Miami Beach just quietly increased towing fees.

[TowNews]

Here’s what it means if you get towed

 

e Miami Beach City Commission signed off on increased towing fees Wednesday without any discussion, granting a request by tow companies that claim they need to bring in more cash to keep up with new state regulations and rising insurance costs.

 

Beach Towing and Tremont Towing, the only tow companies allowed to operate in Miami Beach, will increase an “administrative fee” from $77 to $110 for non-Miami Beach residents and eliminate a three-day grace period for imposing it once a vehicle is towed. The increase will not affect city residents, who will continue to pay the $77 status quo.

 

Under Florida law, tow companies can charge as much as $250 to release a vehicle from a lien, which is automatically created whenever a car is towed. In a June 4 letter to Interim City Manager Rickelle Williams, lobbyist Ralph Andrade wrote that the two companies “can no longer afford to so deeply discount the administrative fee” from what the state allows.

 

The administrative fees in Miami Beach are on top of a $250 towing rate for most vehicles, plus a $30 fee that goes to the city and $40 for outside storage beyond six hours, according to city records.

 

The change approved Wednesday means getting towed in Miami Beach is likely to cost non-residents nearly $400, assuming they can pick up their car within the six-hour window before the $40 storage fee kicks in.

 

Andrade cited a new state law, HB 179, that placed added requirements on the towing industry, such as sending lien notices within five days rather than seven days. And he shared documents showing that Beach Towing’s insurance premium exceeded $400,000 for 2024-25, more than double the figure for the prior three years.