Florida runs its earthmoving on two fronts at once — the coastal build from Miami and Fort Lauderdale north to Jacksonville, and the interior and Gulf work out of Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers — and it is one of the few states where the credential you hold may travel the whole state or stop at the county line that issued it.
Because the rules that reach a machine differ by machine, we give each one its own Florida page rather than pretending a single state page could cover all five honestly. Choose the machine you run and the page will take the Florida specifics from there.
Choose your machine
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Skid Steer insurance in Florida
Untitled iron, and a lien recorded in the Florida Secured Transaction Registry
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Excavator insurance in Florida
Sunshine 811, two full business days — and ten beneath state waters
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Backhoe insurance in Florida
Special mobile equipment, defined at section 316.003(83)
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Forklift insurance in Florida
Federal OSHA reaching private crews with no state plan in between
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Dozer insurance in Florida
A generic permit written as a rule, not a numbered NPDES order
Running something else? We also write trenchers, motor graders, articulated haulers, track loaders, compactors, pile drivers and directional drills — see all equipment we cover.
Who licenses Florida equipment contractors
Under Ch. 489, Florida Statutes, contractors are either ‘certified’ (a DBPR certificate of competency valid statewide) or ‘registered’ (valid only in the local jurisdiction that issued a competency card).
Whether that credential travels the state or stops at the county line changes how far your machines range in a year — but it is a question about you, not about the iron. Each of the per-machine pages above takes up the second question.
How coverage is placed
Every machine above sits on the same core lines, and only the first is a condition of writing you: the equipment floater for the machines you own, rented and leased equipment for the ones you do not, general liability for damage the work does to others, commercial auto for the trucks and trailers, and workers compensation for the crews. We place them monoline — no package required.
Primary sources
- Construction Industry licensing — Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) — Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
The statute, permit and safety-authority sources behind each machine sit on that machine’s Florida page above, where the rule actually applies.
Florida equipment insurance FAQs
Can you insure equipment for a contractor anywhere in Florida?
Yes — Equipment Guard Insurance places contractors equipment and heavy equipment coverage from Miami and Fort Lauderdale through Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers up to Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The machines go on their own policy, so a schedule can be bound without a package built around it.
What kinds of machines end up on a Florida schedule?
Skid steers, mini through full-size excavators, backhoes, telehandlers and rough-terrain forklifts, and dozers each carry their own Florida page. Past those five we schedule trenchers, track loaders, motor graders, compactors, articulated haulers, directional drills and pile drivers on the same floater.
What separates a certified from a registered contractor in Florida?
Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes draws the line. A certified contractor holds a certificate of competency from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation that is good anywhere in the state; a registered contractor works on a competency card issued locally and may only work in the jurisdiction that issued it. It is the one licensing question here that decides where the iron can go.
How far ahead does Florida want notice before you dig?
Section 556.105 of the Florida Statutes sets it at not less than two full business days for ordinary excavation, and ten full business days where the work is beneath state waters. If an operator has not marked within forty-eight hours, excluding non-business days, the excavator may go ahead with reasonable care. The excavator page walks the ticket and the marks from there.
Why does each machine get its own Florida page?
Because a different office answers for each one. A skid steer lien is recorded in the Florida Secured Transaction Registry, an excavator answers to the underground facility damage prevention statute through Sunshine 811, a backhoe sits inside the special mobile equipment definition in the traffic code, a forklift operator falls under federal OSHA, and a dozer opening an acre answers to a state environmental permit issued by rule. Five regulators do not fit honestly on one page.
Do I have to move my liability policy to insure the machines with you?
No. Equipment-only is the whole business. Keep the general liability or business owner’s policy you already hold; we schedule the machines beside it without touching it, which is the reason a monoline placement exists at all.