Editorial By Sam Elliott, Floridians for Government Accountability – Good news is in the air as recent reports indicate Florida’s automobile insurance and home insurance rates are getting set for a deep drop in rates. On top of that, Governor DeSantis recently announced $1 Billion in automobile insurance rebates. This has been a long time coming, and as we get ready to turn the page and move into the new year, it is wonderful to smart policies work for consumers and those concerned with getting the most out of our government leadership.
Prior to 2023, Florida was on a national Judicial Hellhole list. It was easy for an attorney to file a frivolous lawsuit against an insurance company and secure a big payout because of one-way attorney fees. State law required insurers to pay for the legal expenses of those who sued them. Millions upon millions of payments to lawyers were being paid for by all of us rate payers regardless of the legitimacy of the case.
In 2023, they ended one-way attorney fees and made some other adjustments. They made it so that if the plaintiff himself or herself is more than 50% at fault for his own accident, he has no basis to sue. This stopped the settlement shopping and attorneys’ looking for the big payout from anyone who might have even a small percentage of liability for an issue.
