627.7295  Motor vehicle insurance contracts.--

(1)  As used in this section, the term:

(a)  "Policy" means a motor vehicle insurance policy that provides personal injury protection and property damage liability coverage.

(b)  "Binder" means a binder that provides motor vehicle personal injury protection and property damage liability coverage.

(2)  A policy may not be issued for a term of less than 6 months unless it is:

(a)  Issued to achieve common expiration dates; or

(b)  Issued to complete the unexpired portion of a previous policy period.

(3)  Except as provided in s. 627.7282, an insured may not cancel a policy or binder during the first two months immediately following the effective date of the policy except:

(a)  Upon total destruction of the insured motor vehicle;

(b)  Upon transfer of ownership of the insured motor vehicle; or

(c)  After purchase of another policy or binder covering the motor vehicle that was covered under the policy being canceled.

(4)  The insurer may cancel the policy in accordance with this code except that, notwithstanding s. 627.728, an insurer may not cancel a new policy or binder during the first 60 days immediately following the effective date of the policy or binder for nonpayment of premium unless the reason for the cancellation is the issuance of a check for the premium that is dishonored for any reason.

(5)(a)  A licensed general lines agent may charge a per-policy fee not to exceed $10 to cover the administrative costs of the agent associated with selling the motor vehicle insurance policy if the policy covers only personal injury protection coverage as provided by s. 627.736 and property damage liability coverage as provided by s. 627.7275 and if no other insurance is sold or issued in conjunction with or collateral to the policy. The per-policy fee must be a component of the insurer's rate filing and may not be charged by an agent unless the fee is included in the filing. The fee is not considered part of the premium except for purposes of the department's review of expense factors in a filing made pursuant to s. 627.062.

(b)  To the extent that a licensed general agent's cost of obtaining motor vehicle reports on applicants for motor vehicle insurance is not otherwise compensated, the agent may, in addition to any other fees authorized by law, charge an applicant for motor vehicle insurance a reasonable, nonrefundable fee to reimburse the agent the actual cost of obtaining the report for each licensed driver when the motor vehicle report is obtained by the agent simultaneously with the preparation of the application for use in the calculation of premium or in the proper placement of the risk. The amount of the fee may not exceed the agent's actual cost in obtaining the report which is not otherwise compensated. Actual cost is the cost of obtaining the report on an individual driver basis when so obtained or the pro rata cost per driver when the report is obtained on more than one driver; however, in no case may actual cost include subscription or access fees associated with obtaining motor vehicle reports on-line ¹through any electronic transmissions program.

(6)  If a motor vehicle owner's driver license, license plate, and registration have previously been suspended pursuant to s. 316.646 or s. 627.733, an insurer may cancel a new policy only as provided in s. 627.7275.

(7)  A policy of private passenger motor vehicle insurance or a binder for such a policy may be initially issued in this state only if the insurer or agent has collected from the insured an amount equal to 2 months' premium. An insurer, agent, or premium finance company may not directly or indirectly take any action resulting in the insured having paid from the insured's own funds an amount less than the 2 months' premium required by this subsection. This subsection applies without regard to whether the premium is financed by a premium finance company or is paid pursuant to a periodic payment plan of an insurer or an insurance agent. This subsection does not apply if an insured or member of the insured's family is renewing or replacing a policy or a binder for such policy written by the same insurer or a member of the same insurer group. This subsection does not apply to an insurer that issues private passenger motor vehicle coverage primarily to active duty or former military personnel or their dependents. This subsection does not apply if the policy is paid pursuant to a payroll deduction plan or an automatic electronic funds transfer payment plan. This subsection and subsection (4) do not apply if an insured has had a policy in effect for at least 6 months, the insured's agent is terminated by the insurer that issued the policy, and the insured obtains coverage on the policy's renewal date with a new company through the terminated agent.

History.--s. 17, ch. 88-370; s. 5, ch. 89-238; s. 1, ch. 89-296; s. 12, ch. 90-248; s. 3, ch. 91-106; ss. 83, 114, ch. 92-318; s. 5, ch. 95-202; s. 1, ch. 95-424; s. 10, ch. 96-377; s. 4, ch. 98-103; s. 7, ch. 98-173; s. 1, ch. 98-270.