Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intention to veto HB 6017, a bill aimed at repealing a longstanding Florida law that prevents adult children over 25 and parents from suing for pain and suffering in medical malpractice wrongful death cases. DeSantis expressed concerns that such lawsuits could lead to "jackpot justice," akin to winning the lottery, and warned of significant increases in malpractice insurance premiums. He acknowledged the pain experienced by victims' families but emphasized the broader implications for healthcare access and physician availability in Florida. The veto is intended to maintain affordability and stability within the state's healthcare system.
"House leadership answers to the scumbag trial lawyers. Desantis is correct here, as usual. This bill is a giveaway to the trial lawyers, and overturns a lot of the phenomenal tort reform legislation that was done under better House leadership," said David Biddle, Chairman. "We all pay the price for malpractice lawsuits via higher insurance costs, tort reform legislation fixed a lot of that. Florida is a litigation hellhole due to favorable legislation that allows trial lawyers to sue everyone for everything. Tort reform legislation unwound a lot of that, thankfully, because it saves all of us on our insurance premiums. This bill opened up way too much opportunity for rampant lawsuits."
States across the United States are formulating tort reform legislation to address perceived abuses in the legal system, which have contributed to substantial increases in insurance claim costs over the past decade. According to studies by the Insurance Information Institute (III) and the Casualty Actuarial Society, such abuses—driven by plaintiff advertising, erosion of damage caps, fraudulent litigation, and third-party litigation funding—have added billions in liability and auto insurance costs. Florida's 2023 tort reforms are credited with stabilizing rates and attracting insurers back to the state. New legislation aims to further limit inflated medical damages in lawsuits, with similar reforms underway in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, and Tennessee.
According to an Institute for Legal Reform report, Florida's recent legal reforms targeting lawsuit abuse and claim fraud are showing early signs of success. Key laws have eliminated one-way attorney fees, prohibited assignment of benefits (AOB), limited misleading legal ads, and introduced modified comparative fault. These measures have contributed to a 35% reduction in property insurance lawsuits and improved insurer loss ratios. The reforms have stabilized Florida's property insurance market and attracted billions in new capital. A bill targeting third-party litigation funding continues this momentum. Reversing these reforms could jeopardize market gains. Florida's approach serves as a national model for legal reform that protects consumers and businesses while controlling insurance costs.
A recent poll conducted by Cherry Communications on behalf of the Florida Chamber of Commerce shows Governor Ron DeSantis with a 54% approval rating and former President Donald Trump with 51%. Nearly half of Floridians (49%) believe the state is headed in the right direction, while opinions on the country's trajectory are evenly split at 48% each for right direction or wrong track. The poll also indicates strong public support for Florida's 2023 tort reform laws; only 15% felt they went too far, while a plurality of voters favored even stricter measures against lawsuit abuse. Conducted from May 2–10 among 605 likely voters with a margin of error of four percentage points, these results underscore continued voter alignment with DeSantis' reform agenda on legal and economic issues.
David Biddle serves as chairman of both the Gilchrist County Republican Party in Florida and the Congressional District 3 Caucus at the Republican Party of Florida.