Les Roberts's Blog

March 17, 2022

Learn the Florida Car Insurance Basics before shopping online.

FL Car Insurance Basics

If a resident of FL wants to operate a motor vehicle, the state requires them to have Florida Car Insurance. In addition, they must carry minimum coverage amounts for property damage liability and personal injury protection. However, most people supplement these with additional coverage.

Mandatory FL auto insurance has some of the lowest minimum coverage requirements in the country. However, how they drive can affect the rates. For example, traffic violations and accidents can raise rates. Drive safely and choose the right coverage for their needs, and they will be able to save on Florida car insurance.

Car insurance sold by FL companies like this website must be no-fault. No-fault means that no matter who causes an accident, insurance must pay the medical costs up to the policy’s coverage amount limit. The minimum limits for the two main types of mandatory FL car insurance are:

$10,000 in the event of property damage$10,000 in the event of personal injuryWhat Does Personal Injury Insurance Cover?

Personal injury protection does not only apply to the driver of a vehicle. It covers many other people in different circumstances, depending on several factors. For example, insurance protects other family members when riding in a car. Injury protection insurance covers passengers riding in the vehicle unless they have injury insurance. They are protected by injury insurance when riding in other people’s cars. The children are even covered when riding on a school bus.

What Does Property Damage Insurance Cover?

Property damage insurance covers them for damages they might cause during a car accident to other people’s property. For example, an accident could damage a home or a different structure. The Department of Highway Safety requires that all operators of motor vehicles have car insurance up to at least the state minimum. In addition, they need Florida auto insurance underwriters to notify them if their insurance has been canceled or lapsed.

Insurance companies send this notification to the DHSMV electronically. The department will notify them by mail that the current car insurance policy is no longer in force. In addition, they will suspend the driver’s license, vehicle registration, and license plates. To avoid these suspensions, show proof of insurance up to the compulsory limits for personal injury and property damage. Furthermore, they can prove reinstatement with the existing insurer before this date.

What to Do if You Miss Your Suspension Date

Suppose they have a suspended insurance policy and, therefore, not legal to operate a motor vehicle. In that case, the State of FL will charge a fee to reinstate driving privileges. The price is $150 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense, and $350 for any additional violation.

Drivers must show proof of insurance to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Furthermore, drivers can submit this proof at the DHSMV website, at any department office that offers driver’s licenses, or by phoning the department at 850-617-2000.

What to Do if You Sell Your Car

Suppose they cancel their insurance due to them selling or disposing of the car. Drivers must present the license plates and the vehicle’s registration to the Florida DHSMV before their suspension to keep their FL driver’s license in force.

Ref: https://floridainsurancequotes.net/auto-insurance/know-car-insurance-fl/

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Published on March 17, 2022 15:21

December 27, 2020

How Much is Business Insurance in Florida?

The monthly or annual cost of business insurance in Florida depends on the nature of operations, the scope of coverage and selected variables influenced by the industry along with the policies of a particular company. Most businesses require general liability insurance. The average cost of general liability is around seven hundred and fifty dollars. This is by no means a median considering the entire spectrum of policy limits.





Small businesses usually require moderate coverage and policies have annual premiums ranging from four hundred to six hundred dollars. The minimum business insurance in Florida according to https://floridainsurancequotes.net/business-insurance/business-insurance-florida/ is around two hundred and fifty dollars per year. This is only for absolutely basic coverage. The number of employees working for a company, the interaction of the workforce with properties owned by third parties and the risks associated with the nature of their tasks will influence the actual premium for business insurance in Fl.





One in five small businesses in the state pays two hundred to four hundred dollars for general liability a year. More than fifty percent of businesses pay four hundred to six hundred dollars per annum. Less than seven percent of businesses pay six hundred to eight hundred dollars as yearly premiums. Almost an equal number of companies pay eight hundred to a thousand dollars every year. Around thirteen percent of all small to medium enterprises pay over a thousand dollars as annual premiums.





As a rule of thumb, wholesalers and contractors pay the highest premiums, followed by manufacturers and real estate companies. Janitors, maids, restaurants, retail, and information technology are sectors that have costly premiums but more reasonable than contractors and wholesalers. Nonprofits, home-based businesses, landscaping, lawn care, consultants, engineers, architects, and media pay less. The cheapest general liability insurance policies are for accountants and other professionals in financial services.





The coverage of business insurance in Florida from https://floridainsurancequotes.net/business-insurance/why-you-need-business-insurance/ can be from a few hundred thousand to millions. A staggering majority, around eighty-five percent of all businesses, choose a million to two million dollars as the coverage. More than ten percent of businesses in the state go for two million to four million dollars as annual coverage. Limits below a million dollars have almost an equal number of businesses covered in each slab, say from three hundred thousand to half a million and subsequently up to a million. Businesses need more than just general liability insurance. The additional coverage is not generic but specific to the industry and nature of the business.


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Published on December 27, 2020 08:47

Where to Get the Best Florida Homeowners Insurance Quotes?

Where to get the best Florida homeowners insurance quotes



The five largest Florida homeowners insurance companies are Universal Property, Citizens Property, Security First, Federated National and Heritage according to https://floridainsurancequotes.net/home-insurance/top-rated-homeowners-insurance-companies-in-florida/. These five insurers respectively have around six hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, over three hundred thousand, less than three hundred thousand and two hundred and fifty thousand policies in force right now. The second set of the five largest Florida homeowners insurance companies are American Integrity Insurance Company of Florida, United Property & Casualty Insurance Company, St. Johns, Homeowners Choice and Tower Hill. The other major insurance companies operating in the state are People’s Trust, ASI Preferred, USAA, Florida Peninsula, First Protective, Castle Key, Florida Family, American Bankers, Ark Royal, Olympus, Safe Harbor, Safepoint and Cypress.





It is difficult to pick the top five Florida homeowners insurance companies in regards to rates because most insurers have reasonable and expensive policies. Some are of course more affordable than others. Tower Hill Insurance Group and State Farm are on the reasonable end of the spectrum whereas Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. and Federated National Insurance Company have more expensive policies. You must check out the policies of all major and lesser known insurers depending on the coverage you want and only then can you find the best rates. It is futile to compare a policy offering standard coverage with one offering additional coverage. You may not want additional coverage, such as for valuables. You may have personal assets worth millions so you will need extensive coverage against theft, including valuables and identity. 





https://floridainsurancequotes.net/florida-homeowners-insurance/ has extensive resources to help you find the best rates among all Florida homeowners insurance companies. You can choose insurers or policies and then compare on both grounds to make an informed decision. It is not just the cost of a policy and the coverage that should matter. You must also factor in specific clauses such as deductibles or excesses. We will help you to navigate these specificities, so you can choose the most appropriate policy for your property depending on your affordability. Any kind of shortcut or half-baked approach will lead you to choose the wrong policy for your home. 





Just to give you an idea, Tower Hill Prime has an average annual cost of $1,725 whereas Tower Hill Select costs $1,943, Tower Hill Preferred has an average of $1,980 and Universal costs around $2,011, Citizens has an average of $2,128 while Tower Hill Signature is more expensive with premiums around $2,347. FedNat charges around $2,370 and State Farm may cost up to $4,690. Of course, you must factor in the exact coverage before you can compare these averages.


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Published on December 27, 2020 08:17

May 29, 2020

How much is business insurance in Florida?

The monthly or annual cost of business insurance in Florida depends on the nature of operations, the scope of coverage and selected variables influenced by the industry along with the policies of a particular company. Most businesses require general liability insurance. The average cost of general liability is around seven hundred and fifty dollars. This is by no means a median considering the entire spectrum of policy limits.





Small businesses usually require moderate coverage and policies have annual premiums ranging from four hundred to six hundred dollars. The minimum business insurance in Florida according to https://floridainsurancequotes.net/business-insurance/business-insurance-florida/ is around two hundred and fifty dollars per year. This is only for absolutely basic coverage. The number of employees working for a company, the interaction of the workforce with properties owned by third parties and the risks associated with the nature of their tasks will influence the actual premium for business insurance in Fl.





One in five small businesses in the state pays two hundred to four hundred dollars for general liability a year. More than fifty percent of businesses pay four hundred to six hundred dollars per annum. Less than seven percent of businesses pay six hundred to eight hundred dollars as yearly premiums. Almost an equal number of companies pay eight hundred to a thousand dollars every year. Around thirteen percent of all small to medium enterprises pay over a thousand dollars as annual premiums.





As a rule of thumb, wholesalers and contractors pay the highest premiums, followed by manufacturers and real estate companies. Janitors, maids, restaurants, retail, and information technology are sectors that have costly premiums but more reasonable than contractors and wholesalers. Nonprofits, home-based businesses, landscaping, lawn care, consultants, engineers, architects, and media pay less. The cheapest general liability insurance policies are for accountants and other professionals in financial services.





The coverage of business insurance in Florida from https://floridainsurancequotes.net/business-insurance/why-you-need-business-insurance/ can be from a few hundred thousand to millions. A staggering majority, around eighty-five percent of all businesses, choose a million to two million dollars as the coverage. More than ten percent of businesses in the state go for two million to four million dollars as annual coverage. Limits below a million dollars have almost an equal number of businesses covered in each slab, say from three hundred thousand to half a million and subsequently up to a million. Businesses need more than just general liability insurance. The additional coverage is not generic but specific to the industry and nature of the business.


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Published on May 29, 2020 09:47

March 24, 2020

Where to get the best Florida homeowners insurance quotes?





The five largest Florida homeowners insurance companies are Universal Property, Citizens Property, Security First, Federated National and Heritage. These five insurers respectively have around six hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, over three hundred thousand, less than three hundred thousand and two hundred and fifty thousand policies in force right now. The second set of five largest Florida homeowners insurance companies are American Integrity Insurance Company of Florida, United Property & Casualty Insurance Company, St. Johns, Homeowners Choice and Tower Hill. The other major insurance companies operating in the state are People’s Trust, ASI Preferred, USAA, Florida Peninsula, First Protective, Castle Key, Florida Family, American Bankers, Ark Royal, Olympus, Safe Harbor, Safepoint and Cypress.





It is difficult to pick the top five Florida homeowners insurance companies in regards to rates because most insurers have reasonable and expensive policies. Some are of course more affordable than others. Tower Hill Insurance Group and State Farm are on the reasonable end of the spectrum whereas Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. and Federated National Insurance Company have more expensive policies. You must check out the policies of all major and lesser known insurers depending on the coverage you want and only then can you find the best rates. It is futile to compare a policy offering standard coverage with one offering additional coverage. You may not want additional coverage, such as for valuables. You may have personal assets worth millions so you will need extensive coverage against theft, including valuables and identity. 





We have extensive resources to help you find the best rates among all Florida homeowners insurance companies. You can choose insurers or policies and then compare on both grounds to make an informed decision. It is not just the cost of a policy and the coverage that should matter. You must also factor in specific clauses such as deductibles or excesses. We will help you to navigate these specificities so you can choose the most appropriate policy for your property depending on your affordability. Any kind of shortcut or half-baked approach will lead you to choose the wrong policy for your home. 





Just to give you an idea, Tower Hill Prime has an average annual cost of $1,725 whereas Tower Hill Select costs $1,943, Tower Hill Preferred has an average of $1,980 and Universal costs around $2,011, Citizens has an average of $2,128 while Tower Hill Signature is more expensive with premiums around $2,347. FedNat charges around $2,370 and State Farm may cost up to $4,690. Of course you must factor in the exact coverage before you can compare these averages.


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Published on March 24, 2020 09:17

September 17, 2019

FL Car Insurance Basics

If you’re a resident of FL and want to operate a motor vehicle, the state requires you to have car insurance. There are minimum coverage amounts that you must carry for property damage liability and personal injury protection, but most people supplement these with additional coverage.





Mandatory FL auto insurance has some of the lowest minimum coverage requirements in the country. How you drive can have an effect on the rates you pay. Traffic violations and accidents can raise your rates. Drive safely and choose the right coverage for your needs and you’ll be able to save on FL car insurance.





Car insurance sold by FL companies like this website must be offered on a no-fault basis. This means that no matter who causes an accident, your insurance is required to pay your medical costs up to the limit of your policy’s coverage amount.  The minimum limits for the two main types of mandatory FL car insurance are:





$10,000 in the event of property damage$10,000 in the event of personal injury



What Does Personal Injury Insurance Cover?



Personal injury protection does not only apply to the driver of a vehicle. It covers many other people in many other circumstances depending on a number of factors.  Other members of your family are covered when they are riding in your car. Passengers that are riding in your car are also covered by your personal injury protection insurance unless they have personal injury insurance of their own. You are covered by your own personal injury insurance when riding in other people’s car in turn. Your children are even covered when they are riding on a school bus, and you are covered if you’re riding a bicycle or walking and are involved in a car accident.





What Does Property Damage Insurance Cover?



FL car insurance for property damage covers you for damages you might cause during a car accident to other people’s property, like a home or other structure.





Since the Department of Highway Safety requires that all operators of motor vehicles be insured up to at least state minimums, they also require FL auto insurance underwriters to notify them if your insurance has been canceled or has lapsed. This notification to the DHSMV is done electronically. The department will then notify you by mail that your current car insurance policy is no longer in force, and give you a date of suspension for your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and your license plates. In order to avoid these suspensions, you will have to show proof of suitable insurance up to the compulsory limits for personal injury and property damage from another insurer, or prove reinstatement with your existing insurer before this date.





What To Do If You Miss Your Suspension Date



If you are not able to prove you have valid insurance to operate a motor vehicle by the suspension date, the State of FL will charge you a fee to reinstate your driving privileges. The fee is $150 for a first offense, going to $250 for a second offense, and $350 for any offense after that.





Proof of insurance can be shown to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles at the DHSMV website, in person at any department office that offers driver’s licenses, or by phoning the department at 850-617-2000.





What To Do If You Sell Your Car



If your cancellation of coverage is a result of you selling or disposing of the car it is written for, you must present your license plates and the vehicle’s registration to the Florida DHSMV before the date of your suspension if you want to keep your FL driver’s license in force.

Ref: https://floridainsurancequotes.net/auto-insurance/know-car-insurance-fl/


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Published on September 17, 2019 09:47

January 30, 2018

Affordable Health Insurance for Ohio Residents

Are you an Ohio resident looking for affordable health insurance deals? There are many steps to take in order to find the hottest deals. If you are currently shopping around for Ohio health insurance quotes, read our tips below to find the best savings on the web.


 


Finding affordable health insurance

Finding affordable health insurance can sometimes be quite a task. No matter if you are self-employed, unemployed, or covered by an employee plan. Finding the most affordable health insurance can be time-consuming and frustrating. Yeah, there is cheap health insurance at https://insurancequote.deals/ohio-health-insurance-quotes/. However, qualifying for it can be so tricky. You also need to be sure that this coverage is enough for your needs. Let’s discuss a few tips that can help you shop for the best Ohio health insurance quotes.


 


 


Tips to help you receive the best health insurance deals

 


Before you start shopping around for Ohio health insurance quotes, you need to remember that the cheapest plans will offer you the least amount of coverage. Sometimes the cheaper insurance policy is not always better for you. When you begin shopping be sure to keep these tips in mind:


You must shop around! – We all know the Affordable Care Act sets up easy ways to receive affordable coverage. However, you do have other options, and nothing to lose by checking out all of them.


Buy directly from insurance companies – Most insurers will have a bigger range of policies available to you than on the state exchanges. Most insurance companies will allow you to directly compare plans, see more detailed information, and allow you to apply online. However you will not be able to see other options by other providers, so this method may not be for you.


Know if you can qualify for special programs – Medicare, Medicaid, and chip will allow you to have a low-cost healthcare for those who qualify.


Always collect more than one Ohio health insurance quotes – You will never see other savings out there unless you compare effectively. By collecting more than two quotes you are well on your way to receiving the best deal on the web.


Always review your company of choice – When you are ready to make the final decision on the company of your choice. Be sure to read up on the company reviews. Reading company reviews by current or former customers will help finalize your decision of purchasing a policy.


 


Find the best health insurance deals out there

Finding the best deals out there is easy when you know exactly what to look for. Studies have shown that the best deals on the web are found here at Insurance Quote Deals. They put their customers first and will provide the most affordable deals out there, no matter what! Head over and receive your Ohio health insurance quotes at IQD today!


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Published on January 30, 2018 08:48

January 9, 2018

Welcome to Cleveland, Bouchercon!

Bouchercon, as some of you may not know, is an annual International Conference of Mystery Writers, readers, and friends.  It’s held in a different city each year, and I’m very proud that this year it will take place in Cleveland, Ohio. Hard to believe the convention is less than three months away!


I’m proud to be one of the Bouchercon guests of honor, along with Elizabeth George, Robin Cook and the icon of mystery thriller writers, the delightful Mary Higgins Clark.  Frankly, among these guests of honor, I am the only one I’ve never heard of!


For those of you who’ll be arriving from out-of-town, or are THINKING about attending, I’d like to point out a few other things about Cleveland that you might not know:



Many believe that the Cleveland Orchestra is the finest symphony orchestra in the United States, if not the world.  I agree with them.  And if you aren’t into classical music, the Rock and Roll Museum and Hall of Fame is just a four block walk from the Renaissance Hotel where Bouchercon will be held.  Also, there is an amazing rock music community here, with small clubs too many to mention.
Cleveland has the second-largest theater complex in America, Playhouse Square,second only to Lincoln Center in New York.  It has one of the finest and most beautiful art museums in the world, the Cleveland Museum of Art.  It also has the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Music.  It proudly supports art galleries in virtally every neighborhood.
Considering that we’re considered a “medium-sized city,” we are proud of our THREE major league sports teams: The Cleveland Browns (football—but I’m sure you all know that), The Cleveland Indians (baseball) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball).  And they all play within walking distance of Public Square, location of the Renaissance Hotel.
Bouchercon takes place within five blocks of Lake Erie, and within about three hundred feet from the Cuyahoga River.  “Cuyahoga,” by the way, is a Native American word meaning “crooked river.”
Just across the river, on West 25th Street, is one of the country’s best food markets: The West Side Market, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year.  It’s open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
If you arrive by plane at Cleveland-Hopkins airport, no need to hassle about a taxi; trains run directly from the airport to the lower level of Tower City, in which the hotel is located.  If it’s raining—well, sometimes it DOES rain in Cleveland—you won’t even get your feet wet.

What excites me most about Cleveland, though—what made me relocate here almost twenty-two years ago—is the people.  Proud of their city, friendly and warm, strong in their loyalty to city, state and country, the Clevelanders are what seduced me into writing about Milan Jacovich and Cleveland in the first place, and they are the ones who inspire me to keep on writing about them.  Hope you’ll learn more about some of them in a few weeks when you can read my newest, soon-to-be published novel, Whiskey Island.


My heart beats just a bit faster whenever I see our downtown skyline.  I know you’ll love it as much as I do.  Every out-of-town visitor I’ve ever spoken to raves about Cleveland and swears they’ll return to visit again.  So, Bouchercon attendees, my chest swells with pride as I welcome you this year—to MY town.


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Published on January 09, 2018 03:47

What’s In a Name?

It’s more or less my habit to come up with fairly unusal names for the characters in my books. How many of you out there actually know somebody named Milan Jacovich (besides, of course, the real Milan Yakovich, my friend and dentist after whom I named the character)? In my new book, “The Cleveland Creep,” one of the main characters is named Cisne—which rhymes with Disney. As I explain in the book, her mother was Panamanian, and in Spanish, “cisne” means “swan.” I learned that a few years ago when I was having dinner in a Columbus suburb and the waitress introduced herself to us as Cisne—and when I asked, she explained her name the way I do in the book.


Even Milan’s new assistant in “Creep,” Kevin O’Bannion, is saved from having a relatively familiar first name, as he insists on being referred to as “K.O.”—and all boxing fans know that “K.O.” is the way to describe a knock-out.


Writers have to be careful what they name their fictional characters, though. In my out-of-print stand-alone mystery, “The Chinese Fire Drill” (I have a few hardcover copies left for sale, if you’re interested), I wrote half the book featuring a romantic female lead named Kathy until I discerned she wasn’t at all a Kathy—she was a Kate, and Kates are very different than Kathys. Thank God for computers, so I could change her name throughout those first 150 pages with a single keystroke.


One of the best opening lines in all of literature begins Moby Dick. The narrator says, “Call me Ishmael.” That gets your attention, doesn’t it? Much more than if he’d said, “Call me Bob” or “Call me Murray.”


Think about all the work fiction authors must go through naming characters, or risk suffering the consequences. For instance, just imagine: a handsome man in a dinner jacket strolls into a casino in Monte Carlo, orders a vodka martini shaken, not stirred, lights a Dunhill cigarette, and sits down at the baccarat table opposite a man with a Teutonic accent and who is wearing a monocle. Then he introduces himself as “Bond—IRVING Bond.”


Sure, in the first three Milan adventures I created a girlfriend for him named Mary. But what the hell—I was young and inexperienced back then.


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Published on January 09, 2018 03:43

Never Forget a Face

When I’m invited to speak at a library or an organization, the first thing I do is scan the crowd for a face, or faces, that seem somehow interesting to me. It doesn’t have to be a beautiful one, but it must be an attention-grabbing face, one with a secret wisdom, a look that will trigger in me an emotional chord that makes me imagine it in various situations that I’ll one day use in a novel. After the event, I always jot down a brief description in my notebook or make an entry onto my tape recorder that I might use two, five, or even ten years down the line, long after the subject in question has forgotten they ever met me. It makes sense, after all. If I didn’t make notes on people I see, my next novel would be about my drapes, because that’s what I look at all day.


Every one of the characters in my books is based on someone I’ve met or might have noticed on the street or in a restaurant who has what I consider a distinctive look. So if you see me coming, watch out! You may become the inadvertent “star” of one of my books.


Still, I try hard to disguise my subjects. After all, in mysteries almost every character in the book is a suspect and therefore is in some way corrupt. They might not be the murderer, but they certainly have secrets to hide. This was what drove the plot of my second Cleveland novel, Full Cleveland, a novel about a group of people with secrets who are stunned when they discover they are all being blackmailed. (Several years later, I actually named one of my Milan novels The Best-Kept Secret. Unfortunately, my then-publisher, St. Martin’s Press, assigned some in-house flack to write the “flap copy,” the teasing material about the book and its contents that appears on the inside front flap of the book cover, and he or she actually gave away the big secret that one of the characters in the novel keeps to himself and that inspired my title.)


So when I meet someone who inspires me, say, a plumber in real life, I’ll change their name and make them an attorney, or a mobster, or a college professor. That’s why most people don’t even recognize themselves, even though their look is something I always keep in my mind as I write them.


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Published on January 09, 2018 03:42