The Bureau of Motorist Compliance ensures that registered vehicles and vehicle owners are insured in compliance with Florida law.

The program is organized under the department's Division of Motorist Services. It maintains insurance policy information obtained from insurance companies; enforces sanctions on people who violate highway safety laws; and ensures the assessment of people with medical conditions who are unable to operate a vehicle. It also monitors and regulates driver improvement schools, DUI programs, commercial driving schools, and Florida Motorcycle Rider Training Programs. In addition, the program coordinates safety publications (including the Class E and Commercial Driver License handbooks), the Automated Driver License Testing System, Class E skills tests, grant management, driver safety outreach, and research and evaluation of emerging safety trends.

One of the program's primary goals is to ensure that all registered vehicles and owners are properly insured.  In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the department issued 114,578 insurance suspensions for failure to maintain Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance and/or liability insurance.

The Bureau of Motorist Compliance is funded as part of the Motorist Services budget entity.

Repeal of Vehicle No-Fault Insurance. The 2021 Legislature enacted Senate Bill 54, which repeals the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law that required Personal Injury Protection coverage. Among its provisions, the new law

• requires every owner or operator of a motor vehicle to maintain the ability to respond to damages for liability resulting from accidents in the amount of $25,000 for bodily injury to, or the death of, one person in any crash, and subject to such limits for one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to, or the death of two or more persons, and $10,000 for damage to or destruction of any property in any one crash (beginning as of January 1, 2022);
• requires motor vehicle insurers to offer medical payments coverage, which protects the named insured, resident relatives, persons operating the insured motor vehicle, and persons who are struck by the insured motor vehicle and suffer bodily injury at a limit of at least $5,000, with an additional death benefit of $5,000; insurers must offer coverage at limits of $5,000 and $10,000, and may offer coverage at other limits exceeding $5,000;
• provides that the legal liability of an uninsured motorist insurer includes damages in tort for pain, suffering, disability or physical impairment, inconvenience, and loss of capacity for enjoyment of life experienced in the past and to be experienced in the future;
• requires insurers to handle claims in good faith by following best practices standards outlined in statutes; and
• requires all motor vehicle insurers to inform their policyholders by September 1, 2021, of the changes in statutory requirements for motor vehicle insurance.  

Exclusion of Identified Persons from Motor Vehicle Coverage. The 2021 Legislature enacted Senate Bill 420, which allows private passenger motor vehicle policies to exclude named individuals from coverage for claims or suits. The law provides that if the individual is not a named insured, is identified on the declarations page or by endorsement, and the named insured agrees in writing to the exclusion, an individual may be excluded from coverage applicable to the individual's injuries, lost wages or death; property damage liability; bodily injury liability; uninsured motorist coverage; and any coverage the named insured is not required by law to purchase. However, an excluded driver must have the financial ability to respond for any damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle, as required by law.    

Other Reports
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles - Selected Administrative Activities and Prior Audit Follow-Up - Operational Audit, Auditor General Report No. 2020-191, April 2020.
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles - Commercial Driver's License Program and Prior Audit Follow-Up - Operational Audit, Auditor General Report No. 2017-088, January 2017.
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' Office of Inspector General reports are available by contacting the inspector general at inspectorgeneral@flhsmv.gov.

Websites of Interest
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Office Locations
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Cabinet and Legislature Reports & Statistics
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Related Links
American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, National Motor Vehicle Title Information System

Performance Information
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' Performance Dashboard tracks the department's performance in meeting the goals and standards associated with accomplishing its mission of safety and security through excellence in service, education, and enforcement.

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapter 320, Florida Statutes.

Bureau of Motorist Compliance, 850-617-2500

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