Andrea Jackson, a news anchor and reporter at Fox 35 in Orlando, reported on X that Florida is experiencing a historic decline in auto insurance premiums. She noted this is the first time in decades that premiums have fallen, attributing the change to state reforms targeting aggressive attorney advertising and litigation.
"Auto insurance rates are falling in FL for the first time in decades," said Jackson. "state cracks down on Billboard Lawyers."
According to Jackson, the state's five largest auto insurers, which collectively cover nearly 80% of Florida's auto insurance market, are implementing rate reductions averaging about 6.5% in 2025. These cuts represent a reversal from previous years when average auto-insurance premiums surged by over 30% in Florida during 2023. This means many drivers should begin to see real savings on renewals, depending on how and when their insurer implements the change.
In recent years, Florida has passed broad legal reforms aimed at curbing what has been called "litigation abuse," especially around attorney fees, assignment of benefits (AOB) claims—particularly those related to auto glass—and legal advertising. For example, legislation eliminating one-way attorney’s fees in many AOB cases reduced the incentive for lawsuits filed solely for financial gain. Another reform bans or strictly limits the assignment of insurance benefits to glass repair shops, which had been a common trigger for costly litigation.
Florida's personal auto liability loss ratio—the ratio of what insurers pay out in claims versus what they collect in premiums—has fallen dramatically. In 2024 it was about 53.3%, the lowest in the U.S. for that category. This follows much higher ratios in previous years when insurance costs and lawsuit-driven losses pushed rates upward. Additionally, litigation related to auto-glass claims saw an approximately 80% drop after the reform eliminating glass-AOB was passed.
The term "billboard lawyers" refers to attorneys who use mass marketing—such as billboards and ads near highways—to solicit clients for personal injury or auto insurance litigation. Florida has long faced criticism that this kind of legal advertising encourages volume lawsuits, raising costs for insurers and indirectly for policyholders. After the reforms, Florida officials and insurers point to fewer lawsuit filings, especially in glass repair/auto-glass assignment of benefit cases, which had been frequent targets of these "billboard lawyer" practices. Lisa Miller, former Florida Deputy Insurance Commissioner, commented: "No more billboard lawyers, you know… You can’t drive up and down Interstate 75," noting a reduction in lawsuits.
Jackson is a four-time Emmy-nominated television anchor and reporter currently with Fox 35 in Orlando, Florida, where she has worked since 2014. She solo anchors Good Day Orlando weekend mornings and covers early weekday newscasts and the consumer beat.