Why Most SR-22 Carrier Lists Won't Help You
You received a DUI conviction in Florida and searched for carriers that write SR-22 insurance, only to find that half the names on generic national lists either do not operate in Florida, do not write DUI cases, or cannot file the form Florida actually requires. Florida is one of only two states that require FR-44 certificates instead of SR-22 for DUI offenders, and the carrier pool is smaller because FR-44 mandates liability limits of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage — substantially higher than the 10/20/10 minimums most SR-22 states require.
This means a carrier capable of writing SR-22 in 48 other states may not write FR-44 in Florida at all. National brands like Farmers, Liberty Mutual, and Hartford do not currently confirm FR-44 capability on their Florida product pages, and reaching a licensed agent only to learn they cannot help wastes days you do not have. The carriers listed in this article are confirmed to write FR-44 policies for DUI offenders in Florida based on published product pages, state filings, and direct carrier acknowledgment of FR-44 capability.
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Get Your Free QuoteFlorida FR-44 Minimum Limits
$100,000/$300,000/$50,000
Florida Statutes § 322.28 requires DUI offenders to carry bodily injury liability of at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, plus $50,000 property damage, for three years after reinstatement. Standard SR-22 states typically require only 25/50/25 or lower, making Florida's FR-44 requirement the second-highest minimum in the country.
Florida Statutes § 322.28
Carriers That Write FR-44 After DUI in Florida
Nine carriers actively write FR-44 policies for DUI offenders in Florida and confirm this capability on their product pages or through state filings. Acceptance Insurance, Bristol West, Dairyland, Geico, Infinity, Kemper, National General, Progressive, and The General all explicitly state they file FR-44 certificates and accept DUI applicants in Florida. State Farm and Nationwide write FR-44 but do not explicitly confirm DUI acceptance on their public-facing product pages — you may be declined at the underwriting stage even though the carrier technically files FR-44.
Of these nine confirmed carriers, Acceptance, Bristol West, Dairyland, Infinity, and The General position themselves as non-standard or high-risk specialists and typically quote lower premiums for DUI offenders than standard-tier carriers. Geico, Progressive, and National General occupy the standard tier but maintain dedicated high-risk underwriting divisions that accept DUI cases. Kemper operates as a non-standard specialty carrier with a strong Florida presence.
Carriers not on this list either do not write FR-44 in Florida or do not confirm DUI acceptance. Allstate files FR-44 but does not explicitly state it accepts DUI applicants. USAA writes FR-44 but restricts eligibility to military members and their families, and its DUI acceptance criteria are not published. Amica, Auto-Owners, Farmers, Hartford, Liberty Mutual, Mercury General, Southern Farm Bureau, and Travelers do not confirm FR-44 capability on carrier-domain sources as of current product pages.
Standard-tier carriers that write FR-44 often decline DUI applicants at underwriting even when their product pages list FR-44. Confirmation that a carrier files the form does not guarantee they will accept your application.
Non-Standard Carriers vs Standard-Tier Carriers
Non-standard carriers — Acceptance, Bristol West, Dairyland, Infinity, Kemper, and The General — underwrite high-risk drivers as their primary business model. These carriers expect DUI applicants, price policies with DUI risk already factored in, and typically do not decline applications solely on the basis of a single DUI conviction. Premiums reflect elevated risk but remain competitive because the carrier's entire book is high-risk. You are quoted alongside other DUI offenders, not clean-record drivers, which reduces the relative pricing penalty.
Standard-tier carriers — Geico, Progressive, National General — underwrite a mixed book of clean-record and high-risk drivers and assign DUI applicants to separate high-risk divisions with different underwriting criteria and rate structures. These carriers accept DUI applicants but often impose surcharges of 50% to 150% over their base rates because you are priced against a predominantly clean-record book. Some standard-tier carriers decline DUI applicants outright if your violation occurred within the past 12 months or if you carry additional violations.
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What Drives Rate Differences Between Carriers
Two structural factors create the widest premium spread between carriers writing FR-44 after DUI in Florida: how the carrier treats your DUI conviction in its risk model, and whether the carrier writes policies in your county. A carrier that writes statewide but concentrates underwriting capacity in South Florida counties — Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach — may decline applications from Panhandle or rural North Florida counties where it lacks actuarial data. Geico and Progressive write statewide; Acceptance and Bristol West concentrate capacity in urban counties and may redirect you to affiliated carriers in rural areas.
Carriers also differ on how long they apply DUI surcharges. Most carriers in Florida apply a declining surcharge structure: the surcharge is highest in year one post-conviction, decreases in year two, and drops further in year three. Dairyland and The General explicitly advertise declining-rate structures for DUI offenders. Geico and Progressive apply flat surcharges for the full three-year FR-44 period unless you qualify for accident-forgiveness or safe-driver discounts that offset the DUI penalty.
Your premium also depends on whether you own a vehicle or need a non-owner FR-44 policy. Non-owner policies cover liability when you drive a vehicle you do not own and typically cost 40% to 60% less than owner policies because the carrier assumes reduced exposure. Geico, Progressive, Dairyland, and The General all write non-owner FR-44 policies in Florida. If your license was suspended and you sold your vehicle during the suspension period, a non-owner policy satisfies Florida's FR-44 requirement for reinstatement and costs significantly less than insuring a vehicle you do not drive.
Florida FR-44 Filing Period
3 years
Florida requires continuous FR-44 coverage for three years after reinstatement following a DUI conviction. If your policy lapses or is cancelled during this period, your carrier notifies DHSMV electronically via the Florida Insurance Tracking System, and your license is automatically re-suspended. Reinstatement after an FR-44 lapse requires paying a new $150 to $500 reinstatement fee depending on lapse history.
Florida Statutes § 324.0221
How to Compare Carriers Without Wasting Time
Request quotes from at least three carriers on the confirmed FR-44 list above before committing. Premiums for identical coverage can vary by $80 to $150 per month between carriers writing the same risk profile because each carrier uses proprietary risk models and county-specific loss data. Acceptance may quote $220/month in Hillsborough County while Bristol West quotes $310/month for the same driver and coverage, or the spread may reverse in Duval County where Bristol West has deeper underwriting data.
When requesting quotes, confirm the carrier will file FR-44 electronically with DHSMV at policy binding, not after the first payment clears. Florida law requires the FR-44 certificate to be on file with DHSMV before reinstatement is processed, and a delay of even two business days can push your reinstatement window back if you are working against a court-ordered deadline. Geico, Progressive, Dairyland, and Acceptance all file FR-44 certificates electronically at binding. Some smaller regional carriers still file by mail, which adds three to seven business days.
Start With Non-Standard Carriers First
Begin your comparison with Acceptance, Bristol West, or Dairyland rather than Geico or Progressive. Non-standard carriers expect DUI applicants and structure their underwriting to approve cases that standard-tier carriers decline or price out of reach. If a non-standard carrier quotes you $200/month and a standard-tier carrier quotes you $340/month for identical coverage, the standard carrier is applying a DUI surcharge against a clean-record baseline that does not reflect the actual risk pool you belong to.
Once you have quotes from two non-standard carriers, request quotes from Geico and Progressive to compare. Approximately 30% of DUI applicants receive lower quotes from standard-tier carriers because they qualify for affinity discounts, bundling discounts, or safe-driver programs that non-standard carriers do not offer. If you carried a policy with Geico or Progressive before your DUI conviction and maintained continuous coverage through the suspension period, your tenure discount may offset the DUI surcharge enough to make the standard carrier competitive. Compare the actual monthly premium and the total three-year cost, not the base rate before surcharges.