Terms
These terms apply when you book a car on this site. Checking the box on the booking form is your agreement.
Last updated 17 October 2026. Florida law. Destin and Miramar Beach.
This page describes how this rental desk actually works. It is not a substitute for advice from a Florida attorney. Have counsel review it before you treat it as a finished contract. We do not invent fees here — amounts you pay are the ones shown on the review page when you book.
Emerald Coast Rent a Car is an independent car-rental desk on Florida’s Emerald Coast. Usual handover is Miramar Beach. We serve Destin, 30A, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City Beach and Santa Rosa Beach. We are not a national airport-counter brand.
In these terms, “we” means this desk and its owner. “You” means the person who books and anyone you allow to drive. The booking confirmation is part of this agreement.
You accept these terms when you check “I agree to the Terms & Conditions” and submit the booking form. That click is your electronic signature. If you do not agree, do not book.
The review page and the price snapshot stored on your booking control the amounts for that trip. If this page and that snapshot differ, the snapshot you accepted at checkout wins for that booking.
Submitting your details creates a temporary reservation for 30 minutes. That deadline is set once. Refreshing, editing details, changing the car or opening a new Stripe page does not extend it.
If you do not pay before the hold ends, nothing is charged. The car is released after we confirm with Stripe that no payment went through — usually within a minute or two. The listing you book is the car we intend to meet you with, subject to availability when payment is verified.
The rental due now is the daily rate for each billed day, plus Florida tax (7%), plus any priced extras, delivery, collection or airport concession shown on the review page. Parking estimates are disclosed, not charged at checkout, unless they appear in the total.
Do not rely on a browser estimate. The server quote on the review page is what you pay. A delivery fee is not permission to operate at an airport.
You pay the rental total on Stripe with a card. Apple Pay and Google Pay appear on Stripe’s page on supported devices. We never see or store your full card number or security code.
The booking is confirmed only after Stripe verifies payment. The success page is not confirmation by itself. You will see “Confirmed” and receive an email with the invoice. A declined card is not a charge; you may retry while the hold is still open.
There is no self-serve cancel button after you pay, and no automatic refund schedule on this site. Contact us with your booking number at (850) 000-1780 or vburduja11@gmail.com. We review the request. Refunds, when we issue them, go back to the original payment method.
We may refuse a change if the new car or dates are not free, or if the hold has ended. We may cancel an unpaid booking when the hold expires. We may cancel a confirmed booking if payment is reversed, details were false, or we cannot legally meet you at the place you booked — in that case we will contact you and offer another legal meeting point or a refund of the unused rental we have not already earned.
A no-show without notice may mean you forfeit the rental paid for that trip. Contact us as soon as you know you cannot collect the car.
A security-deposit authorization is used only when it is enabled and an amount is set. It is taken at pickup on a staff device — not when you pay the rental online. It is a hold, not a charge, and not revenue.
Stripe’s capture deadline typically lasts 7 days, or up to about 30 days when an extended authorization is available. We do not auto-capture an expiring hold. If we capture any of it, it is to settle an itemized extra you owe (damage, missing fuel, late return, parking we paid, or similar), with a record on the booking. Unused authorization is released according to Stripe’s timeline.
Saving a card and charging a saved card stay off until we enable them and you give consent. We will not charge a saved card for extras unless that feature is on, you agreed, and a limit is set. Until then, extras after return are invoiced, waived, or taken from a deposit capture — each expense once, not twice.
Miramar Beach is the usual pickup and return. Destin hotels, 30A houses, and other addresses are by request and only bookable when a delivery price is set. Airport meeting points appear on checkout only when they are available to book.
We confirm the exact spot before handover. If a requested spot is not available, we offer Miramar Beach instead. Pickup and return do not have to match. If a location is not listed, it is not bookable yet. Do not leave the car in a random lot.
Bring your licence, ID and confirmation. We walk the car with you and note existing marks, fuel and mileage. Photos we take then are evidence of the car’s condition at handover. Tell us about any mark before you leave. After you drive away, new damage is your responsibility unless you can show it was already there.
Times are in US Central Time (America/Chicago). After-hours meetings happen only when that option is offered and priced. If we are late to the meeting, that delay is not billed to you.
Use the car as a private passenger vehicle on public roads in the United States. Obey traffic law, wear seat belts, and use the fuel or charge type listed for that car. This fleet is meant for Destin-area and Florida travel. Taking the car outside Florida needs our written OK before you go.
You must not:
If the car warns, overheats, or you suspect a mechanical problem, stop when safe and call us. Do not keep driving a disabled car. Do not abandon it without telling us where it is.
Return the car at the agreed time and place, with the keys, accessories and documents we handed over. We inspect it again. Highway 98 and airport roads back up — plan extra time. If you will be late, contact us. We cannot promise an extension if the next booking already holds the car.
A late or missed return can delay the next guest and may lead to an itemized extra, towing at your cost if we have to recover the car, or ending the rental. Do not leave the car in an airport cell-phone lot or an unmarked space unless that was the agreed point.
Late-return and extra-mile fees are not automatic on the website unless a rate was stored on your booking when you paid. If that rate was accepted, we may bill from the actual return time in business time after any grace period shown then. Staff delays are not billed to you.
Otherwise, extras (late return, fuel, parking we paid, damage, smoking, missing items, extra miles) are added one by one after inspection, with a note and, where it helps, a photo. Each line is settled once: deposit capture, invoice, or waive — not more than one of those for the same line. Nothing is silently double-charged.
Return the car in the same condition as pickup, ordinary road wear excepted. Use the correct fuel or charge level. Excessive dirt, smoke odor, pet hair, stains, missing equipment, glass, tires, wheels or body damage may be itemized. We use the inspection photos and notes — not a surprise number with no record.
If the car is stolen, totaled, or held by police, tell us immediately. You remain responsible for the car until it is back in our control or we agree otherwise in writing.
We provide a roadworthy car with current registration and the equipment listed. We are not liable for holiday plans, missed flights, or lost business if a booking cannot be fulfilled for a legal or mechanical reason — except that we will refund rental we have not earned, as described above.
You indemnify us against claims, tickets and costs that come from your use of the car or a breach of these terms, to the extent Florida law allows. We do not exclude liability for our own gross negligence or for anything Florida law does not let us exclude.
The website, holds and Stripe redirects can fail. If payment cannot be verified, the car stays reserved until we know it is safe to release. That is for both your protection and the next guest’s.
We will email and, if you asked, call or message you about the booking. Booking emails still go out if you unsubscribe from marketing. See the Privacy Policy. We keep booking, payment, inspection and message records as needed to run the desk, settle extras and meet tax and legal duties. Booking pages use signed links; do not share the full URL.
The site is for booking this fleet. Do not scrape availability, open abusive checkout sessions, or use another person’s card. Double-clicks are handled with a submission token so you do not create two unpaid bookings by accident. We may refuse or cancel a booking that looks fraudulent.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Exclusive venue for disputes is the state courts sitting in Okaloosa County or Walton County, Florida, unless a law requires otherwise.
If a court strikes one clause, the rest still apply. These terms, the booking confirmation, the price snapshot and any written change we send you are the whole agreement for that rental. We may update this page for future bookings. The version you accepted is the one in force when you checked the box.
Questions before you book?
Ask us about pickup, a deposit, or a change. Do not rely on this page alone for insurance advice.
