Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On April 16, 2019, the House and Senate both moved bills (HB 337 and SB SB 328) increasing the county court jurisdictional threshold. Each chamber also adopted amendments to their bills to delay the implementation of a county court jurisdictional threshold increase by six months – until January 1,…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House omnibus insurance bill (HB 301) was approved by the full House on April 11, 2019 by a vote of 114-0. There was no floor debate on the bill. One amendment was adopted to the bill before the vote. The amendment removed the name of the bill which…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House omnibus insurance bill (HB 301) was heard on the House floor on April 10, 2019 and three amendments adopted to it. There were no questions from House members when the bill was presented on the floor. The House will likely vote on the bill on April 11,…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel During its meeting on April 9, 2019, the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee passed SB 538, a bill dealing with surplus lines. It was not amended. The bill has one committee left. The House companion bill, HB 387, which is essentially identical, passed the full House…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 328 by Sen. Brandes (R) increases the jurisdictional threshold for county court, along with other changes to the court system. It passed its second Senate committee on April 9, 2019 with a strike all amendment. It had been stalled in the committee for two months. The bill increasing…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate omnibus insurance bill (SB 714) was sent back to the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee after picking up a bunch of amendments in its second committee, Judiciary. The Banking and Insurance Committee heard the bill for the second time on April 8, 2019. Three more amendments were…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A tort reform bill dealing with the dangerous instrumentality doctrine moved out of its second Senate committee on April 8, 2019 with one amendment to fix an internal inconsistency in the bill. The bill has one committee left. In order to get the bill out of committee, Sen. Stargel…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 759 and HB 761 revamp Florida’s trade secret protection laws. They passed their last committee on April 4, 2019. One amendment was adopted to HB 759. The bills will now be heard on the House floor when set by the Rules Committee. The Senate companion bills (SB 1414…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel HB 1247 expands the application of Florida’s one way attorney fee statute to suits brought by “contractors” against surety insurers under payment or performance bonds for losses due to breach of a building or construction contract. It passed its last House committee on April 4, 2019. The bill will…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel Bills to expand the application of Florida’s one way attorney fee statute to suits brought by “contractors” against surety insurers under payment or performance bonds for losses due to breach of a building or construction contract are moving through the legislature this year. SB 1200 and HB 1247 are…