The General Advertises SR-22 but You Need FR-44
You've landed on The General's website after a DUI suspension in Florida, seen their SR-22 messaging, and started an online quote. The quote comes back at $380/month and you're wondering if that's the actual rate for what Florida requires. It's not, because Florida doesn't use SR-22 for DUI suspensions. Florida is one of only two states (along with Virginia) that requires FR-44 certificates for DUI-related offenses, and FR-44 mandates liability limits of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 property damage—significantly higher than the 10/20/10 minimums most SR-22 states require.
The General does write FR-44 in Florida. Their online quote tool and Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles contact list confirm FR-44 capability. But the advertised SR-22 rate you saw is pricing standard liability minimums, not the FR-44 requirement. When you adjust the quote to 100/300/50 limits, the monthly premium typically rises $120–$180 above the base SR-22 figure. That $380 quote becomes $500–$560/month once the actual FR-44 liability floor is applied.
Compare car insurance rates in your state
Get quotes from licensed carriers — no obligation, no spam, results in minutes.
Get Your Free QuoteFlorida FR-44 Liability Minimums
100/300/50
Florida Statutes § 324.023 requires FR-44 filers to carry bodily injury liability of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, plus $50,000 property damage—ten times the bodily injury floor of standard SR-22 states. This liability gap is why FR-44 premiums run $150–$250/month higher than equivalent SR-22 policies.
Florida Statutes § 324.023
What The General Actually Covers for FR-44 Filers
The General operates as a non-standard carrier, meaning they write policies for drivers insurers in the preferred and standard tiers decline. Their Florida book includes DUI offenders, suspended-license drivers, drivers with multiple at-fault accidents, and drivers with lapses longer than 90 days. FR-44 filing is part of their product line, but The General does not specialize in FR-44 the way regional non-standard carriers like Acceptance Insurance or Bristol West do.
The General's FR-44 policy structure includes the required 100/300/50 liability limits, Florida's mandatory $10,000 Personal Injury Protection (PIP), and $10,000 property damage liability. Collision and comprehensive are optional. The General files the FR-44 certificate electronically with DHSMV within 24–48 hours of policy binding. If you lapse, The General is required to notify DHSMV immediately via Florida's Insurance Tracking System (FITS), which triggers automatic suspension of your vehicle registration and driver license.
The General offers non-owner FR-44 policies for suspended drivers who do not currently own a vehicle. Non-owner policies carry the same 100/300/50 liability floor as owner policies but cost approximately $90–$140/month less because there's no vehicle to insure for collision or comprehensive risk. If you're reinstating a suspended license without owning a car, non-owner FR-44 is the most cost-effective path. The General writes these policies online and by phone.
The General's FR-44 rates reflect the 100/300/50 liability mandate—if your quote shows 10/20/10 minimums, you're seeing an SR-22 estimate that won't satisfy Florida's DUI reinstatement requirement.
How The General's FR-44 Rates Compare to Competing Carriers
Non-standard carriers writing FR-44 in Florida include Acceptance Insurance, Bristol West, Dairyland, GAINSCO, Infinity, Kemper, and National General. Standard-tier carriers like Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Nationwide, and Allstate also write FR-44 but typically decline DUI applicants within the first 3 years post-conviction unless the driver has additional favorable factors like homeownership, a clean record before the DUI, or completion of an advanced driver improvement course. The General competes primarily against the non-standard tier.
Monthly FR-44 premiums for a 35-year-old male driver in Tampa with a single DUI and no other violations typically range from $240/month (Dairyland, Bristol West) to $620/month (GAINSCO, Direct Auto) depending on vehicle type, coverage selections, and county. The General's quotes in this scenario fall between $320–$480/month for full coverage with 100/300/50 liability. Acceptance Insurance and Infinity often quote $30–$60/month below The General for equivalent coverage. Progressive and Geico, when they write the risk at all, quote $80–$140/month below The General but decline approximately 60% of DUI applicants in the first two years post-conviction.
Related Articles
The General's FR-44 Filing Process and Lapse Consequences
When you bind a policy with The General, they file the FR-44 certificate electronically with DHSMV within 24–48 hours. DHSMV receives the filing through Florida's Insurance Tracking System and updates your driver record to show active financial responsibility compliance. You do not receive a paper FR-44 certificate in most cases—the electronic filing to DHSMV is the proof of compliance. If you need a paper copy for court or reinstatement purposes, The General provides one on request at no charge.
Florida requires FR-44 filing for 3 years from the date of reinstatement, not the date of conviction. If you're reinstating your license on March 15, 2024, your FR-44 obligation runs through March 15, 2027. If your policy lapses at any point during those 3 years—even one day—The General is required to notify DHSMV immediately. DHSMV suspends your license and vehicle registration within 48–72 hours of receiving the lapse notice. There is no statutory grace period in Florida for FR-44 lapse.
Reinstating after an FR-44 lapse requires paying a $150 reinstatement fee for a first lapse, $250 for a second lapse, or $500 for a third or subsequent lapse within a 3-year period, plus securing new FR-44 coverage and waiting 7 business days for DHSMV to process the reinstatement. The new FR-44 filing period does not reset—you still owe the remainder of the original 3-year obligation. Letting your policy lapse twice in one year can cost $400 in reinstatement fees alone before any premium increases.
The General offers automatic payment plans to prevent lapse. Setting up autopay from a checking account or debit card reduces the risk of missed payments. If you know you'll have trouble affording a monthly premium, contact The General's retention department before the policy lapses—they can sometimes restructure the payment schedule or adjust coverage to lower the monthly cost temporarily. Letting the policy lapse and then reinstating is always more expensive than working out a payment plan in advance.
Florida FR-44 Lapse Reinstatement Fee
$150–$500
Florida Statutes § 324.0221 imposes tiered reinstatement fees: $150 for a first lapse, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent lapse within 3 years. These fees are in addition to the cost of securing new FR-44 coverage and any premium increases carriers apply after a lapse.
Florida Statutes § 324.0221
When The General Declines FR-44 Applications
The General writes high-risk drivers but has underwriting limits. They decline approximately 15–20% of FR-44 applicants based on factors beyond the DUI itself. Multiple DUIs within 5 years, DUI combined with a license suspension longer than 2 years, or DUI combined with an at-fault accident causing injury typically exceed The General's risk appetite. If you have two DUIs within the past 3 years, The General will likely decline the application and refer you to state assigned-risk pools or surplus-lines carriers.
Drivers with unpaid reinstatement fees, active arrest warrants, or unresolved court obligations also face declination. DHSMV will not reinstate your license until all fees and fines are cleared, and The General's underwriting system checks DHSMV records before binding coverage. If your DHSMV record shows outstanding obligations, resolve those before applying for FR-44 coverage. Paying the $45 base reinstatement fee, any additional suspension-specific fees, and confirming with DHSMV that your record is clear prevents wasted application time.
Compare The General Against Florida's Full FR-44 Carrier Panel
The General is one option in a Florida FR-44 market with at least 12 active carriers. Suspended-license drivers should request quotes from at least 3–5 carriers before binding coverage. Rate spreads between the highest and lowest quotes for identical coverage regularly exceed $200/month. Dairyland, Bristol West, Acceptance Insurance, and Infinity compete directly with The General in the non-standard tier. Progressive, Geico, State Farm, and Nationwide occasionally write FR-44 for drivers 3+ years post-conviction with clean records since the DUI.
Use Florida Suspended License Insurance's comparison tool to request quotes from multiple carriers simultaneously. Enter your DUI date, suspension period, and vehicle information once, and the tool routes your application to carriers actively writing FR-44 in your county. Binding the first quote you receive without comparison typically costs $80–$150/month more than the lowest available rate for your risk profile.