Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Comprehensive Lawsuit Reforms to Protect Floridians from Predatory Billboard Attorneys

Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner to announce the most comprehensive reforms in decades to decrease frivolous lawsuits and prevent predatory practices of trial attorneys that prey on hardworking Floridians, including truckers and small businesses. These measures include eliminating one-way attorney fees and fee multipliers for all lines of insurance, modernizing Florida’s “bad faith” law, and protecting small businesses from paying exorbitant damages.
“For decades, Florida has been considered a judicial hellhole due to excessive litigation and a legal system that benefitted the lawyers more than people who are injured,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We are now working on legal reform that is more in line with the rest of the country and that will bring more businesses and jobs to Florida.”
“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, we have taken many steps to help keep Florida affordable for growing families and seniors. Litigation drives up the basic costs of goods and services for everyone across all areas of industry and commerce. When a horrible accident or incident occurs and people suffer a loss, they should be compensated quickly and fairly,” said Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. “The vast majority of attorneys work very hard to provide sound legal representation for Floridians in these difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, there are a few bad actors who are in the business to draw out civil cases as long as possible, collecting more and more fees from insurance companies, and that has to stop. I know we can find the right balance and protect the rights of Floridians who suffer a loss, while at the same time safeguarding everyone else against the hidden costs of prolonged litigation.”
“For too long, Florida families have shouldered the hidden cost of lawsuit abuse. Florida’s litigation environment has cost the state jobs and driven up the cost of goods and services,” said House Speaker Paul Renner. “According to the American Tort Reform Foundation ‘Judicial Hellhole’ report, lawsuit abuse costs Florida households more than $5000 and costs the state more than 173,000 jobs annually. The Florida Legislature will work with Governor DeSantis to bring balance to the system, protect families and consumers, and reduce litigation costs.”
This proposal will eliminate one-way attorney fees for all lines of insurance and attorney fee multipliers to permanently disincentivize frivolous lawsuits and realign Florida’s insurance market to promote more competition. Currently, as seen throughout Florida, activist attorneys abuse Florida’s one-way attorney fee statute to prey on vulnerable Floridians to prolong litigation to increase their profit margins. For property insurance, one-way attorney’s fees and attorney fee multipliers were addressed during the Special Session held in May 2022.
Under this proposed legislation, Florida’s “bad faith” law would be modernized to balance the scales between plaintiff attorneys and insurance companies to incentivize good faith between both parties and promote the best interest of the consumer. This provision would also maintain consumer-focused protections to ensure that true bad actors are held accountable.
Additionally, this proposal would institute reforms to protect small businesses from being subjected to paying exorbitant damages when they are not primarily at fault. Under current law, fraudsters and con artists prey on small businesses by filing lawsuits when injured, even if they are up to 99% at fault.
This proposal will also set standards for awarding medical damages to prevent fraudulent practices that currently plague Florida’s litigation environment. These include requiring medical records, procedure codes, and information regarding health insurance reimbursement to ensure accurate settlements are reached between parties.
99.9% of lawyers make the 00.1% look bad.
But our car and home insurance rates are skyrocketing — after they learned from ruining healthcare previously. PURGE PURGE PURGE time!
Hallelujah and Amen again! I think Gov. Ron is reading AC with his morning coffee.
What can you say about a state which has as one of its major industries suing people? Everywhere you go in Florida there is another billboard advertising the predatory services of ambulance chasing parasites trolling for lawsuits. In Gainesville it seems all the buses have lawyers painted on their sides begging for more lawsuits. Once upon a time in America we advertised washing machines, tools, TV’s, bicycles, etc., because we actually made things here. Now all we manufacture is trouble and psychotic “woke” behavior. The vast majority of Florida lawyers are not doing an ethical job as the governor asserts. The majority are self-serving bottom feeding “whores,” with a small minority still practicing truly noble and ethical law.
Paco: right on…maybe lawyers should be prohibited from advertising except in the yellow pages.
In earlier times lawyers were indeed prohibited from advertising. Unfortunately law schools churn out these jerks by the bushel. The average person who goes into law is by nature a blood sucker who has no technical ability to do real work and opts instead to become a chair bound paper pushing leech. The vast majority of Florida lawyers are just glorified claims adjusters who batch settle cases with no real legal work involved, while their paralegals do all the actual paperwork. Most Florida lawyers are incompetent clowns who don’t even know how to handle a trial since they are just bumbling idiots with a law degree, which anybody who can walk and chew gum at the same time can get. And here’s a dirty little secret nobody is supposed to know — the average judge these days is a failed lawyer who couldn’t make a good living practicing law and got politically connected so as to get a judgeship and a guaranteed paycheck. The whole legal system is populated with parasites.
Thank these greedy rats whose faces are on everything, for your skyrocketing insurance premiums. Feeding on the same gullible people who play the lottery for quick money.
You’re broken but I’m rich. I own a huge house, 4 horses, 5 motorcycles, a beautiful wife and kids. You can be just like me. I’m wonderful but you’re not.
Call me and let’s make you rich!
The world will be a better place without ambulance chasers.
Unfortunately they left out the Florida family court system, this is where the most profit occurs. A 50 billion dollar industry who specializes in malicious litigation predominantly of women and children of Domestic violence. Florida family court Attorneys ensure resolve and the best interest of children are not the goal- it is an intentional hamster wheel (often referred to -allegedly-as a racketeering business). Florida Family court Attorneys are grossly profiting off the backs of women and children who are desperately trying to be free of abuse. There is a pyramid like scheme operating in the the Florida family court rooms, Judges, Attorneys, forensic custody evaluators, Gaudian ad litem, reunification therapists/camps and transportation agents- individuals who are complicit in grossly profiting from (post separation abuse) coercive control (also known as financial/legal abuse).
The legal hell hole is indeed the Florida family court system.
I wasn’t aware of this but all the pieces add up. I’ve met people who have worked in certain parts of this system and they seem to do well financially. Unfortunately their clients are not always so lucky.
watch failure to protect -faultlines documentary on youtube or divorce corp… recently a Florida DCF whistleblower stated that 80% of child removals are unwarranted- there are huge financial incentives thanks to the Adoption and safe families act. The Florida family court system/DCF and foster care is the worst for child health and welfare. you would not believe was is going on in these court rooms. there needs to be a massive federal investigation
I’ll wager they’ll be filing lawsuits against the state pretty soon.
Lawyers are some of the biggest hypocrites alive. Advertising to work to get the client whatever they can. Unfortunately, one of the caveats is only if the other party has deep pockets, the other being they get their 33% first.
Don’t believe for a second they’re doing what’s best for you, it’s all about them. The Camp Lejuene lawsuit is the latest and greatest example of greed at it’s finest. M & M has jumped onboard, F & F, and a multitude of others.
Here’s one close to home, the recent data breach of Experian, I got $8. Bet the attorneys didn’t “settle” for that.