Florida legislative session likely to be extended, future of SB 832 remains uncertain

By Mia MacGregor

May 2 - (The Insurer) - The future of Florida Senate Bill 832 remains in the balance with the state's 2025 legislative session likely to extend beyond Friday, May 2, because of budget disagreements.

SB 832 remains in legislative uncertainty as the Senate has refused to concur in House amendment #722689 that included these provisions.

The Senate has requested that the House recede, leaving the House with the choice of either passing the bill without the amendment or not considering it at all.

As previously reported, on April 25, during the 53rd day of the legislative session, the Florida House substituted a measure aimed at tort reform by amending Senate Bill 832, initially designed to offer legal protections to phosphate mining companies.

The House amended the bill to include a provision that would award attorney's fees to the prevailing party in insurance litigation. The amended bill was passed by the House in an 80-20 vote.

Michael Carlson, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of Florida, expressed concernsover the potential impact of SB 832, stating that it could be "absolutely detrimental" to consumers if enacted.

"Fundamentally, Senate Bill 832 will create a new one-way attorney fee-shifting law in the state of Florida. It does that by setting up a process where an insurer defendant can make a settlement offer, and that offer becomes the benchmark to determine who wins," he told The Insurer.