David Biddle, chairman of the Republican Party of Gilchrist County, emphasized the importance of maintaining tort reform laws in Florida. He urged the rejection of trial lawyer-backed efforts to reverse these new rules. Biddle expressed his views in an April 10 post on X.
"The Florida Legislature under Speaker Paul Renner did fantastic work on tort reform and insurance reform. Truly monumental work that benefits all citizens," said Biddle. "But now some members of the current legislature are trying to undo that work and write legislation that rolls back those reforms and benefits the trial lawyers. We need to reject the trial bar and reject these bills, and keep the tort reform that conservatives have asked years for in place."
Florida State Representatives Hillary Cassel and Paula Stark are promoting House Bill 1551 (HB 1551), which proposes a "loser pays" standard for attorney's fees in insurance lawsuits. This initiative aims to create a more equitable environment for policyholders. The bill recently passed the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee with a 15-1 vote. Representative Mike Caruso was the sole dissenter, expressing concerns that it might increase consumer costs rather than lower premiums. Caruso referenced Governor Ron DeSantis' announcement regarding the stabilization of Florida's insurance market due to previous reforms.
March 24 marked two years since Governor DeSantis signed HB 837 into law, a measure designed to reduce excessive litigation impacting homeowners' insurance rates and contributing to insurer failures. Before these reforms, Florida represented only 8% of national homeowners' insurance claims but accounted for a significant portion of related lawsuits. Supporters attribute HB 837 with decreasing frivolous lawsuits and stabilizing the insurance market.
The Insurance Information Institute released a report indicating that Florida’s property and casualty insurance market is stabilizing due to recent legislative reforms targeting legal system abuse and fraudulent claims. The report highlights a substantial drop in litigation related to claims, leveling off of homeowners’ insurance premiums, and more than 40% of insurers requesting rate decreases in 2024. Additionally, new insurers have entered the market, while Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort, has reduced its policy count by nearly 40%, thereby lowering taxpayer risk.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky highlighted achievements by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) in a January press release. Yaworsky said that thanks to reforms championed by Governor DeSantis, improvements have been seen in Florida’s insurance industry. The agency has made significant progress in stabilizing the property insurance market and strengthening the state’s health insurance sector.
David Biddle also serves as chairman of the Congressional District 3 Caucus at the Republican Party of Florida.