Auto fraud litigation · Miami-Dade County
Miami Auto Fraud Attorney: What Miami-Dade Buyers Can Do About Dealer Deception
A Miami auto fraud attorney handles claims against dealerships that misrepresented a car, hid a branded or flood title, rolled back an odometer, or took a vehicle back without the right to. Sue Your Dealer – A Law Firm is the auto fraud attorney Florida statewide site describes; this page covers what's specific to a Miami-Dade County claim: which court hears it, which state office regulates the dealer, and where a complaint locally can go.
Miami-Dade dealer fraud, at a glance
Miami-Dade County Dealer Fraud Claims at a Glance
How it works
How Does a Miami Dealer Fraud Case Proceed?
1
Free case evaluation
Submit the buyer's order, retail installment contract, title documents, and any ads or texts from the dealer. An attorney reviews the file and identifies which Florida and federal statutes the facts fit.
2
Title history and the demand
If we can assist, you'll receive an intake questionnaire and retainer agreement. We pull the vehicle's title history through Florida's DMV records and send the dealer a written demand under section 501.98.
3
Settlement or suit in Miami-Dade
If the dealer doesn't resolve the demand, suit is filed in Miami-Dade County court or the 11th Judicial Circuit, depending on the amount in controversy, or in the Miami Division of the Southern District of Florida when an Odometer Act claim supports federal jurisdiction.
Where a Miami-Dade Dealer Fraud Lawsuit Is Filed
Florida splits civil jurisdiction between county court and circuit court by dollar amount. Under section 34.01, Florida Statutes, county court generally handles civil disputes where the amount in controversy does not exceed $50,000; larger claims go to circuit court. For a Miami-Dade dealer fraud case, that means county court or the 11th Judicial Circuit, both housed at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, 20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33128. Which court a claim lands in generally follows the actual damages and any statutory or fee-shifting amounts at stake, not the vehicle's original price.
A Federal Odometer Act claim, or a claim joined with one, can instead be brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division, which covers Miami-Dade County. Where the buyer's contract contains an arbitration clause, the same claims typically proceed in arbitration instead of court.
Who Regulates Miami-Dade Car Dealers?
Florida's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles licenses motor vehicle dealers and investigates certain licensing complaints through its Bureau of Dealer Services. The regional office assigned to Miami-Dade County is Region 10, at 12601 NW 42nd Avenue, Opa-Locka, FL 33054. That office handles matters like a dealer's licensing status and title-related complaints; it is separate from a civil lawsuit for damages.
Miami-Dade County also runs its own consumer complaint process. The county's Consumer Protection division, part of the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, is based at the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, 11th Floor, Miami, FL 33128, and takes complaints against businesses operating in the county, including car dealers. A county complaint and FLHSMV complaint can run alongside — not instead of — a civil claim; neither substitutes for the section 501.98 demand a FDUTPA lawsuit against a dealer requires.
What Local Patterns Show Up in Miami-Dade Dealer Cases?
Two patterns come up often enough in South Florida to be worth naming.
Flood and storm-damaged vehicles re-entering the market
Florida carries the largest concentration of resold flood-damaged vehicles of any state, an estimated 82,000 as of late 2025 according to Carfax data reported by Moneywise, much of it traced to Hurricane Ian's 2022 damage on Florida's Gulf Coast. When a vehicle's prior flood or total-loss history isn't disclosed in writing before sale, that can implicate section 319.14's branded-title disclosure duty and the per se violations in section 501.976. A dealer's undisclosed branded-title problem gets its own treatment on our branded title page.
High-volume wholesale sourcing
South Florida, including Miami-Dade, sits near some of the region's larger wholesale vehicle auction operations, the kind of pipeline through which used inventory with rental, fleet, or prior-damage history commonly moves onto dealer lots. That doesn't make wholesale-sourced inventory unlawful to sell — it means the disclosure duties in sections 501.976 and 319.14 matter more, not less, when a vehicle's history isn't obvious from a walk-around.
Before a FDUTPA claim against a licensed motor vehicle dealer can be filed, section 501.98, Florida Statutes, requires a written demand that describes the claim and the relief sought, and gives the dealer a statutory window to respond. Section 501.976 lists specific per se unfair or deceptive dealer practices; a violation of that list is a FDUTPA violation under sections 501.201–501.213. The Federal Odometer Act, 49 U.S.C. § 32710, separately allows the greater of three times actual damages or $10,000, plus attorney's fees, for intentional odometer disclosure violations. More on the demand step is in Suing a Car Dealer in Florida.
Claims a Car Dealer Fraud Lawyer in Miami Handles
Odometer rollbacks
Mileage on the title or disclosure statement lower than the car's actual mileage, provable through prior title records or service history.
Undisclosed branded or flood title
Salvage, rebuilt, or flood history that section 319.14, Florida Statutes, required the dealer to disclose in writing before sale — a pattern with particular relevance in South Florida.
GAP premium fraud
GAP coverage was charged on the contract but the premium was never forwarded, leaving a deficiency uncovered after a total loss.
The full list of claim types, with the statute and remedy for each, is on the Florida auto fraud attorney page.
What Matters if a Miami-Dade Dealer's Story Doesn't Match the Documents?
General information, not advice for your situation. Whether any step helps or hurts a claim depends on your facts, your contract, and your deadlines; an attorney can tell you which applies.
What usually decides these cases is the paper trail: the buyer's order, the retail installment contract, the odometer disclosure statement, any advertisement or text message, and the title history Florida's DMV records keep. A release signed at trade-in or during a later negotiation usually waives claims connected to what it covers, which is one reason document review happens before any letter goes out. Missed payments can trigger default under the finance contract independent of whatever the dealer did, so what to do about ongoing payments is a question for an attorney reviewing the specific contract, not something this page can answer in general terms.
FDUTPA claims generally carry a four-year limitations period; Odometer Act claims must be brought within two years of discovery; written-contract claims run five years. These are general guidelines, not advice on any particular matter, and the clock can run differently depending on the claim and the facts.
Questions for a Miami Auto Fraud Attorney
Which court hears a car dealer fraud case in Miami-Dade County?
Does Sue Your Dealer have an office in Miami?
Where can I file a complaint about a Miami-Dade car dealer besides suing?
What if the car I bought in Miami had flood damage that wasn't disclosed?
Do I have to send a demand letter before suing a Miami-Dade dealer?
Did a Miami-Dade dealer take you for a ride?
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This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Results depend on the facts and law of each matter; prospective clients may not obtain similar results. Statutory damages described are as set by law and are before deductions for attorney's fees and costs. Sue Your Dealer – A Law Firm, 4601 Sheridan Street, Suite 205A, Hollywood, FL 33021 · (954) 321-0507.