Changes Impacting Insurers Arising from Florida’s New Tort Reform Act

On March 24, 2023, Florida passed a sweeping tort reform bill into law, making major changes to civil litigation in the state. In anticipation of the Governor signing the bill into law, the number of new cases initiated throughout the state in March 2023 was 280,122. Of that amount, 71,000 came from Miami-Dade County (Miami) and 53,000 from Hillsborough County (Tampa). These numbers are staggering.

This article focuses on the substantial impact some of the changes will have on the handling and administration of insurance claims, including important reforms to attorneys’ fees and Florida’s bad faith law. There are a number of significant changes set forth in the Act, which are discussed below.