Verified August 13, 2026
Primary source: Fla. Stat. § 627.7288. We link the statute, not an aggregator's summary of it.
If you carry comprehensive (or combined additional) coverage in Florida, your insurer cannot apply a deductible to windshield repair or replacement. That has been the law since the 1990s and it is still the law today. If a covered rock crack sends you to a shop, insurance pays and you pay nothing for the glass itself.
1. It covers the windshield only. Not side windows, not the rear window, not a sunroof. The statute says windshield, and it means it. Every year, articles list Florida as a "free glass" state; that is Kentucky, not Florida.
2. "Free" changed shape in 2023. A 2023 law (CS/CS/SB 1002, ch. 2023-136) didn't touch the $0 deductible, but it banned shops from taking an assignment of your claim benefits, banned anyone from requiring you to use a particular shop for replacement or calibration, and banned gift-card offers in exchange for filing a claim. Practical effect: you'll likely open the claim with your insurer yourself instead of signing paperwork at the shop. The money outcome is the same; the paperwork moved to you.
3. The camera re-aim question is genuinely unsettled. Most newer windshields carry a camera that has to be recalibrated after replacement, at $300 to $700. No Florida statute, insurance-regulator bulletin, or appellate decision says whether the §627.7288 waiver extends to that calibration cost. Most carriers appear to cover it as part of the covered windshield loss, but we can't point you to a rule that requires it. One phone question to your insurer settles it: "Is ADAS calibration included in the windshield claim at no deductible?" Ask before you book.
With a covered windshield claim costing you $0 out of pocket, filing usually beats cash in Florida. The honest caveats: confirm the calibration answer above, and if you carry a claims-free discount, ask whether a glass claim resets it. Some carriers treat glass gently; none of them put it in writing on their website.
The calculator applies the Florida rule automatically from your ZIP code, prices your specific car, and shows the arithmetic for both paths.
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