Florida Chamber Supports COVID Liability Protections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Megan Sweat, Media Relations Manager
msweat@flchamber.com
850.521.1258
Florida Chamber Supports COVID Liability Protections
The Florida Chamber of Commerce launches campaign in support of COVID-19 liability protections ahead of 2021 Legislative Session
TALLAHASSEE, FL (January 11, 2021) – The Florida Chamber of Commerce has launched a campaign in support of passing COVID-19 liability protections for all Florida businesses. Florida’s businesses have suffered greatly from the global pandemic and are working hard to reopen their doors safely while following all public health protocols and guidelines. These employers need to be able to do their part to relaunch Florida’s economy without the concern of being forced to defend themselves against a wave of frivolous lawsuits.
“Florida has the fifth-worst legal climate in America and the last thing we need are a tsunami of frivolous COVID lawsuits as we seek to relaunch Florida’s economy. It’s important to provide Florida businesses, who are doing the right thing by their customers and employees, the assurance that they can continue doing their part to relaunch Florida’s economy without fear of facing frivolous lawsuits,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson. “It is encouraging these bills are being considered at the first opportunity in the 2021 Session. We look forward to working with Sen. Brandes, Rep. McClure and legislative leadership to ensure these bills move through the process and ultimately to Governor DeSantis’ desk in the strongest form possible.”
As we aim to move Florida’s economy from the 17th largest in the world to the top 10 largest by 2030, the number one priority other than keeping everyone safe is to get the economy back on track. Liability protections are a necessary component to allow businesses to fully re-open, add jobs, and engage in commerce.
HB7 and SB72 create protections for business entities, educational institutions, governmental entities, and religious institutions and its persons. At this time, this bill does not include common sense protections for the frontline heroes at Florida’s healthcare facilities. The Florida Chamber will be advocating for COVID liability protections to include all frontline employers and workers in the healthcare community to ensure they can continue saving lives without fear of facing a lawsuit.
To join our efforts and contact your Legislators, visit https://bit.ly/39rcFpm.
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Established in 1916 as Florida’s first statewide business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Florida Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FloridaChamber.com for more information.