David Biddle, chairman of the Gilchrist County Republican Party, said that despite lacking support from GOP voters, Speaker Daniel Perez and his team are pressuring Republicans to roll back key tort reforms, benefiting the trial lawyer lobby.
"Speaker Perez and his leadership team are strong-arming Republican members to undo important tort reform legislation that was done," said Biddle. "No Republican voters asked for this. None of us asked for the legislature to do the bidding of the trial lawyers."
According to InsuranceBusiness.com, a Florida House panel has advanced HB 1551, a bill aimed at restoring policyholders' ability to recover attorney fees if they win lawsuits against insurers. This move partially reverses key tort reforms passed in 2022 and 2023. Introduced by Representative Hillary Cassel, the bill seeks to balance discouraging frivolous lawsuits with protecting consumers from bad-faith insurance practices. Industry advocates warn it could destabilize Florida’s fragile insurance market, while supporters argue it restores fairness in disputes with insurers. Speaker Perez has indicated support for consumer-focused reforms, contributing to a shift in legislative tone toward revisiting previous changes.
A report from Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse highlights the economic burden of excessive litigation in Florida, referring to it as a "tort tax." The report estimates that lawsuit abuse cost the U.S. $557.8 billion in output and over 4.8 million jobs in 2023, with Florida ranking 33rd in per capita tort costs at $1,238. These costs are passed on to consumers through higher prices and insurance premiums, impacting industries like retail, manufacturing, and healthcare significantly. Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has enacted several reforms including those in 2023 that helped attract insurers back to the state. Advocates are now urging lawmakers to build on this progress by addressing third-party litigation funding in the upcoming legislative session.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky announced the approval of Apex Star Reciprocal Exchange as the 12th property and casualty insurer entering the state’s market since recent legislative reforms. Yaworsky credited these historic reforms for driving market growth and urged continued commitment to these policies. Homeowners insurance costs fell by 0.7% in late 2024, with nearly 100 residential rate filings requesting either decreases or no increases. A recent S&P Global report revealed that Florida had the lowest average homeowners rate increase nationwide last year. The Office of Insurance Regulation continues to welcome new insurer applications to further strengthen the market.
The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) released a report stating that Florida’s property and casualty insurance market is stabilizing due to recent legislative reforms aimed at curbing legal system abuse and fraudulent claims. Litigation related to claims has dropped significantly; homeowners’ insurance premiums have leveled off; and over 40% of insurers requested rate decreases in 2024. The state has also seen a surge in new insurers entering the market while Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort, reduced its policy count by nearly 40%, lowering taxpayer risk. Reforms have notably impacted the auto insurance market with a significant drop in auto lawsuits following the ban on assignment of benefits; however, proposed legislation for reinstating one-way attorney fees could jeopardize this progress.
Biddle is also serving as chairman of the Congressional District 3 Caucus at the Republican Party of Florida.