Wall Street Journal: “Hurricane Irma’s Lawsuit Chasers”

As post-Hurricane Irma recovery continues in many parts of Florida, Syd Kitson, Chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, recently shared with readers of the Naples Daily News why he’s proud to be a Floridian.

Yet, as the Wall Street Journal showed us today, “trial lawyers never let a disaster go to waste.”

“Storm-chasing attorneys in Florida” have filed a class-action lawsuit against Florida Power & Light, and are seeking between $2 and $3 billion in damages for allegedly not properly caring for its infrastructure.

As the Wall Street Journal writes, “losing power is no doubt aggravating,” but “by September 19 Florida Power & Light had restored service to 99% of customers affected by the storm that swept the entire Florida Peninsula.”

The editorial also highlights questionable relations between Miami-based MSP Recovery Law, one of the firms who filed the lawsuit, and local government officials. The editorial draws into question the city’s refusal to scale back trees and foliage – which the utility notes were planted too close to power lines, making securing the energy infrastructure challenging – and a local official’s “motivations other than civic virtue for deflecting blame to the utility.”

Did You Know?

Florida’s legal climate ranks among the worst in the country – 46 out of 50 states. Lawsuit abuse costs Florida families about $3,400 every year. Help us fix Florida’s broken legal system. Call me today at 850-521-1235 or email me at cjohnson@flchamber.com.