Report says car insurance rates higher in Fort Myers than Naples

Car insurance rates keep going up in Florida. And a new report says chances are how much you pay depends on where you live.

The Zebra’s 2019 The State of Auto Insurance study shows people in Fort Myers are likely paying much more than people down the road in Naples.

“My rates went up 10 percent more since I moved from Pennsylvania to here,” Steve Lopiccolo said.

Lopiccolo isn’t the only driver paying more this year.

According to The Zebra report, car insurance rates jumped six percent in the Fort Myers-Naples metro area this past year.

“We’ve seen anywhere from a five-percent increase up to a 15-percent increase,” said Cindy Palmquist, a Fort Myers insurance agent. “So it’s all across the board.”

Palmquist said insurance rates have been rising for several reasons, including the number of drivers on the road.

“Fraud, insurance fraud, which happens a lot in the state,” Palmquist said. “The amount of claims being filed and the cost of the claim is being filed, as well as population growth.”

Florida is a no-fault state, which requires drivers to buy auto insurance.

“If you got two people that are in an accident, they don’t care whose fault it is at,” Palmquist said. “They’re going to ding both people’s insurance.”

According to research council, Florida is second in the nation for the number of drivers without insurance, which drives up rates.

Florida lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow undocumented people living here to get a driver’s license. Supporters argue, those drivers would then get insurance, bringing the number of uninsured drivers on our roads and highways way down.

MORE: House bills would allow undocumented immigrants receive driver’s license

With rates on the rise, Palmquist recommends shopping around and comparing prices.

“Making sure you’re getting apples to apples when you’re doing quotes, you know that it’s the same coverage, the same deductibles and then everything,” Palmquist said. “Shop every year. I never trust my insurance is going to do right by me, so I’ve actually had my insurance rates go down this year, but they would’ve gone up had I stayed with my original people.”