of time.

The Florida insurance regulator and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles both note that state statutes require any part-time or seasonal resident living in FL for 90 days or more during the year (the days do not have to be consecutive) to obtain a Florida personal injury (PIP) and property damage liability (PDL) auto insurance. This is the minimum insurance Florida motorist must have but it is advisable to also carry bodily injury liability (BI) insurance as well since if you are at-fault in an accident with injuries you can be penalized for not carrying BI.

If you plan to register and leave your truck in Florida then for the months that you are not in Florida (but the truck remains in FL and is registered there) you must continue to maintain insurance on your vehicle or surrender your Florida tag and registration at the nearest driver license or tag office. If you choose to do this, when you next return to Florida you can register the vehicle after you have obtained proof of FL insurance once again.

To get insurance in Florida with an authorized Florida auto insurance agency you are normally required by the guidelines of the insurance provider to obtain a US (Florida) driver's license. According to the FL Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Canadian citizens are non-immigrants and are allowed to stay in the US without obtaining INS documentation and thus it appears to make it easier to obtain a FL driver's license.

The companies that we work with generally give you 30 days to exchange your foreign driver's license for a US license. So when you are in Florida and have started the process to obtain your Florida driver's license contact us so that we can give you an accurate insurance quote for your truck.

If you are going to have your truck in Florida less than 90 days within a one year period and your Canadian auto insurance will extend its coverage to you for the period of time you are in the United States then you would not normally need to obtain Florida car insurance. If you have questions about your particular situation though contact the FL HSMV or insurance regulator. Both have consumer help lines that should be able to answer any questions you have about your stay in Florida.

To get a quote for Florida car insurance, click here.