3Most people neither like ambulance-chasing billboard lawyers nor insurance companies, but not the Florida House of Representatives; they just love them some sleazy lawyers with deep pockets. Pockets, they’re more than happy to dip their hands into, but that money comes from hurting everyday working Floridians, and the stench coming from Tallahassee is hard to ignore.
My colleague Tracy Caruso has covered the attempt to enrich trial lawyers at our expense extensively, in
Ex-Florida Lawmaker Blows Lid Off RINO Scheme to Sabotage DeSantis
House Bill 1551: Attorneys Gain, Floridians Lose
Former Democrat Hillary Cassel Dominates Florida House Republicans
Florida does have real leaders who have done a lot to make our state a prosperous and free state that everyone in the country wants to move to, and this is what they’re saying:
“Florida had become a magnet for lawsuits. You see the billboards everywhere—it’s all about ginning up litigation. A client might get $25,000 while the lawyer takes $75,000. How is that sensible? And guess who pays for that? You do. It’s part of the cost of doing business. That drives everything up. We had a really bad litigation climate. It’s gotten a lot better. And the only reason you’re seeing reductions in auto rates is because of the litigation reform.”
~Governor Ron DeSantis, defending critical lawsuit abuse reforms in response to a question at a press conference.
These harmful bills in the Florida House to reverse tort reform legislation will hurt Florida businesses and consumers and will undermine the reforms that are just starting to take hold. AIF is fully committed to defending these reforms and to building a marketplace that is fair, competitive, and stable. Business people need to fight for policies that reward productivity and innovation, not those that line the pockets of a few billboard attorneys at the expense of hardworking Floridians.
~Brewster Bevis, President of Associated Industries of Florida
Florida’s litigation reforms are working.
This year, 10 insurers kept premiums stable while 8 even lowered rates.
Undoing these reforms would take us in the opposite direction.https://t.co/gxVvQmjsD7@Paul_Renner pic.twitter.com/wyZ5v5ka05
— James Madison Institute (@JmsMadisonInst) April 22, 2025
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“The Florida legislature should not be getting into the business of reversing the valuable tort reforms enacted in the 2022-2024 legislative Sessions. These reforms are needed to curb lawsuit abuse, give legal relief to Florida businesses, and to safeguard consumers. Currently, several bills are moving through the House (HBs 1551, 1437, 1181, and 947) and threaten to undo the progress we’ve made. If these new measures pass, it would hurt businesses and reintroduce loopholes that would let trial attorneys game the system, inflate medical damages, and drag Florida back to the days when we were known as America’s ‘Judicial Hellhole’.”
~John R. Smith, Chairman, BIZPAC of Palm Beach County
Three measures have advanced in legislative Week Three to roll-back recent Florida Chamber-led lawsuit abuse reforms. Unfortunately, the Florida House heard a series of bills (HB 1551, HB 947and HB 1437) opposed by the Florida Chamber in committee that would reverse course on the important work that the Legislature did in 2022 and 2023 to improve Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate.
~Mark Wilson, President of Florida Chamber of Commerce
“This bill (HB 1181) is good for trial attorneys, and maybe we should call this the insurance and trial attorneys subcommittee, because I feel like we are doing a lot just for the benefit of trial attorneys, and by doing that I think we’re doing wrong for Floridians, I’m going to be down on this bill, and I hope people reflect on that” – Representative Mike Caruso in debate on HB 1181 to repeal mandatory PIP coverage in auto insurance policies in favor of a pure liability system
~ Representative Mike Caruso (R-West Palm Beach)
I don’t believe that any Florida House member who votes to destroy our tort reform laws is looking out for their constituents. They’re looking out for themselves. Money from certain billboard lawyers is pouring into the private and political accounts of people in leadership positions, and if others lower down on the food chain are not doing it for money, they’re doing it because House leaders have threatened them.
Help keep Florida free and prosperous. Call your legislators and demand they stop selling you out to the ambulance chasers.
Other stories you may want to read:
DeSantis’ Warns Florida House Budget Would Defund the Police
Dem. Rep. Skidmore Takes Florida House to Task for Not Being Conservative Enough
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