Fixing Florida’s Broken Legal Climate

GET INVOLVED WITH IMPROVING FLORIDA’S BOTTOM-FIVE LEGAL CLIMATE

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Florida’s Most Significant Lawsuit Abuse Reform in Modern History into Law – 3/24/23

Read Press Release From Mark Wilson Celebrating the Signing of Historic Lawsuit Abuse Reform Bill into Law>

“Today, Governor Ron DeSantis put Florida consumers and local businesses above special interests by signing historic, Florida Chamber-backed lawsuit abuse reform legislation into law. This will begin to reverse the damage done by personal injury billboard trial lawyers, redirecting the billions of dollars spent annually on frivolous litigation and pulling Florida up from its bottom-five legal climate, setting us on the path to reaching our Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of being one of the top 12 legal climates in the nation. This historic legislation, more than 20 years in the making, would not have been possible without the vision and leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Speaker of the House Paul Renner, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and bill sponsors Representatives Tommy Gregory and Tom Fabricio and Senator Travis Hutson.”

Florida Chamber-Backed, Historic Lawsuit Abuse Reform Bill Passes the Florida Senate and Heads to Governor DeSantis’ Desk – 3/23/23

Read Florida Chamber Press Release Celebrating the Passing of This New Legislation>

HB 837 recently passed on the House and Senate floors in response to the Florida Chamber and business community’s longstanding efforts to put an end to the lawsuit abuse taxes resulting from billboard, TV and radio trial lawyers who take advantage of Florida’s bottom-five legal climate. A recent study found Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate costs Florida families $5,065 annually in lawsuit abuse taxes– money that could have been spent on childcare, family, transportation, or even savings. Our bottom-five legal climate stifles Florida’s competitiveness in an otherwise business-friendly environment and negatively impacts Floridians through increased costs on everything from groceries and gas to construction materials and insurance premiums.

Thanks to the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner, and bill sponsors Representatives Tommy Gregory and Senator Travis Hutson Florida has the opportunity to pass what Governor DeSantis calls “the most significant legal reform in modern history.” This meaningful and comprehensive reform package will go a long way in addressing the lawsuit abuse plaguing Florida families, consumers and local businesses.

“The legal system should be centered on achieving justice, not lining the pockets of lawyers.” – GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS

“Passing the most meaningful legal reform in Florida’s history will help pull Florida out of the cellar with our nationwide bottom-five legal climate and set us on the path to reaching our Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of being one of the top 12 civil justice systems in the nation.” -MARK WILSON, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce

Here’s Why Lawsuit Abuse Reform is Necessary:

• Despite its otherwise strong business climate, Florida’s national and global competitiveness is held back by our current bottom-five legal climate ranking and continued spot on the national “Judicial Hellhole” watchlist.

• According to a brand-new nationwide study, Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate costs Florida families over $5,000 each year — that’s $5,065 that could be spent on childcare, family, transportation, or even savings. To put that into perspective, the average household also spends roughly that amount annually on groceries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
  
• What Florida spends on these lawsuits accounts for 3.6% of Florida’s $1.4 trillion gross domestic product (GDP); no other state surpasses 3% of state GDP. This means over $50 billion is spent on lawsuits in Florida every year. In comparison, Florida spends less on our health care and safety net programs and over $20 billion less on our education system.
  
  

Learn More About Florida’s Historic Lawsuit Abuse Reform Legislation by Checking Out the Florida Chamber’s Full-Fledged Campaign to Educate and Activate Florida’s Businesses and Consumers on HB 837/SB236!

Watch our videos below which explain the drastic need for lawsuit abuse reform in Florida and how Florida’s bottom-five legal climate is making Florida more expensive for residents and local businesses. Thank you to all who contacted their lawmakers to encourage the passing of this bill.

Check out the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s TV and radio ads alerting Florida families on the importance of this legislation:

Watch Our Faces of Lawsuit Abuse Video Series Featuring Local Businesses Who Have Been Impacted By Lawsuit Abuse

The comprehensive and meaningful lawsuit abuse reform package, HB 837, supported by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and many of our key partners, will go a long way preventing trial lawyers who advertise on billboards, TV and radio from winning, while Floridians lose. 

Have a story to tell about how Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate is impacting your business?

Contact Ivette Faulkner at ifaulkner@flchamber.com to share your testimony.

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Unite with the General Counsels Council to drive the reform and solutions necessary to put an end to frivolous litigation and lawsuit abuse in Florida.

The Florida Chamber Litigation & Regulatory Reform Center’s General Counsels Council is unifying general counsels to tackle the Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of improving Florida’s legal climate to the top 12 in the country by 2030. In partnership with the Florida Justice Reform Institute, Florida will continue on the right path. If you are interested in joining our mission, click the button below to learn more and contact Frank Walker, Florida Chamber EVP of Government & Political Operations, at fwalker@flchamber.com or 850.521.1211 to get involved. 

LEARN ABOUT THE GENERAL COUNSELS COUNCIL AMICUS BRIEFS WHITE PAPERS AND SCHOLARLY RESOURCESWATCH 2019 LAWSUIT CLIMATE SURVEY ANNOUNCEMENT