324.0221 Reports by insurers to the department; suspension of driver license and vehicle registrations; reinstatement.—
(1)(a) Each insurer that has issued a policy providing personal injury protection coverage or property damage liability coverage shall report the cancellation or nonrenewal thereof to the department within 10 days after the processing date or effective date of each cancellation or nonrenewal. Upon the issuance of a policy providing personal injury protection coverage or property damage liability coverage to a named insured not previously insured by the insurer during that calendar year, the insurer shall report the issuance of the new policy to the department within 10 days. The report shall be in the form and format and contain any information required by the department and must be provided in a format that is compatible with the data processing capabilities of the department. Failure by an insurer to file proper reports with the department as required by this subsection constitutes a violation of the Florida Insurance Code. These records shall be used by the department only for enforcement and regulatory purposes, including the generation by the department of data regarding compliance by owners of motor vehicles with the requirements for financial responsibility coverage.
(b) With respect to an insurance policy providing personal injury protection coverage or property damage liability coverage, each insurer shall notify the named insured, or the first-named insured in the case of a commercial fleet policy, in writing that any cancellation or nonrenewal of the policy will be reported by the insurer to the department. The notice must also inform the named insured that failure to maintain personal injury protection coverage and property damage liability coverage on a motor vehicle when required by law may result in the loss of registration and driving privileges in this state and inform the named insured of the amount of the reinstatement fees required by this section. This notice is for informational purposes only, and an insurer is not civilly liable for failing to provide this notice.
(2) The department shall suspend, after due notice and an opportunity to be heard, the registration and driver license of any owner or registrant of a motor vehicle with respect to which security is required under ss. 324.022 and 627.733 upon:
(a) The department’s records showing that the owner or registrant of such motor vehicle did not have in full force and effect when required security that complies with the requirements of ss. 324.022 and 627.733; or
(b) Notification by the insurer to the department, in a form approved by the department, of cancellation or termination of the required security.
(3) An operator or owner whose driver license or registration has been suspended under this section or s. 316.646 may effect its reinstatement upon compliance with the requirements of this section and upon payment to the department of a nonrefundable reinstatement fee of $150 for the first reinstatement. The reinstatement fee is $250 for the second reinstatement and $500 for each subsequent reinstatement during the 3 years following the first reinstatement. A person reinstating her or his insurance under this subsection must also secure noncancelable coverage as described in ss. 324.021(8), 324.023, and 627.7275(2) and present to the appropriate person proof that the coverage is in force on a form adopted by the department, and such proof shall be maintained for 2 years. If the person does not have a second reinstatement within 3 years after her or his initial reinstatement, the reinstatement fee is $150 for the first reinstatement after that 3-year period. If a person’s license and registration are suspended under this section or s. 316.646, only one reinstatement fee must be paid to reinstate the license and the registration. All fees shall be collected by the department at the time of reinstatement. The department shall issue proper receipts for such fees and shall promptly deposit those fees in the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund. One-third of the fees collected under this subsection shall be distributed from the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund to the local governmental entity or state agency that employed the law enforcement officer seizing the license plate pursuant to s. 324.201. The funds may be used by the local governmental entity or state agency for any authorized purpose.
History.—s. 5, ch. 2007-324; s. 30, ch. 2013-18; s. 66, ch. 2013-160.
