Adam Shores, senior vice president of the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), said in a blog post that Florida's legal reforms are stabilizing rates, attracting insurers, and gaining support. He emphasized that limiting lawsuit abuse is improving the state's insurance market.
"Florida's property insurance market is an example of the powerful impact that strong legislative reforms can have in addressing a crisis. Since Florida's governor and Legislature passed historic legal system abuse reforms two years ago, rates are stabilizing and more companies are entering the marketplace to offer coverage," said Shores, Senior Vice President of State Government Relations. "A recent survey says 77% of Floridians agree that Florida lawmakers made the right decision to limit excessive legal system abuse and frivolous lawsuits to help stabilize the state's property insurance market. According to S&P Global, Florida had the lowest average statewide homeowners rate increase in the nation in 2024 at just 1 percent. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) reports that the 30-day average request for homeowners' rates is 0.8%, compared to 21.8% two years ago. Since January 2024, 19 companies have filed for a rate decrease and 37 companies have requested no change or 0% increase. In the auto insurance market, several major auto insurers filed for recent rate reductions between 10% and 6%. Florida's legal reforms are working, and the property insurance market is improving as rates stabilize and more companies enter the marketplace. If lawmakers hold the line on bills that undo progress, consumers will see the benefits as market conditions continue to improve."
Florida's property insurance market is reportedly showing signs of recovery due to significant legal reforms passed by the governor and Legislature in 2023. These reforms have led to rate stabilization, increased market participation by insurers—with 12 new companies entering—and the lowest average statewide homeowners insurance rate increase in the nation at just 1% in 2024. An APCIA survey found that 77% of Floridians support these reforms. Auto insurance has also benefited, with major insurers filing for rate reductions and a sharp decline in litigation. Despite these positive trends, lawmakers are considering bills that could reverse progress by reintroducing litigation incentives like one-way attorney fees. Such moves risk returning Florida to years of instability driven by legal system abuse.
According to studies by the Insurance Information Institute (III) and the Casualty Actuarial Society, states across the U.S. are crafting tort reform legislation to address legal system abuse, which has driven massive increases in insurance claim costs over the past decade. This abuse—fueled by plaintiff advertising, erosion of damage caps, fraudulent litigation, and third-party litigation funding—has added billions in liability and auto insurance costs. Florida’s 2023 tort reforms are already credited with stabilizing rates and attracting insurers back to the state. New legislation seeks to further limit inflated medical damages in lawsuits, with similar reforms underway in Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, and Tennessee.
A new Florida Chamber of Commerce poll indicates Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a 54% approval rating while President Donald Trump has 51%. Nearly half of Floridians (49%) believe the state is headed in the right direction; views on the country are evenly split at 48% right direction and 48% wrong track. The poll also shows strong public support for the state’s 2023 tort reform laws, with only 15% saying they went too far and a plurality favoring even stricter measures to prevent lawsuit abuse. Conducted May 2–10 by Cherry Communications 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.
In a press release from William Large, President of the Florida Justice Reform Institute said attempts by trial lawyers to roll back Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tort reforms were politically motivated efforts intended to discourage other states from adopting similar measures. The Florida Senate rejected trial lawyer-sponsored legislation to rollback the 2023 legal reforms; ultimately, the bill was withdrawn. DeSantis had vowed to veto any legislation undermining these reforms credited with stabilizing Florida’s insurance market. Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky warned that proposed changes backed by trial lawyers would reverse progress by encouraging excessive litigation. Large asserted that Florida’s 2023 tort reforms will continue serving as a national model.
Adam Shores serves as senior vice president for state government relations at APCIA where he leads advocacy and political strategy efforts across states. With nearly two decades of experience in public and private sector policy roles—including time spent at Allstate—he previously held communications positions under former Florida Governor Jeb Bush among other agencies.