Dog Bites & Animal Attacks in Orlando, FL

Orlando Police handle crashes inside the city limits, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office covers the rest of the county. Florida Highway Patrol usually works I-4, SR-408, and the Turnpike. The report goes to FLHSMV, and you can pull a copy from the state crash portal or ask the responding agency directly. If a rental car was involved, get the rental company's name written into the report before anyone drives away.

Orange County Courthouse, downtown. The Ninth Judicial Circuit covers Orange and Osceola, so a crash near the Osceola line can end up in the same circuit but a different county. County court takes smaller civil claims; circuit court takes the larger ones. Which one fits your claim is a legal question, and we are not a law firm.

It slows things down. A visiting driver goes home, the rental company's insurer gets involved alongside the driver's own policy, and the adjuster handling it may be in another state working from photographs. Your $10,000 PIP still pays your first medical bills while that gets sorted out. Write down the rental company, the plate, and the driver's home state at the scene if you can.

In Florida, the deadline is generally 2 years from the date of the accident. Reduced from 4 to 2 years by HB 837 (2023). Wrongful death 2 years. Medical 2 years. Deadlines are strict — the sooner you act, the more options you have.