Why Most Carriers Won't Quote You
You've been convicted of DUI in Florida and started calling insurance companies. Half of them told you they don't offer FR-44. The other half quoted you rates three times what you were paying before the conviction. This is not a pricing problem—it's a market access problem. Florida is one of only two states requiring FR-44 instead of SR-22 for DUI offenders, and FR-44 mandates liability limits of $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury and $50,000 property damage—double the standard SR-22 minimums. Most preferred-tier and standard-tier carriers either don't write FR-44 at all or won't write it for post-DUI drivers.
The carriers that do write post-DUI FR-44 fall into two tiers: standard carriers that will write you at elevated rates with clean driving history otherwise, and non-standard specialists that write high-risk drivers as their primary book. The tier you land in determines whether you're paying $180/month or $420/month for identical coverage. Your job is to find out which tier will accept you, then compare the three to five carriers in that tier that operate in your county.
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Get Your Free QuoteFlorida FR-44 Liability Minimums
$100k/$300k/$50k
Florida Statutes § 322.28 requires DUI offenders to maintain FR-44 with these limits for 3 years post-reinstatement. SR-22 states typically require only $25k/$50k/$25k—Florida's FR-44 mandate doubles the bodily injury floor and creates a structural pricing gap that eliminates most preferred-tier carriers from the market.
Florida Statutes § 322.28
Carriers That Write Post-DUI FR-44 in Florida
Eleven carriers write FR-44 for post-DUI drivers statewide in Florida. Non-standard specialists: Acceptance Insurance, Bristol West, Dairyland, GAINSCO, Infinity, The General. Standard-tier carriers that write post-DUI as elevated-risk: Geico, National General, Progressive. Preferred-tier with limited DUI acceptance: State Farm (case-by-case, not guaranteed). Mixed-tier broker channel: Kemper (writes through agents, tier varies by underwriting).
Acceptance, Bristol West, Dairyland, Infinity, and The General are non-standard specialists—they write high-risk drivers as their core business and price accordingly. You will pay more per month, but approval is nearly automatic if you meet Florida's minimum reinstatement requirements. Geico, National General, and Progressive write post-DUI drivers at standard-tier elevated rates—lower monthly premiums than non-standard, but approval depends on how long ago your conviction occurred, whether you have other violations, and your age. State Farm evaluates DUI cases individually; approval is not guaranteed and varies by agent and underwriting appetite in your region.
GAINSCO writes SR-22 and after-DUI policies but did not confirm FR-44 capability on their website—call before assuming they'll write the Florida-specific filing. Farmers, Hartford, Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and USAA either do not write FR-44 or do not write it for post-DUI drivers; skip them entirely and focus on the eleven confirmed carriers above.
Half the carriers that write FR-44 will not write it for DUI offenders specifically—Allstate and Nationwide write FR-44 for other violations but exclude post-DUI applicants from eligibility.
How Carriers Price Post-DUI FR-44
First component: the base liability premium for $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 coverage in your county. This varies by county because Florida uses territorial rating—Miami-Dade and Broward base rates run 40–60% higher than Polk or Escambia for identical coverage due to accident frequency, uninsured motorist rates, and litigation environment. Second component: the DUI surcharge, applied as either a flat annual fee ($800–$1,200/year depending on carrier) or a percentage multiplier (150–300% of base rate). Non-standard carriers use flat surcharges; standard-tier carriers use multipliers.
Third component: the FR-44 filing and monitoring fee, typically $25–$50 per policy term. This is separate from the DHSMV reinstatement fee you already paid. Carriers remit FR-44 certificates electronically to Florida's insurance tracking system and charge for ongoing compliance monitoring. When you stack these three components, a driver in Tampa paying $85/month pre-DUI can expect $240–$320/month post-DUI with a non-standard carrier, or $180–$260/month if a standard-tier carrier approves them. The same driver in Miami-Dade sees $310–$420/month non-standard, $230–$340/month standard-tier.
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Which Tier You'll Land In
Standard-tier carriers (Geico, National General, Progressive) approve post-DUI drivers under three conditions: DUI conviction occurred at least 3 years ago, no additional major violations in the past 5 years, and driver is over age 25. If you meet all three, start with standard-tier carriers—monthly premiums run 25–40% lower than non-standard for identical FR-44 coverage. If you fail any one condition, standard-tier carriers will either decline you outright or quote you at non-standard-equivalent rates, making their approval meaningless.
Non-standard specialists approve nearly all post-DUI applicants immediately as long as Florida DHSMV has cleared you for reinstatement and you've enrolled in DUI school per Florida Statutes § 322.28. The rate you're quoted is the rate you'll pay—non-standard carriers do not re-tier you downward after 3 years of clean driving. If your goal is to lower your premium after the mandatory 3-year FR-44 period ends, you must re-shop and move to a standard-tier carrier at that point. Non-standard carriers will keep you at elevated rates indefinitely.
One structural trap: if you apply to a standard-tier carrier first and get declined, that declination appears in industry databases (LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and similar) and can trigger automatic declinations or higher quotes from other carriers who see you've already been rejected. Start with the tier you're most likely to land in based on the three-condition test above. If you're uncertain, start with one non-standard carrier to establish baseline pricing, then test one standard-tier carrier to see if they'll beat it.
Florida FR-44 Filing Period
3 years
Florida requires continuous FR-44 filing for 3 years after reinstatement, measured from the date DHSMV reinstates your license—not from your conviction date or DUI school enrollment date. If your policy lapses for any reason during this period, DHSMV suspends your license again immediately and restarts the 3-year clock from your next reinstatement.
Florida Statutes § 322.28
Business Purpose License Compatibility
If you're applying for a Business Purpose Only License (Florida's hardship license for DUI offenders), all eleven carriers above will write FR-44 for BPO-restricted drivers—but not all will write a full policy if you don't own a vehicle. Dairyland, Geico, Progressive, and The General all offer non-owner FR-44 policies specifically for BPO license holders who need to satisfy the filing requirement without insuring a car. Non-owner FR-44 costs $60–$120/month depending on your county and the carrier's non-standard vs standard tier.
BPO licenses require proof of FR-44 enrollment before DHSMV will issue the restricted license—you cannot drive legally on a BPO without active FR-44 on file, even if your employer provides a company vehicle. The sequence matters: enroll in DUI school, obtain FR-44 certificate from your carrier, submit the certificate with your BPO application to DHSMV, then receive the BPO license 5–10 business days later. Applying for the BPO before securing FR-44 coverage delays your application and wastes the $12 DHSMV application fee if you're later declined.
Compare Rates From Three Carriers Minimum
Post-DUI FR-44 rates vary by 40–60% between carriers in the same tier for identical coverage in the same ZIP code. A driver in Orlando quoted $280/month by Acceptance Insurance may receive $195/month from Progressive if Progressive's underwriting algorithm weights their conviction date and age more favorably. You cannot predict which carrier will price you lowest without quoting all accessible carriers in your tier.
Quote at least three carriers: one non-standard specialist (Dairyland, Acceptance, or The General), and two standard-tier carriers if you meet the three-condition eligibility test above (Geico and Progressive are the fastest to quote online). If you need non-owner FR-44 for a BPO license, quote Dairyland, Geico, Progressive, and The General specifically—these four write non-owner policies statewide without requiring you to call an agent. National General and Kemper require agent contact for non-owner quotes, adding 24–48 hours to the process. Enter your correct conviction date and DUI school enrollment status when quoting online—misrepresenting either triggers automatic declination when the carrier pulls your MVR during underwriting.