Lyft wants lower insurance minimums in Florida when passengers aren’t in the car

The rideshare company Lyft is asking Florida lawmakers to reduce the amount of insurance its drivers have to carry.

SB 632, which passed a Senate committee Wednesday, would apply to the time from when a Lyft or Uber driver accepts a ride to the time a passenger is in the vehicle.

Currently, the company has to have liability coverage of at least $1 million for death, bodily injury and property damage for all periods of a ride. The bill would reduce the required coverage to $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person and $25,000 for property damage when a ride is accepted. When a passenger is in the vehicle, it would go back to $1 million.

Bill sponsor Sen. Nick DiCeglie, a St. Petersburg Republican, said he’s heard concerns about needing higher insurance if a driver was speeding to a ride. But he’s said he’s not seen any evidence showing that’s common.

“It’s a cost savings, and at the end of the day, that’s going to always benefit the employee and ultimately the consumer,” DiCeglie said.

Representatives from Lyft’s primary competitor, Uber, said the company isn’t lobbying either way on the legislation.

The bill’s chances of becoming law this year are slim. The House hasn’t taken up its version of the bill. And the Senate bill ran into bipartisan opposition Wednesday.

Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Fort Myers Republican, joined two Democrats in voting against it. He said afterward that the bill would reverse a 2017 deal made between lawmakers and rideshare companies about how they would be regulated in Florida.

Under legislation passed that year, rideshare companies would be regulated as technology companies with independent contractors instead of as taxi companies. And the deal included requiring the higher insurance limits for all stages of a ride.

“There’s an incentive, like it or not, for that driver to get to that customer as fast as possible,” Martin said.

A spokesperson for Lyft said in a statement that the bill was “common sense” that “aligns actual risk levels while maintaining strong protections for Floridians.”

“Current law imposes excessive coverage that drives up operational costs, ultimately resulting in higher fares for riders and reduced earnings for drivers,” the spokesperson wrote. “This legislation would bring about responsible policy based on real-world data, combining right-sized insurance with proactive safety investments.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 7:12 PM.