CS/HB 401 (Beltran) revises the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state, its agencies, and its subdivisions (which include cities). Current law sets the statutory limits at $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. The bill significantly increases the caps on sovereign immunity from $200,000 per person to $2.5 million per person and increase the limit per incident from $300,000 to $5 million.
CS/HB 401 (Beltran) will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 15, at 11:30 a.m. (EST).
The Florida League of Cities is opposed to a 1250% increase to the current per-person cap and a 1600% increase to the current per-incident cap.
Action Needed:
Please contact members of the House Appropriations Committee (click here for contact info) and urge them to oppose CS/HB 401.
Message to House Members:
Please oppose CS/HB 401, which creates unreasonably high sovereign immunity limits - $2.5 million per person/$5 million per incident cap.
These unreasonably high limits would create financial hardship for cities like mine while significantly increasing insurance premiums which would become an additional burden on taxpayers.
The ability to collect larger settlements or judgments against government entities will substantially increase liability exposure and incentivize litigation.
It would force cities to either pass the cost on to taxpayers or pay the claim and sacrifice funding for other important programs and services like police and fire.
Municipalities’ budgets are already stretched thin, and this increase could cause serious financial issues, particularly for our smaller cities.
The Florida League of Cities welcomes a discussion on what the appropriate caps for sovereign immunity should be while balancing the impacts on the state and its agencies and subdivisions.
Click HERE for printable talking points.
