Tom Gaitens, Executive Director of the Florida Chapter of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA), gave out awards to legislators who supported tort reform.
The Courageous Legislator Awards from Floridians Against Lawsuit Abuse were presented to Senators Tom Leek and Jay Collins, while Toby Overdorf was honored for his work as a State Representative.
Senator Leek was notably a sponsor of Assignment of Benefits (AOB) reform during the 2022 special session (Bill 2A) and has continued to be a strong voice against recent legislative efforts aimed at undermining this progress. Representative Overdorf is a two-time recipient of this award, having been a key advocate for the 2023 reforms and a consistent supporter of meaningful change. Senator Collins has focused on the future, addressing the critical issue of Third-Party Litigation Funding, which threatens transparency and drives unnecessary lawsuits by pooling funds for speculative investment in litigation.
Executive Director Tom Gaitens highlighted the significant efforts during the recent session, which included the introduction of four distinct sets of bills seeking to repeal, weaken, or diminish the impact of the landmark 2023 legislation that brought much-needed reform to Florida’s civil justice system.
Gaitens emphasized the importance of engaging small business owners, everyday citizens, and community leaders to encourage their legislators to stand firm and not reverse the significant progress made in civil justice reform since 2021. Notably, lawsuit trends, which had spiked in 2023, have begun to decrease, and the property insurance market has shown signs of stabilization. Ten carriers announced no rate increases, while eight others even reduced rates, despite a historic hurricane season that severely impacted Florida’s west coast. The overall marketplace saw a modest 1% increase, the lowest in the nation, clearly demonstrating the positive impact of tort reform over the past several legislative cycles.
During the press conference, Gaitens underscored the critical need to reject the four sets of bills that would weaken the gains achieved in tort reform since 2021. He proudly noted that Florida had finally been removed from the American Tort Reform Association’s (ATRA) “Judicial Hellholes” list after being included for 18 consecutive years.
Joining Gaitens at the press conference were prominent figures from the business and community sectors, including Bill Herle, President of NFIB-Florida; Maurice Langston, Chair of the Florida Council for Safe Communities; Jim Kallinger, Chairman of the Small Business and Consumer Alliance; and Jim Maxwell, Vice Chair of Floridians for Government Accountability.
Bill Herle pointed to the impact the 2023 legislation has had on the small businesses in Florida; This is not the time to derail the great impact the 2023 reforms had on behalf of small businesses around the state.
