South Florida floods can ruin your parked car. Here’s who pays

Choosing the perfect parking spot in South Florida is usually all about shade, until the floodwaters come. Then, other concerns take precent..

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Whether it’s a heavy rainstorm or a high king tide — like the one expected early this week — excess water in low-lying South Florida often finds its way to a parking lot or garage. And woe to the cars left behind in drier times.

Every serious flood, tow truck operators haul dozens of cars from waterlogged streets, lots and garages. It doesn’t take much water to immobilize a car, just six inches can stall an engine. A foot of water can leave a vehicle floating.

But even if the spot was dry when you parked, then swamped when you returned, the bill for fixing a flooded car almost always lands with the owner of the vehicle.

Aaron Alamary, president of parking management company TruPark USA, manages thousands of parking spaces between Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. And some of them flood, he said. And yet, drivers are still the ones footing the bill, as explained in the fine print on the tickets they get from the machine or signage in the garage.

“They essentially, by pulling that ticket, agree to the transfer of liability, indemnifying us or the people above us,” he said. “People take the risk in parking anywhere.”

Some garages and lots warn would-be parkers of the potential danger of flooding, like the lower levels of the Aventura Mall parking garage, but at most parking spots in South Florida the policy is buyer beware.

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Alamary said that companies like his carry a lot of insurance “because we know people like to sue, especially in South Florida.”

“Even if we are not at fault, the claims still happen,” he said. “If we were to take on that liability of this being our problem, parking would be a lot more expensive.”

To companies like Alamary’s, or the property owner of the garage or lot, it’s the same setup as for other, more common types of damage to a parked car: a dent from a neighbor’s door, or a smashed window and stolen belongings. Who pays? The owner’s car insurance.

“If a car is damaged by flooding in South Florida—such as heavy rain, rising water, or storm surge—the vehicle owner’s auto insurance generally pays for the damage if the policy includes comprehensive coverage,” explained Michal Brower, a spokesperson for State Farm, in a statement.

“Comprehensive Coverage covers flood damage and is separate from collision and liability coverage. Typically, if you have comprehensive coverage, your auto insurer pays to repair the flood damage (subject to your deductible and policy terms). If you only have liability coverage, your flooded vehicle generally isn’t covered so you would be responsible for the damage.”

Auto insurance tips for after a storm

Once the floodwaters go down, you may discover your car has been exposed to water. If your vehicle has been exposed to flood water, follow these insurance/claim tips to help limit the damage to your car after flood/water exposure:

Read more South Florida floods can ruin your parked car. Here’s who pays

• DO NOT start a flooded vehicle until it has received a thorough inspection by a qualified mechanic. This will cause more damage if there is water in the engine.
• Record the highest level of water exposure on your flooded vehicle.
• Start drying out your vehicle as quickly as possible and contact a towing service to get it back to higher ground.
• File an insurance claim. Contact your agent or insurance company and advise them that your vehicle has been flooded. The sooner the vehicle can be evaluated and dried out, the less damage the vehicle will sustain.