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Miami Beach Lemon Law

Miami Beach Lemon Law Attorney

Living on a barrier island means every warranty visit starts with a drive over the bay. When the same fault sends your new car back across the MacArthur or the Julia Tuttle for the third or fourth time, Florida's lemon law may let you hand it back. RockPoint Law handles lemon law as its core practice.

Free Case Evaluation

Three quick questions. No cost, no obligation.

  1. The year and make of your vehicle
  2. What the dealer has already tried
  3. How to reach you, and we review it
Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323

Sending this does not create an attorney-client relationship. A case evaluation is a first step, not legal representation.

Two questions decide most Miami Beach claims before the defect even comes up: was the car sold in Florida, and did the damage start inside the car or come in from the street? We don't have an office on the island. Our Miami office is on Brickell Avenue, about four miles away, and most of a claim is done on paper.

  • 4.3 miles to our Brickell office
  • No mileage cap on the 24 months
  • No fee unless we recover
Key facts

Miami Beach lemon law at a glance

The rules are Florida's. These are the ones that come up most for island owners, part-year residents and buyers of expensive cars, in the order a claim meets them.

Key facts for a Miami Beach lemon law claim under Chapter 681, Florida Statutes
Key figureWhat it meansWhere it comes from
Sold in FLnot where you liveChapter 681 covers a new vehicle "sold in this state." A car bought up north and driven down usually isn't covered.Sec. 681.102(14)
Any ownerpersonal useA "consumer" is defined by personal, family or household use. There's no residency, citizenship or registration test.Sec. 681.102(4)
Not floodsin the statuteThe statute excludes accidents, abuse, neglect, and outside modifications. Flood damage is usually excluded by the warranty itself.Sec. 681.102(15), (22)
24 monthscalendar keeps runningThe defect has to be reported within 24 months of delivery, with no mileage cap. Time away from Florida doesn't pause it.Sec. 681.102(5), (9)
3 + 1 or 30ways to qualifyThree repairs of the same defect plus a final attempt after your letter, or 30 days out of service in total.Sec. 681.104(3)
Not listedBMW, Mercedes, Land RoverBrands without a certified program, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Ferrari, go straight to the state Board.Sec. 681.108(1); AG certified list
60 daysto request arbitrationThe Board request is due 60 days after the 24 months end, or 30 days after a program's final action if that comes later.Sec. 681.109(4)
$1.25per mile at $150,000The offset is base price times your miles divided by 120,000, so each mile costs more on an expensive car.Sec. 681.102(19)
105%replacement ceilingA replacement can't carry a sticker price above 105 percent of the original's.Sec. 681.102(21)
The Short Answer

What is the lemon law in Miami Beach?

Miami Beach drivers are covered by Florida's lemon law, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes. It protects a new or demonstrator car, truck or SUV sold or leased in Florida. If a defect that substantially impairs the car's use, value or safety is reported within 24 months of delivery, and the manufacturer can't fix it after three tries and a final attempt, or the car is out of service for 30 days, the manufacturer must buy it back or replace it. You choose the refund if you want it. Filing with the state costs nothing.

The first thing that decides a Miami Beach question is where the car was sold. Section 681.102(14) covers a new vehicle "sold in this state," so a car bought in Florida is in, wherever its owner lives the rest of the year, and a car bought up north and driven down usually isn't. The second is what caused the damage. A fault in how the car was built is a warranty claim. Water from a flooded street usually isn't.

Who Florida's law covers

Florida's definition of a "consumer" in section 681.102(4) looks at how the car is used: mainly for personal, family or household purposes. It doesn't ask where you vote, what passport you hold or where the car is registered. So a part-year resident, or a buyer who lives abroad, can bring a claim on a car bought or leased at a Florida dealer. A lease counts if it runs a year or more and you're responsible for repairs. A car handed to a second owner during the first 24 months can stay covered if both owners use it personally. The Attorney General's coverage page sets out the same limits.

Cars bought in another state are the harder case. Chapter 681 won't reach them, but the lemon law of the state of sale may, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act applies to written warranties wherever the car ends up. The full statute is in our Florida lemon law guide, and our Miami lemon law page covers how claims move through Miami-Dade County.

The dates, for an owner who splits the year

Florida's calendar keeps running whether you're on Collins Avenue or out of the country, and section 681.102(5) makes every period calendar days:

  • 24 months from delivery: the defect has to be reported to the manufacturer or its dealer inside this window, whatever the mileage;
  • 60 days after the 24 months: the filing deadline with a state-certified program, if your brand has one;
  • 60 days after the 24 months, or 30 days after the program decides: the Board request is due by whichever is later, under section 681.109(4);
  • one year: a lawsuit under the chapter has to start within a year of the rights period ending, or of the final action of the program or the Board, under section 681.112(2).

If the 24-month mark will fall while you're away, the safest filing date is before you leave. A registered reply that sits unopened in a condo mailbox for a month still counts against you. Not sure your car was "sold in this state"? Send us the purchase contract and we'll tell you which law applies.

Eligibility

What qualifies for the lemon law in Miami Beach?

The tests are statewide, and so are the traps. A Miami Beach claim usually turns on four things: the repair count, the days in the shop, the right place to file first, and the date.

Under all four sits a threshold question. Is this a defect in how the car was made, or damage that came from outside it? A nonconformity has to be the first kind. Each card has an island example and a self-check.

Three Repairs and a Final Try

The same defect has been repaired three times by the manufacturer or its dealer and keeps coming back. You then write to the manufacturer by registered or express mail. It gets 10 days to answer and name a repair shop that is reasonably accessible to you, and 10 days from drop-off to fix the car. If it misses either step, the final attempt stops being a requirement.

A Miami Beach example A sedan crosses the Julia Tuttle three times for a transmission that shudders from a stop. After the third visit a registered letter goes to the manufacturer, and the fourth visit fails too

Thirty Days Off the Road

The car has spent 30 days in total out of service for warranty repairs, and the days can be for different faults. Once it passes 15 days, you write to the manufacturer, which then gets one more chance to inspect or repair. Every day it sits at a mainland service department counts, weekends and holidays included. Routine maintenance days don't.

A Miami Beach example Twelve days waiting on a module for an infotainment fault, ten for a coolant leak, a letter at day 15, and a visit that pushes the total past 30

The Right Place to File First

The badge decides where you file. Brands with a state-certified program go there first: Porsche to CAP Motors, Bentley and Audi to BBB Auto Line, Lexus to NCDS. Brands the Attorney General hasn't certified, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Ferrari, go straight to the state Board. The certified list is renewed every year.

A Miami Beach example A Porsche Cayenne leased in Florida goes to CAP Motors first. A Mercedes-Benz GLE bought at a Florida dealer goes to the state Board, because Mercedes-Benz has no certified program

24 Months From Delivery

The rights period runs 24 months from first delivery, with no mileage cap. An owner who drives a few thousand miles a year is on the same clock as a commuter. The defect has to be reported inside it, and the arbitration request is due within 60 days after it ends.

A Miami Beach example A convertible delivered on December 1, 2024, and driven only in the winter months has a rights period ending on December 1, 2026, however few miles are on it

On the island, ask where the water came in

Each test is proved by repair orders, and section 681.103(4) entitles you to one every time the car comes back from a warranty visit: an itemized, legible record of the problem you described, the diagnosis, the work, any test drive, the dates and the odometer reading.

Here that record carries extra weight. If a service writer notes "water intrusion" without specifying the source of the water, a manufacturer can later argue flood damage. Ask for the entry point to be written down before you sign.

Unsure which card fits your repair history? Send the orders and we'll read them for you.

Start My Free Case Review  Call (516) 550-3323
Where your case is heard

Where is a Miami Beach lemon law claim heard?

The statute doesn't change when you cross the causeway, but the facts that come up in a Miami Beach claim do, and what follows are the questions island owners ask us first.

The Courts Are Miami-Dade's

Miami Beach is in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, so if your claim ever gets to a court step it runs through the same Miami-Dade courts as everyone else's in the county. Our Miami lemon law page sets them out if you're curious, though most island claims end at arbitration or in a settlement anyway.

The Final Repair Has to Be Reachable

After your letter, section 681.104(1)(a) makes the manufacturer offer its final attempt at a repair facility reasonably accessible to you. If the shop it names is a long way off through heavy causeway traffic, say so in writing when it answers and not months later at a hearing, because by then it's a lot harder to make the point.

Where the Car Was Sold Beats Where You Live

Chapter 681 follows the sale and not the owner, so a Florida purchase is covered even if you spend half the year in Toronto or Buenos Aires. A car bought in Connecticut and garaged on Alton Road usually isn't, and its claim runs under the law of the state of sale or federal warranty law, each with its own deadlines.

Water Damage Is a Warranty Question

The exclusions in section 681.102(15) cover accidents, abuse, neglect and outside modifications. Floods aren't mentioned. What usually rules flood damage out is the warranty, because the statute ties "warranty" to material and workmanship, and booklets such as Nissan's 2025 edition exclude damage from salt, flood and other environmental conditions. A leak through a faulty seal is still a defect.

If the manufacturer blames the water

You can expect that any time a fault involves moisture or corrosion or electronics, and the answer is in the repair history, in things like whether the problem showed up on a dry day and whether the dealer found the cause inside a component or a connector or a seal and whether the same fault came back after a warranty repair with no flooding in between. A panel decides the cause from the paper in front of it, and it also hears the manufacturer's defenses under section 681.104(4): no substantial impairment, an accident, abuse, neglect or an unauthorized modification, or a claim not made in good faith.

We should be honest about the flip side, which is that if a car sat in salt water up to the door sills during a king tide, the problems that follow are usually an insurance claim and not a lemon law claim. Some warranties are void once a car gets a salvage or flood title, and Nissan's 2025 booklet says so, and we'd rather tell you that on the first call than after months of paperwork.

Cars bought out of state: what still protects you

If Chapter 681 doesn't reach your car, three other routes may. The lemon law of the state where you bought it: every state has one, and their repair counts, windows and forums differ. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: under 15 U.S.C. section 2310(d), a consumer can sue in state court, or in federal court when at least $50,000 is in dispute across all claims, and a winning consumer can recover costs and attorney's fees. And Florida's other remedies: section 681.112(3) says Chapter 681 doesn't stop you pursuing other rights, and a dealer's own written warranty can be enforced directly under section 681.113.

The first document we ask for is the purchase or lease contract, because it shows the state of sale and the delivery date and the base price, and those three facts decide which law applies and how much time is left.

Filing while you are away from Florida

Nothing in Chapter 681 requires you to be in the state when you file. The written notice to the manufacturer still has to go by registered or express mail under section 681.104(1), so keep the receipt and the tracking record. The manufacturer's reply names a date and place for the final repair, and someone else can deliver the car if you can't be there, but the dates in the reply still run either way.

The Attorney General's hotline has a separate number for callers outside Florida, listed on its certified-program page. A hearing is set in Florida at a location the statute calls reasonably convenient. If the date clashes with time you'll be away, raise it as soon as the notice arrives and don't wait.

Leaving for the summer, or only here for the season? Let's check the dates before they slip, at no cost.

  • Bring the purchase or lease contract, since it shows where the car was sold and the delivery date that starts the 24 months.
  • Bring each repair order you have and any tow receipts from trips over the causeway as well.
  • If water is part of the story, bring whatever shows where it came in, like dealer notes or photos or the dates it happened.
  • We can meet at our Brickell office over on the mainland, or by phone or video from wherever you happen to be.
Start My Free Case Review 
A Miami Beach owner on the phone at home while a Florida lemon law claim is prepared for filing
You Stay Put

A Miami Beach claim rarely needs a trip over the bay

The car has to go to the service department but you don't have to go anywhere else, since the request for arbitration is a written filing with the Attorney General and screening is done on paper, and a claim can settle before a hearing is ever set.

We collect the repair orders and check each one for dates and mileage and send the registered letter, then file with the right program or the Board and get you ready if a hearing goes ahead, and really your part is just the first call.

How It Works

How long does a Miami Beach lemon law case take?

There are five steps, and we've put them in the order they happen, and most of them turn out to be paperwork you can do from home. If you're an owner who travels a lot, the dates that matter most come after the 24 months end and they depend on whether your brand has a certified program, so what you see here is that filing clock for a brand that does have one, and the form-by-form version is in our guide to how to file a lemon law claim.

  1. Day 0The 24-month rights period ends. The defect must already have been reported
  2. Day 60Latest day to file with your brand's certified program. Without one, this is also the Board deadline
  3. Day 100Latest day for the program to decide, when you file with it on Day 60 (40 days)
  4. Day 130Latest day to request Board arbitration when the program's final action comes on Day 100 (30 days, later than Day 60)

Confirm Where the Car Was Sold

You start with the purchase or lease contract and not with the car itself. Chapter 681 covers a new or demonstrator vehicle sold in Florida, and a lease of a year or more where you handle repairs. Motorcycles, mopeds, off-road vehicles, trucks over 10,000 pounds and the living quarters of a motorhome are left out by section 681.102(14). After that you check the brand against the Attorney General's certified list, because that's what decides where the claim is filed first.

Keep the Paper From Every Visit

Every warranty visit should produce an itemized repair order under section 681.103(4): what you reported, the diagnosis, the work, the test drive, the dates in and out, and the mileage. You'll want to add your own notes on drop-off and pick-up and who you spoke to, plus any tow bill if the car couldn't make the drive, and on moisture or electrical faults it helps to ask the service writer to record where the problem started.

Send the Registered Letter

After the third repair, or once the car has spent 15 days in the shop, write to the manufacturer, not the dealer. Use registered or express mail and the zone or regional address section 681.103(2) makes it print in the warranty or owner's manual. Give them a return address you actually check, and if you're going to be away, a trusted mainland address or a forwarding service keeps the reply from sitting there unread while you're gone.

File Before the 60 Days Run Out

A brand with a certified program goes there first, no later than 60 days after the 24 months end. If the program hasn't decided within 40 days, or you're unhappy with it, go on to the state Board. A brand without one goes straight to the Attorney General on a Request for Arbitration, under section 681.109(3). The Consumer Guide to the Florida Lemon Law confirms the Board hears your case without charging you.

The Hearing and the Payout

A panel of three Board members hears the case at a location reasonably convenient for you, and the hearing is open to the public under section 681.1095(2). You get to explain what happened and then the manufacturer answers. If the decision goes your way, the manufacturer has 40 days to refund or replace. Either side can appeal to the circuit court within 30 days.

The steps that trip up Miami Beach owners are rarely the legal ones; more often it's the letter that goes to the dealership's service desk instead of the manufacturer, or a repair order that says "water in cabin" and nothing else, or a contract that turns out to be from a dealer in another state, or the 24 months ending during a summer away without anybody noticing.

Owners can run a claim themselves and the Attorney General's staff answer questions, and what a lawyer adds is a second pair of eyes on the dates and the letter and the paper trail. Nobody can tell you in advance how a panel will rule.

Outcomes

What compensation can you receive?

A refund or a replacement, and the refund is your call

When a reasonable number of repair attempts has failed, section 681.104(2)(a) gives the manufacturer 40 days to buy the car back and refund the purchase price, or replace it with one you accept. Both include the collateral and incidental charges you reasonably paid. You have an unconditional right to take the refund instead of a replacement, so a dealer's offer of a new car is only an offer.

Why the price of the car matters to the deduction

Every refund or replacement carries an offset for the miles you drove. The formula in section 681.102(19) is the same for every car. What changes is how much each mile costs you:

  1. Take the base selling price from the invoice. Taxes, government fees and dealer fees stay out of it.
  2. Multiply by the miles you drove up to a settlement or the hearing, whichever comes first.
  3. Divide by 120,000, or by 60,000 for a recreational vehicle.

At a $40,000 base price, each of your miles takes about 33 cents off the refund. At $150,000 it's $1.25, so 8,000 miles comes to a $10,000 deduction. On a high-priced car, the miles a dealer logged test-driving a fault it couldn't find are worth fighting over. They aren't yours, so check each repair order shows the test-drive distance.

The ceiling on a replacement, and what comes back

Under section 681.102(21), a "reasonably equivalent" replacement can't carry a sticker price above 105 percent of the original's. The refund adds back collateral charges such as sales tax, title charges, earned finance charges and dealer-installed items, plus incidental costs the defect caused, like towing and rentals. If you and the manufacturer can't agree on a trade-in figure, the statute falls back to the NADA Official Used Car Guide, Southeastern Edition.

Attorney's fees are separate. If you win a lawsuit under the chapter, section 681.112(1) requires the court to award reasonable attorney's fees along with your losses and costs. At RockPoint Law, qualifying cases are handled on contingency.

Possible Outcomes

Five things a successful Miami Beach claim can bring

  • Refund

    The purchase price and collateral charges, minus the mileage offset, and the choice to take it is yours

  • Replacement

    A comparable car you accept, with a sticker price no more than 105 percent of the original

  • Repairs that continue

    A problem first reported inside the 24 months must still be fixed after they end, under section 681.103(1)

  • Charges the defect caused

    Tows over the causeway, rentals and similar reasonable costs, alongside tax, title and fitted extras

  • Attorney's fees

    Owed to a consumer who wins in court under section 681.112, and when a Board award is upheld on appeal

Outcomes depend on the facts of each case, so no attorney can tell you in advance what yours will be.

Manufacturers We've Taken to Court

We Take On the
Biggest Names

Vehicles We Handle

Which vehicles does the lemon law cover in Miami Beach?

Price and prestige make no difference to coverage. The line section 681.102(14) draws is about the kind of vehicle and where it was sold. When a vehicle falls outside Chapter 681, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act may still apply. Choose a category to see where it falls.

Cars, SUVs and Sports Cars

Covered, from a compact hatchback to a six-figure grand tourer, as long as it was sold new in Florida. What differs by brand is the first stop: a certified program for brands on the list, the state Board for the rest. A gearbox that drops out of drive qualifies. A squeak usually doesn't. See our practice areas.

Heavy-Duty Pickups

Look at the weight rating on the driver's door jamb. Above 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, a truck falls outside Chapter 681, and some of the largest pickups are rated above that line. Below it, a diesel is covered like any other vehicle. Derate faults are a common reason owners call. See our diesel emissions lemon law guide.

Motorcycles and Scooters

Outside Chapter 681. Motorcycles, mopeds and electric bicycles are excluded by name, which catches out riders who assume a new bike is treated like a new car. A bike that keeps failing under its written warranty may still support a federal Magnuson-Moss claim. See our motorcycle lemon law guide.

RVs and Motorhomes

Covered on a separate track with different numbers. RV claims go to the mediation and arbitration program in section 681.1096, the out-of-service threshold is 60 days, the final repair window is 45 days, and the offset is divided by 60,000. The parts built for living in sit outside the law. Our RV and motorhome lemon law guide has more.

Electric Vehicles

Treated the same as a gas car. Owners mostly call about batteries, charging, drive units and software, and a fault that returns after each update still counts. Check the forum: a Tesla bought on or after November 1, 2022, goes to NCDS first, while brands without a certified program go to the Board. See our electric vehicle lemon law guide.

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Client Stories

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted
RockPoint Law with their lemon law claims.

I contacted RockPoint Law in July 2025 and by mid Jan 2026, I had received my settlement proceeds. A mid 5-figure loan was paid off and the manufacturer took possession of the vehicle. Not having that car payment and the mandatory full coverage freed up about $900/month. If you're on the fence about calling RockPoint Law, let it go. The relief you will feel when it all works out will be soooo worth it.

Read more
HJ
Henry Jose
Google Review

Was having nothing but issues with the DEF system in my Ram 3500. I didn't have high hopes because 3500 trucks are generally excluded from lemon law. The entire process from the time I contacted RockPoint Law to the time I received my settlement was under 6 months! Their response times were well above expectations.

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JR
Joe Russo
Google Review

My Telluride's transmission would jerk so hard between gears that my coffee would spill. Dealer had it four times. When I called RockPoint Law, they asked the exact technical question I'd been researching for weeks. We got a buyback with reimbursement for my deductible and rental costs. They speak fluent mechanic before they speak lawyer.

Read more
K
Kirill
Google Review

Turbo failure on my EcoBoost F-150. Dealer replaced it once, then denied the second. Steven Nassi compared my case to known manufacturing defects for that engine. Other lawyers just saw 'engine trouble.' Steven built the argument around the known defect pattern. Secured a full refund.

Read more
JR
Joshua Ragsdale
Google Review

Our minivan's sliding door would just stop working. Not a great feature with little kids. Tried to get it fixed under warranty three times. Final straw was when it almost closed on my son's arm. Leo was our attorney and got us a great outcome. They handled everything from start to finish.

Read more
JG
Jorge Garcia
Google Review

My family's cross-country road trip turned into a nightmare when our brand-new SUV broke down in three different states. Each dealership kept giving us the run-around. RockPoint Law tracked every failed repair, hotel receipt, and even our unused theme park tickets. They got us a full buyback plus $8,200 for the vacation that fell apart.

Read more
AG
Adam Gore
Google Review

The active suspension in my Ram 1500 started making a loud 'clunk' on every bump. Dealer replaced one part but the noise just moved to another corner. After the third repair, I was done. Natalie Nassi said, 'A repeated failure of a major chassis component is a clear impairment to value and use.' She didn't see a noise; she saw a failed system.

Read more
PM
Piyawan Maprakhon
Google Review

My car is basically my mobile office. When the electrical system fried two laptops and killed my productivity, I reached out to RockPoint Law. Unlike the dealer who treated me as a nuisance, RockPoint Law saw how it impacted my ability to work. They secured a full refund on the vehicle plus $6,500 for lost income and equipment.

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SK
Sadie Kim
Google Review

The manufacturer told me I was out of luck. RockPoint Law told me otherwise — and proved it! Their lemon law experience turned my nightmare into a fair resolution. What impressed me most was their transparency — no false claims, just hard facts and harder work. Worth every penny and then some!

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KE
Kevin Eimuth
Google Review

From the moment I walked into their office shaking with frustration, the team at RockPoint Law put me at ease. They listened patiently to my whole story, then laid out a clear game plan. Six weeks later, I was holding a check that made all those repair shop trips worth it. True professionals who deliver!

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JB
Jatt James Bond
Google Review

We had two vans with the same transmission failure. RockPoint Law consolidated both claims, lined up build dates, and pushed for an extended coverage fix. Both vans were repaired, and we got downtime reimbursed.

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KS
Kishan Singh
Google Review

The hands-free liftgate on my SUV would randomly open in my garage, denting the door. I felt crazy complaining about a 'convenience feature.' Our attorney reframed it: 'An uncontrolled operation of a motorized component is a safety and property damage risk.' The team used my security camera footage as evidence. We got a solid settlement.

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PS
Peyman Soleimani
Google Review
Why RockPoint

Why Miami Beach owners choose RockPoint Law

A lemon law claim is based on dates, letters, and repair orders. On the island, add two more questions: where the car was sold, and whether water is going to be blamed.

Lemon Law Is Our Core Practice

This isn't a side practice. Warranty and lemon law is what we do, every day, for drivers with defective vehicles.

Four Miles Across the Bay

We have no office in Miami Beach. Our Miami office is in Brickell, about 4.3 miles from City Hall, for anyone who wants to meet in person. Everything else can be done by phone, video and email.

Built for Owners Who Travel

Part-year residents and owners abroad can run a claim with us remotely. We track the 24-month and 60-day dates, so a summer away doesn't cost you the claim. And before anything is filed, we read the orders for the question a manufacturer will raise: defect, or water?

Clear Communication

Straight updates at every stage of your case. No long silences and no surprises.

No Upfront Legal Fees

Qualifying cases run on contingency, so you pay no attorney's fee unless we recover for you. The state Board charges no filing fee.

Meet the Team →
Our Story

Meet the Firm Behind Your Claim

The same attorneys who handle claims nationwide handle them here. Two minutes on who we are and how we work.

Side-by-Side

Do I need a lemon law attorney in Miami Beach?

Handling a Miami Beach claim alone vs with an attorney. Flip the switch to see the same four moments from both sides.

Vehicle repair invoices spread across a kitchen table with a hand hovering over them
On your own1 / 4

Arguing a defect claim on a car that sat in floodwater

If a car was driven through or parked in a flooded street, the manufacturer will point to the warranty's environmental exclusion, and often it's right. Months can go into a claim the paperwork was never going to support.

A person on the phone at a home desk with a notepad of call notes
On your own2 / 4

Letting the dates run while you are out of state

Florida counts calendar days, and the arbitration request is due 60 days after the 24 months end. A season away, a missed registered letter or an unread reply can close the claim before you're back.

A wall calendar with deadline dates circled in red beside a set of car keys
On your own3 / 4

Filing a luxury-brand claim in the wrong place

A Porsche or Bentley claim that skips its certified program can be sent back. A BMW or Mercedes-Benz claim sent to a manufacturer "customer program" that isn't on the Attorney General's list gets you nowhere and uses up time.

One person alone at the end of a long empty hearing room table
On your own4 / 4

Accepting an offset worked from the sticker price

The offset uses the base price, not the full invoice, and only your miles. On an expensive car, a figure built on the wrong base or the dealer's test-drive miles can cost thousands of dollars.

Hands working through an organized stack of repair orders with a highlighter and index tabs
With RockPoint Law1 / 4

The cause of the fault pinned down on paper

We read every repair order for where the problem started, ask the dealer to correct vague entries, and tell you early if water damage is likely to sink the claim.

A certified mail envelope and return receipt card being prepared on a desk
With RockPoint Law2 / 4

Dates tracked wherever you are

We calendar the 24 months, the 60 days and the program deadlines from the delivery date, and send the registered letter ourselves so the reply comes to us.

An open case planner with color-coded deadline tabs being marked
With RockPoint Law3 / 4

The brand checked against the current list

Certification is renewed every year. We check the Attorney General's list on the day we file and send the claim to the program or the Board in the order the statute sets.

A bound exhibit folder open on a conference table
With RockPoint Law4 / 4

The offset rebuilt from the invoice

We start from the base selling price, take out taxes and fees, strip the dealer's test-drive miles and compare the manufacturer's number with the statute.

Serving Miami Beach

On the ground in Miami Beach

An island of 81,594, and four ways to the mainland

Miami Beach had 81,594 residents on the Census Bureau's July 1, 2025, estimate, all of them on a barrier island between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic, and getting to a mainland service department means crossing the bay, whether that's the MacArthur into downtown Miami, the Venetian, where Miami-Dade County runs a toll plaza, the Julia Tuttle, which carries I-195 from Alton Road, or the John F. Kennedy Causeway on 79th Street.

So every one of those trips leaves paperwork that's worth keeping. A car that won't start in a condo garage needs a tow truck, and a tow bill caused by the defect is an incidental charge you can claim back, and even a drop-off that eats a whole morning sitting in causeway traffic still counts as the day the car went out of service, so write it down somewhere you'll find it.

King tides, flooded streets and your warranty

The City of Miami Beach runs a King Tide Flood Relief Parking Program that opens up free spaces in three municipal garages when high tides are expected to flood low streets, which generally means the ones about two feet or less above sea level. The city's flood guidance tells residents to park on higher ground before a known high-water event, and for a lemon law claim the reason all this matters is that water damage is the most common reason a manufacturer gives for refusing a warranty repair here.

Florida's statute doesn't list floods among its exclusions, but the warranty usually does. Nissan's 2025 warranty booklet, to take one example, doesn't cover damage or corrosion from salt, flood or other environmental conditions, and it voids the warranty for a car given a flood or salvage title. That means the real question in a Miami Beach water case is what caused the failure, and the things to hang on to are the parking-program notices and the tide dates and the repair orders that show where the water came in.

Leaks versus flood damage: what the repair order should say

A water leak can be a manufacturing defect, while water that rises over the rocker panels on a flooded street usually isn't, and the difference comes down to a few words on the order: where the water came in (a door membrane, a sunroof drain, a windshield seal, a body seam), when it happened (after a car wash or ordinary rain, or after a street flood), what was replaced under warranty, and whether the same leak came back after a warranty repair, which is the pattern the three-repair route is built on.

If a service writer puts "customer states water in car" and nothing more, ask them to add the diagnosis before you sign anything. Section 681.103(4) entitles you to an order that records the diagnosis and the work done.

We take claims from every part of the city, including:

  • South Beach
  • Mid-Beach
  • North Beach
  • Normandy Isle
  • Biscayne Point
  • La Gorce
  • Flamingo Park
  • Bayshore
  • Collins Park
  • Star Island
  • Palm Island
  • Hibiscus Island

If you're elsewhere in the county, our Miami page covers Miami-Dade, and from anywhere else in the state you can start with our Florida lemon law guide.

How to reach us

RockPoint Law doesn't keep an office in Miami Beach, and honestly a Florida claim doesn't need one, but our Miami office is at 1221 Brickell Ave, Suite 900, over on the mainland, about 4.3 miles from Miami Beach City Hall. To get going, fill in our online intake form and we review every request and respond as soon as we can, or you can call (516) 550-3323.

If you'd like to do some reading of your own first, the Attorney General's Lemon Law pages have the forms, the certified-program list and a searchable list of vehicles manufacturers have reported buying back.

Case Results

Recent RockPoint Law recoveries

These come out of the settlement record our firm publishes for lemon law cases, across brands, and so they're firmwide results and not Miami Beach outcomes, and we'd want you to know that before anything else. What they're good for is showing what a well-documented defect claim can be worth when it's handled properly, and a claim on the island would be looked at on its own facts like any other.

$160,264 BMW X6

Recovery on a vehicle with engine, electrical and suspension defects.

$144,550 Porsche Macan

Recovery on a Macan with suspension, drivetrain, electrical and HVAC problems.

$110,289 Rivian R1T

Recovery after electrical, engine and suspension failures on an electric pickup.

Figures are drawn from our firm's published settlement record and are not specific to Miami Beach matters. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. See more RockPoint Law settlements 

RockPoint Law, by the numbers

$50M+**
Recovered for clients
3,000+‡
Cases handled
25+
Years of combined experience
97%*
Resolution rate
  • Free Consultation
  • No attorney's fees unless we recover for you.†
Recent Google reviewsAcross all RockPoint offices: 4.8 from 19 Google reviews
  • ★★★★★a month ago
    I had a really good experience with RockPoint Law. The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and everyone I dealt with was helpful and responsive. Whenever I had a question, I was able to get an answer without feeling like I was chasing anyone down. They handled everything and kept me updated along the way. Definitely glad I reached out to them.
    Ronen S. Malekmehr
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law and wasn't sure. Called anyway because I was at my wit's end. Natalie Nassi answered and she remembered me from somewhere else. Same calm voice, same no-nonsense approach. She took my case and handled everything. Manufacturer bought the car back. Name on the door changed but Natalie didn't. That's what matters to me.
    Tanja Moldenhauer
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law online and wasn't sure because I hadn't heard of them. But I was desperate. My car had been in and out of the shop for months. Called them up and the person I spoke with was so easy to talk to. No legal mumbo jumbo, just straight talk. They took my case and got me a buyback. New name but they know what they're doing. Would recommend.
    Rodolfo Paulino
2 more Google reviews
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Honestly wasn't sure about RockPoint Law since I hadn't heard of them before. But I was desperate. My car had been in the shop five times for the same problem and nobody could figure it out. Service advisor started avoiding my calls. I found RockPoint online, called, and the person I talked to was really down to earth. They took my repair orders and handled the whole thing. A few months later, the manufacturer bought the car back. New name but they got it done. Would use them again in a heartbeat.
    Om Shiv
  • ★★★★★6 months ago
    Saw RockPoint Law pop up when I was googling lemon law help. Wasn't sure about the name but figured I'd give it a shot. My Jeep Gladiator had a death wobble at highway speeds—front end would shake violently. Dealer replaced the steering stabilizer twice, still shook. The person I talked to at RockPoint was super calm and explained everything clearly. They handled the claim and Jeep bought the truck back. Glad I didn't let the new name scare me off. They got the job done.
    Víctor Torres

About this page

Written and edited by the RockPoint Law content team. Prepared September 2026 to reflect the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, Secs. 681.10 through 681.118, administered by the Office of the Attorney General. See our editorial policy.

You can look up any Florida lawyer's license and public discipline history in The Florida Bar's member directory. Do this for any firm you are considering hiring, including us.

Start here

Tell us what the car is doing in Miami Beach

Three details about the vehicle, and how to reach you.

  • The year and make of your vehicle
  • What the dealer has already tried, and whether you paid for it
  • Your name, phone and email. We review every request and respond as soon as we can

No cost, no obligation. Contacting RockPoint Law does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Check my case Start My Free Case Review Or call (516) 550-3323
Our Team

Meet the Team
Behind RockPoint Law

A dedicated team that stands with you through every step of your Lemon Law claim.

Steven Nassi
Steven Nassi
Managing Partner
Founder · 25+ years of litigation experience
★ Founder & Managing Partner
Natalie Nassi
Natalie Nassi
Managing Partner
Columbia University · 20+ years in consumer advocacy
Ron Kaniuk
Ron Kaniuk
Florida Managing Partner
St. John's University School of Law · Consumer protection & lemon law
Aaron Waldo
Aaron Waldo
Attorney
U.S. Marine Corps veteran · Automotive background
Liam Jones
Liam Jones
Attorney
Licensed in New York & New Jersey
Christian Garcia
Christian Garcia
Senior Case Manager
Case management from intake through resolution
Rudy Gutierrez
Rudy Gutierrez
Intake Manager
First point of contact for new clients & case evaluations
FAQ

Miami Beach lemon law questions

What owners on the island ask us most, answered against the statute.

Does the Florida lemon law apply to a car in Miami Beach?

Yes. Chapter 681 applies in every Florida city, and what decides coverage is the car, a new or demonstrator vehicle sold in Florida, not your street address.

Yes. Miami Beach is covered by Chapter 681 of the Florida Statutes, the law that applies in every Florida city, and section 681.116 stops any city or county from passing a version of its own. What decides coverage is not your street address. It is the car. The law reaches a new or demonstrator vehicle sold in Florida, and a lease of a year or more where you are responsible for repairs. The defect has to be reported within 24 months of delivery, and it has to substantially impair the car's use, value or safety. If the manufacturer cannot fix it after three repairs plus a final attempt, or the car spends 30 days in the shop, you can ask for a refund or a replacement. Our Florida lemon law guide walks through each section.

I bought my car in another state and keep it in Miami Beach. Am I covered?

Probably not under Florida's statute, which covers a new vehicle "sold in this state." The law of the state of sale and federal warranty law may still help.

Probably not by Florida's statute. Section 681.102(14) defines a covered motor vehicle as a new vehicle "sold in this state," and the Attorney General's coverage page repeats the point: the law applies only to new or demonstrator vehicles sold in Florida. A car bought in New York, New Jersey or Illinois and driven down for the winter usually falls under the lemon law of the state where it was sold, and each state sets its own deadlines and procedure. You are not left with nothing. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act covers written warranties wherever the car is. So start with the purchase contract, find the state of sale, then check that state's clock before it runs out. We can help you work out which law applies.

Can a seasonal resident or a buyer from abroad use Florida's lemon law?

Often, yes, if the car was bought or leased in Florida. A "consumer" is defined by personal use, not by residency or citizenship.

Often, yes, if the car was bought or leased in Florida. The definition of "consumer" in section 681.102(4) turns on how the car is used, primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and not on citizenship, residency or where you spend the summer. Nothing in the definitions mentions where the car is registered. The practical challenges involve distance and time. The registered letter to the manufacturer, the final repair attempt and the hearing all take place in Florida, and the 24-month window continues while you are away. The Attorney General's lemon law hotline has a separate number for callers outside Florida, listed on its certified-program page. If you split the year, set your filing date before you leave, and make sure letters go to an address you actually check.

Is flood or king-tide damage to my car covered by the lemon law?

Usually not. Chapter 681 enforces the warranty, and warranties typically exclude flood damage. A leak through a faulty seal is different.

Usually not, and the reason is in the definitions. Chapter 681 enforces the manufacturer's warranty, which section 681.102(22) ties to defects in material or workmanship. Water that comes in over a flooded street is not a workmanship defect. Most warranty booklets exclude it in writing too. Nissan's 2025 warranty booklet, for example, excludes damage caused by salt, flood or other environmental conditions. The statute's own exclusions, in section 681.102(15), cover accidents, abuse, neglect and outside modifications. It does not list floods by name, so the warranty exclusion usually decides it. A leak is different. Water coming through a seal, sunroof drain or door membrane in ordinary rain can be a real defect. Keep the repair orders that say where the water got in.

Does saltwater corrosion count as a lemon law defect?

Environmental salt corrosion usually doesn't, because warranties exclude it. A part that fails because it was badly made or sealed can still qualify.

Corrosion caused by salt in the environment usually does not. Warranty booklets commonly exclude it. Nissan's 2025 booklet lists salt among the environmental conditions its warranty does not cover, alongside flood, hail and acid rain, and the lemon law only enforces what the warranty covers. A defect that shows up near the ocean is a different matter. If a part corrodes or fails because it was badly made or badly sealed, and the manufacturer's own service department keeps repairing the same fault, that can still be a nonconformity under section 681.102(15). The question an arbitration panel will ask is what caused the failure. That is why the wording on each repair order matters. "Corrosion" alone helps the manufacturer. "Connector failed, replaced under warranty" helps you.

Does crossing a causeway to the dealer make a difference to my claim?

It changes the paperwork more than the law: shop days count toward the 30, tow bills can be claimed, and the final repair shop must be reasonably accessible.

It changes the paperwork more than the law. Every day the car sits at a mainland service department for repair of a defect counts toward the 30-day route in section 681.104(3)(b). If the car could not make it over the bay and had to be towed, the tow bill can be claimed as an incidental charge, meaning a reasonable cost the defect directly caused. And when you write to the manufacturer for its final repair attempt, section 681.104(1)(a) requires it to offer a repair facility that is reasonably accessible to you. A shop on the far side of the county, reached through heavy causeway traffic, is something to raise in writing at the time rather than after. Keep a note of each drop-off date, pick-up date and tow receipt.

Does the lemon law cover luxury and exotic cars?

Yes. There's no price cap. The brand decides where you file first, and BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Ferrari go straight to the Board.

Yes. Chapter 681 has no price cap, and a high-end car is covered like any other new car sold in Florida. The brand changes where you file. The Attorney General's list of state-certified programs, currently extended to October 31, 2026, sends Bentley and Audi claims to BBB Auto Line, Lexus to NCDS, and Porsche to CAP Motors. Those programs come first under section 681.108. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Rolls-Royce do not appear on that list, so a claim on one of those brands goes straight to the state's New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board. Two rules still apply to every brand. A truck over 10,000 pounds is excluded, and a replacement car's sticker price cannot exceed 105 percent of the original's. We check the current list when we file.

How is the refund worked out on an expensive car?

The offset is base price times your miles divided by 120,000, so on a $150,000 car each mile costs $1.25.

The price is what makes the mileage deduction bite. Under section 681.102(19), the offset for use is the base selling price on the invoice, without taxes, government fees or dealer fees, multiplied by the miles you drove up to settlement or the hearing, then divided by 120,000. On a $150,000 base price, every mile you drive costs $1.25 of the refund. On a $40,000 car, it is about 33 cents. So 8,000 miles on the expensive car means a $10,000 deduction. Two things follow. Miles the dealer put on during test drives should come off your total, so ask for the test-drive distance on every repair order. And an owner who drives less before settlement keeps more of the refund. Collateral charges such as sales tax and title come back to you.

What deadlines apply if I am away from Miami Beach for months at a time?

The same ones, and none of them pause while you travel. Florida counts calendar days from delivery and from the end of the 24 months.

The same ones, and none of them pause while you travel. Florida counts calendar days under section 681.102(5). The defect has to be reported within 24 months of the day the car was first delivered to you, whatever the mileage. If your brand has a certified program, you file with it no later than 60 days after those 24 months end. The request for Board arbitration is due by the later of 60 days after the 24 months end or 30 days after the program's final action, under section 681.109(4). A lawsuit under the chapter must start within one year of the rights period ending, or of the final action. If the 24-month mark falls while you are away, work out the dates before you leave and file early rather than late.

Do I have to go to the mainland to bring a Miami Beach claim?

Not for most of it. The request is a written filing, many claims settle before a hearing, and a hearing is set at a reasonably convenient location.

Not for most of it. The request for arbitration is a written filing with the Attorney General, and a claim can settle before a hearing is ever set. If a hearing is needed, section 681.1095(2) has the Board hear cases around the state so you can attend at a reasonably convenient location. A panel of three members hears it, and it is open to the public. We do not have an office in Miami Beach. Our nearest office is in Brickell, about four miles away across the bay, and we can meet you there if you want to sit down in person. Most clients never need to, because we can work by phone, video and email. You bring the repair orders and the purchase contract. We do the rest of the paperwork.

Which court would hear a Miami Beach lemon law case?

The same courts as the rest of Miami-Dade: the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for an appeal, and the Southern District of Florida for a large federal claim.

The same courts as anywhere in Miami-Dade County. Miami Beach sits in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, so a circuit-court appeal from a Board decision, heard fresh as a trial de novo under section 681.1095(12), would be filed there. A federal warranty claim worth at least $50,000 can go to the Southern District of Florida. Court is not the usual first step, though. Section 681.1095(4) requires you to take the dispute to the Attorney General, and to the Board if it is found eligible, before you can sue under the chapter. Our Miami lemon law page covers the county's courts, the appeal timetable and the arbitration office that handles Miami-Dade cases in more detail. Most Miami Beach claims end at arbitration or in a settlement.

Do I need a lawyer for a Miami Beach lemon law claim, and what does it cost?

You don't need one. If you win a lawsuit under the chapter, the court awards attorney's fees, and our qualifying cases run on contingency.

You do not need one. The Attorney General publishes the forms and runs a hotline, and an owner can file without a lawyer. People usually call us when the claim has gone wrong: a letter sent to the dealer instead of the manufacturer, a flood exclusion raised against a real defect, or a deadline that falls while they are out of state. If you win a lawsuit under the chapter, section 681.112(1) requires the court to award reasonable attorney's fees, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Act has its own fee provision. At RockPoint Law the first review costs nothing, and qualifying cases run on contingency, so you pay no attorney's fee unless we recover for you. What we cannot do is predict the result. Each case depends on its own repair history and paper trail.

Don't take on the manufacturer alone.

Tell us the vehicle and what the dealer has already tried. No fee unless we recover for you.†

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