After the Senate gave final approval Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday quickly signed a bill aimed at helping shield businesses and insurance companies from lawsuits. DeSantis formally received the bill (HB 837) on Friday, and the House and Senate websites said he signed it.
The bill took effect immediately. The heavily lobbied bill includes a series of steps to try to limit litigation against businesses and insurance companies, such as reducing from four years to two years a statute of limitations for filing negligence lawsuits and largely eliminating what are known as “one-way attorney” fees that insurers can have to pay to cover the costs of plaintiffs’ lawyers.
During a Senate debate Thursday, lawmakers said they had received reports of large numbers of lawsuits being filed in advance of the changes taking effect. The Senate voted 23-15 to pass the bill, after it was approved last week in an 80-31 vote in the House.
Jimbo99 says
Consumer is always the victim in any of this. Let me guess, the homeowners insurance crisis is the driving force behind all of this. 2 years of gouging for homeowner premiums & services, Corporations good at collecting revenue for profits, not so much for the products & services they offer for value. You’re really on your own in Biden’s Amerika. Recessionary profits really only the result of rampant inflation where those reporting their performance cherry pick the metric, omitting entire economic sectors. Insurance has never really covered catastrophic events very well. Hurricanes, Fires, Tornadoes & plumbing pipe bursts, with FEMA bailouts for natural disaster, self inflicted one’s the insurance is there for those. FEMA to an extent. But worn out end of life home improvements, you’re really on your own to replace roof, HVAC & appliances. And there’s a glut of lawyers that will be more than happy to litigate for billable hours for negligible results for the true victims of all of this, the consumer/homeowner/patient.
richard says
This rogue legislature gives the term “dirty rotten scoundrels” a whole new meaning. They are blatant, they are flagrant, and they are 100% unrepentant in their partisan approach to political discourse and action. They serve their master, and not the people who elected them to govern. It is all a zero-sum game to them, and they blithely rule as fawning pawns of the autocratic-populist who sits in the Governor’s House in Tallahassee. A pox on them all.
Laurel says
Jimbo99: This is clearly not a result of “Biden’s Amerika;” DeSantis signed the Republican sponsored bill. I really do wonder how you figure sometimes.
Laurel says
So, Floridians, how’s that DeSantis working for you? Was it you who “heavily lobbied” for this bill?
Sherry says
@ Jimbo99. . . This is a “STATE” law passed by horrific Republican governor Ron DeSantis! This has absolutely “NOTHING” to do with the Biden administration! Please do your research and “think” before you post.
Geezer says
This reminds me of the morons who supported Tort Reform. “It’s gonna lower health insurance premiums.”
Hah! Suckers…
It also conjures up mind’s eye images of toothless people who voted against universal healthcare.
“It’s communism.” So sayeth the big dummies…
They don’t even know what communism is. Friggin’ parrots…
It’s no small wonder that we have to “import” educated people into the medical/technology sectors.
We sure aren’t growing them here, especially in FloriDuh.
We’re cultivating another generation of big-box store workers.
THE END IS NEAR. The signs are everywhere.
Robert Joseph Fortier says
Little paranoid are we?… The beauty is that in America you have the choice to move to one of those other countries that you find more appropriate…
Just Saying.