Automobile Insurance Question Clearwater, Florida FL

Reader’s Question:

My mother can no longer drive her vehicle. It is registered and insured in Clearwater, Florida where she has a home. She is in Massachusetts right now and will no longer be going down to FL. In order for her to cancel the auto insurance she needs to return the license plates. Can she return it to a Massachusetts DMV? Thank you!

Francis

Clearwater, Florida

Your mother will need to return the FL license plate to FL since that is where the registration and tag on the vehicle was issued. According to the FL Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (HSMV) when you have sold a vehicle, are taking insurance off of a vehicle or moved out of state and registering the automobile there you must return the license plate to a FL driver license or tax collector office.

The Massachusetts’ Registry of Motor Vehicles would not be able to process or accept your mother’s license plates since they are from out of state and have out of state registration associated with it. Your mother does not have to go to Clearwater Florida to return the plates though, the state of FL does accept license tags returned in the mail. Your mother may want to send the license plate certified mail or in a different way that has verification that the Florida HSMV received the plates so that in the future she can have proof she sent the license plates back when she cancelled her auto insurance.

Tags: auto insurance