5 days ago
Gov. DeSantis signs Andy Lahera Act ensuring healthcare coverage for injured law enforcement officers
The Brief
In May 2023, Citrus School Resource Deputy was critically injured when he was struck by a car.
Worker's Compensation covered his injuries from the crash, but his health insurance was uncertain.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law that would provide full premium coverage to all officers injured in the line of duty.
LECANTO, Fla. - A Citrus County deputy is at the center of a new Florida law. The Deputy Andy Lahera Law is aimed to provide healthcare coverage to law enforcement officers injured in the line of duty, who weren't covered before.
The backstory
Deputy Andy Lahera joined the Citrus County Sheriff's Office as a patrol deputy in 2009. He moved onto becoming a detective until the Parkland mass shooting. His wife, Michelle, said "...he had come home, and he sat the boys down and he said to them that he was going to apply to become a School Resource Officer. He said that he would make us have to be okay with it."
Deputy Lahera became an SRO at Lecanto Middle School. In May 2023, he was on a detail, directing traffic outside of Lecanto High School when he was struck by a car. Deputy Lahera was left with a traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
RELATED:Critically injured Citrus County deputy honored for service amid family's health care concerns
Michelle Lahera said ever since, he's been living at a post-acute rehab facility, working to reconnect his brain to the rest of his body.
She explained, "We have our good days and we have our bad days. He's fighting. He's working hard. He's able to do things that he hadn't been able to previously. But for me, it's not as fast as I would like it to be."
What they're saying
Michelle Lahera said there's a gap for a subsection of officers injured in the line of duty like her husband. Worker's comp covers treatment related to the crash. But healthcare insurance beyond that is not guaranteed.
"From the beginning, I said, I never wanted Andy to be forgotten, and I had to make sure that he would have insurance above what workers comp wouldn't cover for him," she explained.
RELATED: Benefit held to help Pasco deputy injured in the line of duty
As the law stood, injured officers were only guaranteed full premium insurance coverage if they were injured in a pursuit, emergency, or unlawful act committed by a criminal.
FL House Rep. Judson Sapp was among three legislators behind the Andy Lahera bill that would provide full coverage to all officers injured in the line of duty.
Sapp said, "Across the board, every single member up in Tallahassee was shocked that this already wasn't part of law. It was such a narrow law as to what constituted eligibility."
On Tuesday, Governor DeSantis signed it into law.
"So, we fixed something and sometimes the system works, and it worked this time and I'm just so proud that we got this across the finish line," Sapp explained.
Click here to read more about the new law.
Click here to follow Deputy Lahera's recovery journey.
The Source
This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
