Florida Crash Reports: FHP, Local Police and No-Fault Rules
Who has your crash report, what drivers must report, insurance rules and traffic deaths in Florida.
Then there is Florida’s Turnpike, whose 312-mile mainline runs from Florida City in the south to Wildwood in Central Florida. With state troopers, city police, and county sheriffs all handling crashes on these roads, where the wreck happened can determine which agency prepared your report and where you need to request a copy.
Who Has Your Florida Crash Report
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) patrols the state highways and investigates crashes on them under Florida Statutes section 321.05. FHP also patrols the whole 450-mile Florida’s Turnpike system, including the Suncoast Parkway, Polk Parkway and First Coast Expressway.
Florida law sends crash notices to the city police inside city limits, and outside them to the county sheriff or FHP. In Miami-Dade County, the county police department became the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on January 7, 2025.
The Florida Crash Portal, run by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), sells crash reports filed by law enforcement agencies across the state, FHP included. A report costs $10, set by statute, plus a $2 convenience fee per transaction, with up to 10 reports per order.
FLHSMV says a new report can take up to 10 days to appear, and the PDF has to be downloaded within 48 hours of the purchase. By mail, send a check or money order payable to “FLHSMV” to Crash Records, 2900 Apalachee Parkway, MS 28, Tallahassee, FL 32399, and allow four to six weeks.
The 60-day rule comes from Florida Statutes section 316.066(2)(a): a crash report stays confidential for 60 days after it is filed. In that window, only the people in the crash, their attorneys, their licensed insurance agents and insurers, and a short list of agencies such as law enforcement and victim services programs can get it.
Each requester signs a sworn statement that the report will not be used to solicit crash victims; by mail, that is form HSMV 94010, signed in front of a notary. After 60 days, other requesters can get it for a use that federal driver privacy law allows, such as an insurance claim or a court case, by signing the certification on the same form.
FLHSMV says requests for 10 or fewer reports can also be filled at the FHP troop station nearest the crash. FLHSMV warns that some agencies’ reports are not loading onto the portal; in that case, ask the agency that worked the crash, or mail your request to Crash Records.
Don’t want to deal with the forms, or not sure which agency took your report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.
Police Reports From Major Florida Departments
Five of the nine agencies below point people to the Florida Crash Portal, and six also take requests in person at their own records offices:
| Agency | How to request | Fee |
| Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office | Public Services Building, 450 Magnolia St., or a district office; reports older than two years come from FLHSMV | $0.15 per page, $0.20 two-sided |
| Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office | In person by appointment, or by mail to Central Records, 9105 NW 25th St., with a notarized HSMV 94010 | $0.15 per page, $0.20 two-sided |
| Miami Police Department | Florida Crash Portal, or email [email protected] | $10 plus $2 online; set at request by email |
| Tampa Police Department | Florida Crash Portal; by mail or in person at Records, 411 N. Franklin St. | $12 online plus $2 by mail |
| Orlando Police Department | Florida Crash Portal, usually online 3 to 5 business days after the crash | $10; driver exchange forms free |
| St. Petersburg Police Department | City online records portal, or Records, 1301 First Ave. N.; allow 10 to 14 days | $0.15 per page; $1 per report by mail |
| Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office | Florida Crash Portal | $10 plus $2 online |
| Fort Lauderdale Police Department | Florida Crash Portal, or Records, 1300 W. Broward Blvd.; mail requests need a notarized affidavit | $0.15 per page; $1 per certified page |
| Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office | Online records request system, or any Central Records office; card or check only | Set at request |
Counter fees at Jacksonville, Miami-Dade, St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale are charged per printed page.
What Florida Drivers Must Report
Florida Statutes section 316.065 says the driver in any crash that injures or kills someone, or does at least $2,000 in apparent damage, must notify police immediately by the quickest means available. The threshold was $500 before October 1, 2026. Inside a city, that is the city police; outside one, the county sheriff or the nearest FHP station.
Officers file a long-form report within 10 days when the crash caused a death, an injury or a complaint of pain, needed a tow truck, involved a hit-and-run or DUI, or involved a commercial vehicle. For a minor crash, an officer may give you only a short form or a driver exchange-of-information sheet.
When the crash damaged property and no officer had to file a report, Florida Statute 316.066 requires the driver to send FLHSMV a Driver Report of Traffic Crash (form HSMV 90011S) within 10 days, by email to [email protected] or by mail to the same Tallahassee address as Crash Records.
How No-Fault Insurance Works in Florida
Every car registered in Florida needs at least $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 in property damage liability, according to FLHSMV. Bodily injury liability is not required for most private cars.
PIP is no-fault coverage: your own policy pays 80% of your reasonable medical bills and 60% of lost income, up to the $10,000 limit, whoever caused the crash, plus a $5,000 death benefit. You must get first treatment within 14 days, and PIP pays only $2,500 unless a provider finds an emergency medical condition.
Under Florida Statutes section 627.737, you can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only for significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, a permanent injury, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death.
Uninsured motorist coverage comes with any bodily injury policy unless you reject it in writing. Under Florida Statutes section 768.81, a person found more than 50% at fault for their own injuries recovers nothing, a rule added by the 2023 tort law (House Bill 837), which took effect March 24, 2023.
Florida Traffic Deaths by the Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 3,047 (early estimate), down 2.9% | 2025 | NHTSA |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 3,138 | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Pedestrians killed | 668 (21% of all deaths) | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Motorcyclists killed | 642, the most of any state | 2024 | NHTSA |
| Deaths in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver | 769 (24%) | 2024 | NHTSA |
NHTSA published the 2025 early estimate in April 2026, and the figure may change when final data is released. Pedestrians made up 18% of traffic deaths nationwide in 2024, so Florida’s share ran higher than the country’s.
Florida Crash Guides by City and County
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes across the country. That means going county by county, and then city by city, focusing on car crashes, motorcycle wrecks, commercial and residential fires, and every other kind of accident happening in every corner of the nation.
Florida is no exception. With 67 counties and 267 cities, there are crashes to report every single day, and that’s what we do.
But we don’t stop there. We don’t just want to tell drivers and commuters when and where a crash happened. We also want to help people get to know the cities they drive in, including the most important roads and the most dangerous intersections, so they have a clear picture of what to expect behind the wheel.
Here you’ll find the latest accidents across Florida’s counties and communities, along with guides to some of the state’s most important cities.
City crash guides: Jacksonville, FL · Tampa, FL
County accident news: Sarasota County · Orange County · Miami-Dade County · Broward County · Palm Beach County · Pinellas County · Hillsborough County · Polk County
Intersections around the state with a history of crashes are listed on our Florida crash hot spots page.
Help After a Crash
- Local Accident Reports. We can put you in touch with local help after a crash, from doctors and body shops to injury attorneys. Contact our team.
- Florida Crime Victim Compensation Run by the Attorney General’s Bureau of Victim Compensation, it helps pay costs for people hurt or killed by a drunk or drugged driver or in a hit-and-run. The crash must be reported to police within five days, and claims are due within three years.
- MADD Florida Free support for victims of drunk and drugged driving crashes and their families. 24-hour help line: 877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435).
- 911. Call 911 after a crash for support.
Florida Crash Questions
How do I get a Florida Highway Patrol crash report?
Order it on FLHSMV’s Florida Crash Portal for $10 per report plus a $2 transaction fee. Reports can take up to 10 days to appear. In the first 60 days, a report goes only to people with a legal right to it, such as those involved, their attorneys, and their insurers, after a sworn statement.
Who can get a Florida crash report in the first 60 days?
The drivers and other people in the crash, their attorneys, their licensed insurance agents and insurers, and certain agencies such as law enforcement and victim services programs. Each must sign a sworn statement that the report will not be used to solicit crash victims. After 60 days, others can get it for a use federal driver privacy law allows, such as an insurance claim or a court case.
Is Florida a no-fault state?
Yes. Every Florida-registered car must carry $10,000 in personal injury protection, which pays 80% of your medical bills and 60% of lost income up to that limit, whoever caused the crash. Suing the other driver for pain and suffering requires significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, a permanent injury, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Florida?
Two years from the crash for injury claims under Florida Statutes section 95.11(5)(a), cut from four years by the 2023 House Bill 837 law for crashes after March 24, 2023, and two years for wrongful death under section 95.11(5)(e). A claim against a state agency, county, or city must be presented in writing within three years under section 768.28(6)(a), and a wrongful death claim against the state goes to the Department of Financial Services within two years.
Recent Florida Crash Coverage
Fatal Rollover Collision on SW 152nd Ct in Kendall West, FL
Fatal Three-Vehicle Crash on Immokalee Rd in Naples, FL
Multi-Vehicle Crash With Extrication Blocks Desoto Rd and N Honore Ave in Sarasota, FL
Overturned Dump Truck Shuts Down SB Florida’s Turnpike in Wildwood, FL
Bus Crash Leaving Coachman Park Lot in Clearwater, FL Injures Seven Students
The full archive is at Florida accident news, and recent accident alerts follow new crashes nationwide as they are reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.