We can not release a vehicle over the phone. An insurance company can not force you to have your vehicle move. You have the right to use ANY repair shop, it does not have to be on the insurance companies list. The following is Florida State Law, We do not make the laws,we must abide by them. The following is required for us to release a vehicle.
1. The vehicle must be registered to the person seeking to redeem it (Exception see: releasing vehicle to friend) 2. The registered or legal owner must be present and have valid picture identification 3. All towing and storage fees must be paid 4. You must have a Police Department release (if vehicle is under a police hold)
Also see:
The vehicle is not registered to me, but I have a bill of sale Release the vehicle or its contents to a friend Claiming property from an impounded vehicle What happens if I fail to redeem my vehicle? Why do we have these stringent state regulations?
The person wishing to redeem the vehicle must be the registered or legal owner according to Department of Licensing records.
The vehicle must be registered to the person seeking to redeem the vehicle, but have not yet transferred the registration into your name, you must do so before attempting to redeem the vehicle.
The registered owner, legal owner, or their agent, must present valid picture identification such as a drivers license, state identification card, passport or other verified identification.
The person seeking to redeem the vehicle must have valid picture identification. No one can claim a vehicle without valid identification. If you have no valid picture identification, you must go to a licensing agent and transfer the registration of the vehicle into the name of someone who does have valid picture identification.
All towing and storage fees must be paid before the vehicle can be released from impound
If the vehicle is on a Police Hold
Vehicles placed on HOLD for investigation of a crime, must be released by the investing detective before the vehicle can be released from impound. The investing detective will notify the owner when the hold has been released.
Releasing the vehicle or its contents to a friend.
A NOTARIZED letter from the registered or legal owner is the only acceptable way to allow another party to claim the vehicle, or its contents. The letter needs to state your name, license plate number or VIN of the vehicle, name of the person the car or contents may be released to, and the NOTARIZED signature of the registered or legal owner. The person redeeming the vehicle or its contents for the owner must have valid picture identification.
Claiming personal property from an impounded vehicle
If the vehicle is on a Police hold, NOBODY can see, touch, or remove personal property from the vehicle.
Nothing integral or attached to the vehicle can be removed, these would include, but are not limited to, batteries, tires, radios, amplifiers, and speakers.
Only personal property such as clothing, papers, tools, fishing equipment, and baby seats can be removed from the vehicle when the vehicle is not on a Police Hold. ANOTORIZED letter from the registered owner or legal owner is required if another party is to remove the property.
What happens if I fail to redeem my vehicle?
Impounded vehicles accrue storage fees on a daily basis, therefore the sooner you pick up your vehicle the less it will cost. A vehicle not redeemed by its owner is put up for the public auction in an attempt to recover the towing and storage fees. The registered and legal owner are NOT eligible to purchase the vehicle at auction. After the auction one thing happens.
1. Proceedings are immediately started against the registered owner for the balance of the towing and storage fees. All vehicles towed and abandoned by the owner will have a lien placed against their tag and or driver license for the following:
The registered owner will have a notice of wrecker lien placed against there license plates and revalidation stickers. With this lien in place all registered owners will not be able to purchase or renew their tag/sticker.
Why do we have these stringent state regulations? To protect all motorist.
Quite simply, to protect the owner of the vehicle. We take many steps to protect your vehicle and its contents, including police inventory, high wire security fencing, and guard dogs. If your car is impounded or towed from an accident, would you really want anybody to be able to claim your vehicle and its contents? If we released your vehicle and/or its contents to someone other then you, and you did not receive them, that liability would fall on us. Since Department of Licensing records are the only way to determine the true owner of the vehicle, the state requires that you prove you are that person.
