TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — For another year, Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota) aims to make it easier for people to seek compensation from state and local governments.
But, as in past years, critics warn of possible repercussions at the local level and hope for some sort of balancing act.
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“While I agree that there should be a balance between government responsibility and victims’ rights, there is more to it than that. The current law today is not balanced,” McFarland said.
In an effort to increase fairness and accountability, HB 145 would raise the state’s liability limits from the current $200,000 per person and $300,000 per case to $500,000 per person and $1 million per case, making it possible to pay higher damages if someone sues the government and wins.
Critics of the move say lawmakers should approach the issue carefully because the impact of next year’s property tax cuts is unknown, raising concerns about affordability.
Chris Doolin, from the Small Counties Coalition, said: “A bill that would add a national levy to local governments should probably be considered after November 2026.”
“Local governments have no choice but to raise taxes or cut services,” said David Cruz of the Florida League of Cities.
But McFarland questioned when, if not now.
“We know there’s a lot of uncertainty because we’re talking about property taxes. There’s always uncertainty,” McFarland said. “The last time these caps were adjusted was in 2010, and when we tried to adjust them in the past, it wasn’t the right time to have this discussion because of COVID-19. Then we had runaway inflation, and that wasn’t the right time to have that discussion either. So we don’t know when that right time will be.”
The House passed the bill in the last session and it passed on the floor, but the Senate never even considered it. And it remains unclear whether the Senate has the will to support the bill this time around.
