An effort by Senator Jeff Brandes to repeal Florida’s outdated no-fault automobile insurance law failed in this year’s legislative session. The bill would have repealed Florida’s no-fault insurance and would have required Florida drivers to maintain a minimum of $10,000 in bodily injury liability insurance. The entire text of the bill can be read here.
Under the present system, all privately owned vehicles in Florida are required to have personal injury protection insurance, also known as “no-fault insurance.” Rather than making at-fault drivers pay for the damages they cause, no-fault insurance pays a portion of the medical bills of the owner of the car and their family members regardless of who was at fault. This leaves Florida citizens in the untenable situation where the at-fault party’s medical bills may get paid while the innocent victim has no ability to recover damages.
Recent studies have shown that as many as one in three Florida drivers have no bodily injury liability insurance. The chances of being injured by an uninsured driver in Florida are substantial. Senator Brandes’s bill would have provided much better protection for Florida citizens than the current antiquated no-fault system. Unfortunately, lawmakers did not pass the bill. Once again the Florida legislature has put its citizens at increased risk of being unable to recover compensation when they are injured due to someone else’s negligence. We applaud Senator Brandes’s efforts and hope that the Florida legislature will make a better decision next year.