Some are getting refunds on Florida car insurance premiums. How can you get one?

South Florida drivers are quick to tell stories about how much their car insurance has soared. But now they have a new story to tell: Many are getting refunds on their policies.

In October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said state regulators secured nearly $1 billion in premium refunds for Progressive auto insurance policyholders in the state. The money came from savings gained through litigation reform.

Some of those credits or refund checks are now hitting mailboxes.

Yes, you read that right: An insurance refund could be coming to you.

The average rebate is about $300. The amount could be more depending on a policy’s length or number of drivers that are covered on a family’s plan.

Erly in February, Cassidy Katherine Rae Caraker noted that she had received a $769 credit covering her February and March payments.

“I’ve worked in the auto insurance industry for about 10 years, so I’ve seen the highs and lows over time. I was honestly a bit surprised my refund wasn’t larger, especially since I’ve been insured with them for seven years,” Caraker said in a text to the Miami Herald.

Caraker, a Winter Haven claims litigator adjustor, says her next payment, due in April, will be $218. It’s usually $330 for two cars and two drivers.

“From my perspective, some carriers have been very strategic in how they’ve written policies in our state and have maintained strong profitability. Others, like Progressive, made back-to-back rate increases to try to recover profitability, but it seems like that approach may have cost them in the long run,” she said.

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DeSantis, who signed tort reform legislation bills into law in 2022 and 2023, citing “frivolous litigation,” said the refunds are a result of declining litigation expenses in Florida’s auto insurance market.

“Florida was really considered a litigation hellhole by a lot of folks. That contributed to consumers having to bear more costs with respect to auto insurance,” DeSantis said in October

DeSantis said he expects Florida’s other major auto insurance carriers, including Allstate and Geico, could follow Progressive. Those companies haven’t responded to queries from the Miami Herald about their plans.

Progressive began notifying customers who are eligible to receive credits about the cost reductions in mid-January, said Jeff Sibel, the insurance company’s public relations manager.

“Our goal is to have the credits issued within several weeks after eligible policyholders receive their notification. Individual credits are prorated based on each policy’s premium during the calendar year 2025,” Sibel said in an email interview with the Herald.

Sibel added that since Florida’s insurance reform in 2023, Progressive has had lower than anticipated loss costs in the state for certain types of personal auto claims. The company’s financial performance in its Florida personal auto business has been “strong,” he said. The “unexpected absence” of Florida hurricanes during 2025 is another contributing factor for the rebates.

“As a result, Progressive has meaningfully lowered Florida personal auto rates over the past year,” he said. “Despite our ongoing actions to match price to risk, Progressive has exceeded the profit limit that a Florida statute imposes for this specific line of business for the 2023-2025 accident year period, and is proactively returning the estimated excess profits to eligible Florida personal auto policyholders.”

Progressive answered several questions on how the refunds may affect customers:

All Progressive Florida personal auto policyholders active on Dec. 31, 2025, are eligible for a credit.

Eligible policyholders will automatically be notified if they are eligible for a credit. So you don’t need to apply or call your agent.

Eligible policyholders started to get notices in mid-January. The notifications are being sent in batches and all of them are expected to be sent before the end of February.

Credits will be issued in 2026. “Our goal is to have the credits issued shortly after eligible policyholders receive their notification,” according to Progressive.

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