Latest news with #HB6017
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘My son died, and Florida law allowed it': Medical Malpractice bill vetoed
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The state's so-called 'free kill' law is here to stay. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he is vetoing a bill that would have allowed more families to file wrongful death lawsuits against hospitals. 'Lack of communication' led to unpermitted group home where murder occurred, Bartow official says The bill was aimed to close what supporters call a deadly legal loophole. DeSantis said he is protecting the state's health care system, but families today told us he's protecting the wrong people. 'My son Jo-Jo died, and Florida law allowed it,' said Marcy Shepler, a supporter of HB 6017. A group of families gathered in downtown Tampa with stories that differ in detail, but the outcome is the same. Family members said their loved ones died in Florida hospitals, and state law still denies them a chance to hold anyone accountable. 'One single signature could have restored justice for many families,' Sabrina Davis said. The bill aimed to close a legal loophole that prevents some parents and children from suing for non-economic damages like pain and suffering when a loved one dies due to medical negligence. 'It will lead to higher costs for Floridians,' DeSantis said. 'It will lead to less access to care for Floridians, and it would make it harder for us to keep, recruit and maintain physicians in the state of Florida.' 'But what we saw today is that Governor DeSantis basically said that, you know, our loved ones are collateral damage in the health care system so that we can keep the health care and the insurance lobbyists' costs down,' said one HB 6017 supporter named Lauren. DeSantis said the state needs caps to prevent costly lawsuits and protect access to care. But some families argues those same caps let hospitals avoid accountability. 'Well, now all they have to do is have the goal of let's make it cost more than the caps, and you're right back where you were,' Travis Creighton said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Near-record heat, JFRD Chief calls it a career, Murray Hill residents want to stop the stink
Top stories on the Friday edition of Jacksonville's Morning News for May 16, 2025. Hottest temperatures of the year, so far with highs today in the mid to upper 90s inland and lower 90s along the coast. We could touch or surpass the daily high temperature record of 96 today in Jacksonville. Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh says temperatures will reach near or just above record levels thru the weekend. Three Big Things to Know: Some Jacksonville residents hope a meeting can help them breathe easier. Neighbors in Murray Hill met yesterday at the Kent Campus at Florida State College of Jacksonville. They talked with City Councilman Jimmy Peluso about the bad smell that comes from the International Flavors and Fragrances plant on Lane Ave. One man says sometimes it's so bad his eyes burn. Another man says he doesn't go outside because of the smell. State officials are currently reviewing the company's permit renewal application. Calling it a career - Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Powers is retiring on June 30th. He'll continue to be a mentor and resource as the city begins the process of appointing a new chief. The next Fire Chief will be selected through an open selection process over the next six weeks with their appointment beginning on July 1st. A bill to repeal the so-called Free Kill law is unlikely to get past the governor. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday he plans to veto the bill meant to overturn the Florida Wrongful Death Act. The act limits who can sue a doctor for medical malpractice, and it took effect in 1990. HB 6017 was drafted to repeal the law, and it passed the legislature this month. DeSantis, though, says the bill would cause insurance premiums to skyrocket if it became law. He also says he would support a cap on how much plaintiffs could collect in damages to disincentivize jackpot justice.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DeSantis will veto bill to allow adult children to sue for malpractice damages
The adult children of those who die because of medical malpractice still won't be able to recover damages related to pain, suffering and mental anguish now that Gov. Ron DeSantis said he'll veto a bill that would repeal the current ban. DeSantis said the bill (HB 6017) would drive up medical malpractice insurance costs for health care providers. 'That is going to lead to a flood of lawsuits against practitioners and against hospitals. Malpractice premiums are going to go up, it's going to be harder to recruit physicians into Florida, and ultimately health care costs would go up,' DeSantis told reporters May 15 at a bill signing event in Dade City for the "Florida Farm Bill." Since 1990, when the ban was put in place, Florida has barred the adult children – those over 25 – of an unmarried parent who died due to medical malpractice from receiving noneconomic damages. The parents of an adult child also can't receive noneconomic damages. They can only sue and receive damages related to the cost of the health care, the funeral and other related expenses. At the time, Florida officials were grappling with large increases in insurance costs due to rampant medical malpractice lawsuits. DeSantis said he feared the situation would return if he signed the bill. But he added he wasn't unsympathetic to those affected by the ban. DeSantis said he would've supported the bill had an amendment offered by Senate sponsor Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, to put a $1 million cap on noneconomic damages been included in the measure. 'If you had caps on the amount of damages people could seek that would disincentivize a lot of jackpot justice,' DeSantis said. The Senate, though, voted down the amendment on a narrow 18-19 vote. But the vote on the underlying bill was bipartisan – 33-4 in the Senate and 104-6 in the House. Those margins are big enough to override DeSantis' veto, if legislative leaders opt to do so. The Legislature showed it was willing to override a DeSantis veto earlier this year when they overturned his move to ax $57 million in legislative support services. But relations between House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, are at a low ebb. Perez accused Albritton of going back on his word after the pair agreed to a 'framework' to resolve budget issues. The legislative session is in overtime after lawmakers couldn't agree to a budget during the regular 60-day period. Perez has insisted on a cut to the state sales tax, but DeSantis blew up the 'framework' to do that by saying he'd veto that bill as well, fearing it would jeopardize his push for property tax cuts. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gov. DeSantis will veto bill on malpractice damages for adult children
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DeSantis vows to veto ‘free kill' bill
(iStock /Getty Images Plus) Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that he plans to veto a bill championed for years by victims of medical malpractice who are blocked from suing doctors and hospitals they claim are responsible for the deaths of family members. DeSantis, however, contended that eliminating the law that prevents people from suing physicians and hospitals for noneconomic damages would cause medical malpractice premiums to 'skyrocket.' Specifically, HB 6017 lifts a longstanding provision of Florida law that bans parents of single, childless, adult children and adult children of single parents from suing hospitals and physicians if alleged malpractice resulted in death. The law defines adults as 25 and older. 'What that is going to do is, that's going to lead to a flood of lawsuits against practitioners and against hospitals. Malpractice premiums are going to go up. It's going to be harder to recruit physicians into Florida, and ultimately, health care costs will go up,' DeSantis said when asked whether he would sign the bill into law. The governor still has not received the legislation. Once he does, he'll have 15 days to veto it, sign it, or allow it to become law without his signature. The decision to veto the legislation is a stinging defeat for family members who trekked this year to the Capitol to share stories about what they called the 'free kill' law. The bill was opposed by business interests, organized medicine, and hospitals across the state, worried about a flood of new lawsuits including some from estranged children who don't live in Florida and haven't seen their family members in years. House, Senate panels OK bills to revamp Florida's medical malpractice laws Lobbyist scolded for 'scare tactics' in committee debate on wrongful-death bill The Legislature overwhelmingly approved the law, above the threshold needed to override a veto. Those who supported the legislation spoke of the need to hold doctors and health care providers accountable if they make a fatal mistake. DeSantis said he 'suggested' to the Legislature that it place caps on the amount of non-economic damages people could recover, not only for the new lawsuits allowed under HB 6017, but for all medical malpractice cases. DeSantis noted that 'there was some support of it in the Senate.' He was referencing the Senate's razor-thin vote at the end of the session to reject the caps. 'If you had caps on the amount of damages, people could see that would disincentivize a lot of jackpot justice,' DeSantis said. The governor said he had spoken with 'lots of folks in health care,' including hospital and physician associations that oppose the bill. 'I mean, it was pretty overwhelming in terms of the concern, you know, that they had on it. If there were caps on that, then it would probably be something that people would be able to live with.' HB 6017 has been a priority for House Speaker Daniel Perez, who has been at odds with DeSantis over state spending levels and tax relief, among other things. The ban was initially passed in the 1990s as the state wrestled with rising malpractice premiums. But there has been a concerted effort in recent years, to eliminate the ban. That push has coincided with recent efforts by organized medicine, business, and insurance lobbyists to reinstate caps on pain and suffering in all medical malpractice lawsuits. Florida had previously passed caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases but the Florida Supreme Court in 2017 ruled them unconstitutional. DeSantis on Thursday described the 2017 court as 'liberal.' 'I don't think this current court would reach the same conclusion,' he said. DeSantis, who has been harshly critical of the trial bar and Speaker Perez, said he's aware of the families who appeared throughout the 2025 session to share their stories about how their family and loved ones died. 'I know there have been people that have been victimized, have family members, and it's a really, really sad thing, but I also know you have to look at the global view of what is it going to do for the overall access to care prices, the willingness of physicians to come here. And that was very clear to me in speaking with folks,' the governor said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill headed to governor's desk would strip age limit policy from Florida malpractice lawsuits
The Brief A bill is headed to the governor's desk that would strip the age limit policy from Florida malpractice lawsuits. The current state law bans adults older than 25 from suing on behalf of their parents if they die due to medical negligence. Also, parents can't file wrongful death lawsuits for their children if they're older than 25. TALLAHASSEE - If someone dies due to medical negligence in Florida, the ages of the victim and their loved ones determine whether families can sue for medical malpractice. Governor DeSantis could soon change that. What they're saying "You can't put a price on a life. The victims and the families of wrongful death due to medical malpractice deserve this bill," Democratic State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said. Current state law bans adults older than 25 from suing on behalf of their parents if they die due to medical negligence. Also, parents can't file wrongful death lawsuits for their children if they're older than 25. HB 6017, which is now headed to the Governor's desk, would strip the age limit policy from the law. The other side "This is going to have a devastating impact on medical malpractice premiums both for hospitals and for providers," Republican State Senator Gayle Harrell said. Harrell, who is a major opponent of the legislation, argues if passed it would be a disaster for the state's healthcare system. "We are gonna have physicians not coming to the state of Florida. We already have the highest, the highest med-mal premiums in the entire state of Florida," Harrell said. Stacey Waner is one of the families pushing for the bill's passage after she was prevented from suing on behalf of her brother Trevor Synder. In 2019, he died while in the care of doctors after he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident. "Had the hospital done their job, he would be here," Waner said. "He was an otherwise healthy kid, and he shouldn't have died from a broken leg. There's no reason for it." She believes changing the law would mean more accountability in the medical field. "Negligence still has be proven the same way. Malpractice still has been proven in the same manner that has to proven in court. The only thing it does, it really gives people standing," Attorney Anthony Rickman said. READ: Budget talks moving slowly in Tallahassee Earlier this month, the bill passed in the House 33-4 getting major bi-partisan support. "We're talking about a small group of individuals and this is a very good bill to bring them justice," Democratic State Senator Jason Pizzo said. FOX 13 reached out to the governor's office for comment on whether he plans to sign the bill, and we are still waiting to hear back. There has been no word yet on when he will make a decision. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen. 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
