Jacksonville · guide · checked October 2026
Rock hit your windshield on a Jacksonville road?
Loose gravel at a work zone, a stone off a dump truck, chunks of old asphalt on a worn interstate. Here is who might pay for the new glass, how each route works in Florida, and where around Jacksonville it tends to happen.
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The short answer
Three ways to pay for it
Your own coverage is usually the quickest and most certain route. The other two exist, and sometimes they are worth the effort.
| Route | When it fits | What it needs | How sure is it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own comprehensive coverage | Almost any stone or debris strike | A call to your insurer; we help you file | Most certain. With comprehensive coverage in Florida, the windshield deductible does not apply |
| A claim to FDOT | Damage caused by the condition of a state road: loose asphalt, a broken surface, work-zone gravel | Date, place, circumstances, photos, a police report if you have one, and FDOT's claim forms | Uncertain. FDOT says it cannot guarantee payment and cannot cover problems it did not know about |
| The truck owner's insurer | Something fell or blew off a vehicle you can identify | The company name, the truck or trailer number, or a plate, plus photos | Only as good as your proof of which vehicle it was |
With comprehensive coverage on the policy, Florida drivers get a $0 Deductible with Comprehensive Coverage on the windshield. Door glass, back glass and sunroofs work differently; the insurance page explains.
Route one
Using your own policy
Florida law says the deductible "shall not be applicable to damage to the windshield" on a policy with comprehensive coverage (Fla. Stat. § 627.7288). For most drivers that makes their own insurer the simplest path: no proof of who caused it, no waiting on a state office.
Call your insurer or open its app, and we help you file the claim and bill the insurer directly once the work is done. If you carry liability only, there is no glass coverage, and the other two routes, or paying yourself, are what is left. Ask your insurer how a claim may affect your policy; we cannot predict that.
Route two
Filing a claim with FDOT
Is it a state road?
FDOT's claims office handles the state highway system: the interstates and the numbered state and US routes such as I-95, I-295, I-10, SR 9B, US 17 and A1A. A city street or a county road belongs to that city or county instead.
Write it down at the time
FDOT asks for the date, the location and what happened, photos of the damage and a police report if you have one. The road, direction and nearest exit or cross street are the details that place it.
Fill in two forms
A Statement of Claim for Property Damage and a Lien Disclosure Statement, both linked from FDOT's claims page.
Send it in
Through FDOT's online Claims Management System at cms.fdot.gov, or by mail to FDOT Claims Processing, 605 Suwannee Street, MS-58, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0458. FDOT also accepts a scanned copy by email, and warns that paper claims take longer.
Know the limits
FDOT told Action News Jax in 2025 that it cannot guarantee a claim will be paid, and that it cannot cover damage from road problems it did not know existed. By that statement, a problem that had already been reported to FDOT is the stronger case.
Mind the clock
Florida's statute on claims against the state and its agencies, § 768.28(6)(a), requires the claim to be presented in writing to the agency, and for a state agency like FDOT also to the Florida Department of Financial Services, within 3 years after it accrues. This is a summary, not legal advice.
A claim to FDOT and a claim to your own insurer are separate. You can have the glass replaced through your own coverage and still file with FDOT; ask your insurer how it treats a later payment from the state.
Route three
When it came off a truck
Florida requires every vehicle to be loaded so that nothing drops, leaks or blows off it, and haulers of dirt, sand, lime rock, gravel and similar loads must cover or secure them (Fla. Stat. § 316.520). An uncovered load is a traffic infraction.
That can point the claim at the truck owner's insurer instead. Whether it gets anywhere rests on knowing which truck it was. A company name on the door, a trailer number or a plate, ideally on a dashcam, is what makes the claim workable. Without it, your own coverage is the realistic route.
FDOT's advice from the I-10 complaints in 2024 applies everywhere: keep to the speed limit and stay at least 300 feet behind commercial vehicles.
Where it happens
Work zones and rough stretches
Each row is a place where debris damage was reported or where long-running construction has torn up the road. Dates are as FDOT gave them to reporters; projects slip.
| Corridor | What was reported | Status as last reported |
|---|---|---|
| I-10, Chaffee Road to Hammond Boulevard (Westside) | Drivers reported loose rocks and asphalt cracking windshields; FDOT added weekly sweeping (News4Jax, January 2024) | Resurfacing from Chaffee Road to I-295, a $24.9 million job, was last reported as due in early 2026; we found no later public update, so check FL511 before you drive it |
| A1A, Old Nassauville Road to the Amelia River Bridge (Nassau County) | Repeated windshield damage reported after a $4 million repaving (Action News Jax, February 2025) | Repaving complete at the time of the report |
| I-95 and I-295 North interchange (Northside) | A $176.8 million rebuild begun in 2016, first due in summer 2020 | In May 2025 FDOT moved the finish to spring 2026 and said it could slip again; we found no later public update, so check FL511 for current lane closures |
| I-95, Atlantic Boulevard to Emerson Street | A $247 million widening with new Emerson Street and San Diego Road bridges | Due in spring 2028 as of May 2025 |
| SR 16 at the Shands Bridge (Clay and St. Johns) | A $595 million replacement bridge being built beside the old two-lane span | Begun in 2024, due in 2030 |
Before a long drive through any of these, check closures on fl511.com.
The glass itself
Before you decide anything
- Take photos of the damage, the dashboard clock or odometer, and the road if you can do it safely, before the crack spreads.
- A crack that keeps running, reaches the edge of the glass or crosses the driver's view needs a new windshield. We replace windshields; we do not do chip or crack repair.
- If your car has a camera behind the mirror for lane-keep or braking, it gets calibrated after the new glass goes in, in the same visit where the procedure can be done on site.
- Keep the photos with the claim, whichever route you choose.
Your claim stays yours throughout. We help you file with your insurer; an FDOT or truck-owner claim is between you and them.
Need the glass replaced first?
Send the VIN for a quote matched to your car, or call our Jacksonville line, (904) 900-2264. We check your coverage before anything is booked.
Road debris questions
Ask us on our Jacksonville line, (904) 900-2264, or by text at (877) 350-5962.
Can I file a claim with FDOT for a cracked windshield?
Yes, if the damage came from the condition of a state road. FDOT takes claims online at cms.fdot.gov or by mail, with its Statement of Claim for Property Damage. It says it cannot guarantee payment and cannot cover problems it did not know about.
Is it faster to use my own insurance?
Usually. With comprehensive coverage in Florida, the windshield deductible does not apply, and the claim does not depend on proving where the stone came from. We help you file it.
A dump truck threw a rock at my windshield. Who pays?
Florida requires loads like gravel and sand to be covered or secured, so the truck owner's insurer may be responsible if you can show which truck it was. Without a company name, a truck number or a plate, your own coverage is the practical route.
How long do I have to file with the state?
Florida's statute on claims against the state, § 768.28(6)(a), sets 3 years from when the claim accrues for a written claim to the agency. For a state agency like FDOT, the same written claim also goes to the Florida Department of Financial Services. Filing soon, while the details are fresh, is still the better plan.
From Bang AutoGlass
One road at a time
I-10 cracked windshield in Jacksonville
The Chaffee Road to Hammond Boulevard complaints in detail, and what to record for an FDOT claim there.
Cracked windshield on A1A in Fernandina Beach
The Nassau County A1A story and its claim steps.
Sources
Facts checked October 16, 2026
- Claims (home page and forms), Florida Department of Transportation
- Rocky Roads: how you can make damage claims for cracked windshields on state roads (February 20, 2025), Action News Jax
- Drivers on a stretch of I-10 frustrated by loose asphalt cracking their windshields (January 23, 2024), News4Jax
- FDOT pushes back interchange project on I-95 at I-295 to spring 2026 (May 19, 2025), News4Jax
- A $247 million I-95 construction project near downtown Jacksonville is progressing (May 7, 2025), News4Jax
- Shands Bridge, Wikipedia
- Fla. Stat. § 768.28, § 316.520 and § 627.7288, The Florida Senate
Things change. If something here is out of date, tell us on our Jacksonville line, (904) 900-2264.
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