Quote prep checklist for Florida small business owners: GL, commercial auto, and package quotes

Florida business insurance quotes move a lot faster when the first packet is clean.

Most delays are not because the account is complicated. They happen because the carrier gets half the picture, asks for the rest, then everyone loses a few days going back and forth.

Here is the practical checklist we usually want to see when quoting a Florida small business account.

For general liability:

1. Legal entity name, FEIN, and years in business

2. A clear description of operations. What work do you actually perform day to day?

3. Annual gross sales or projected revenue if the business is new

4. Annual payroll, especially if different employees do different types of work

5. Subcontractor cost and whether you collect certificates from subs

6. Any leased or owned premises and square footage

7. Prior general liability loss runs if you have had coverage before

8. Current policy declarations page if you are shopping a renewal

For commercial auto, if that coverage is part of the quote:

1. Vehicle schedule with year, make, model, VIN, and stated use

2. Driver list

3. Radius of operation

4. Garaging address for each vehicle

5. Whether each vehicle is used for service, delivery, hauling, employee transport, or another business purpose

6. Whether each vehicle is titled personally or in the business name

7. Commercial auto loss runs if you have had coverage before

8. Whether employees use personal vehicles for work errands or jobs

For a BOP or commercial package, expect the liability information plus property details such as:

1. Building value if you own the building

2. Business personal property or contents value

3. Year built

4. Square footage

5. Roof age

6. Construction type

7. Alarm, sprinkler, or other protection details

8. Prior property losses

A few items are worth separating early.

General liability, commercial auto, workers comp, property, and tools or equipment coverage are not the same thing. A contractor can need several of those at once, but each one is underwritten differently.

A vehicle schedule belongs with commercial auto. It is not normally part of a straight general liability quote unless the account is being reviewed as a broader package.

Tools and equipment usually need to be handled separately from GL. Same with owned vehicles. Same with workers comp.

If the business is new and has no loss runs, no prior policy, or projected revenue instead of historical revenue, that is fine. Just say it clearly up front. Carriers can usually work with clean projections better than missing documents.

For renewals, the cleanest starting point is usually the current declarations page, current payroll and sales, loss runs, and any changes to operations, vehicles, locations, subcontractors, or property values.

We work with Florida accounts, so this is written from the Florida agency side. Happy to answer general questions in the comments if someone is trying to figure out what belongs in the quote packet.