2025 Update: Florida Lawmakers Attempt to Roll Back HB 837, What Does This Mean for Injury Victims?
By: Robert Johnson, Partner
In 2023, Florida’s HB 837 changed the landscape for personal injury cases. The law reduced the time limit to sue for negligence, limited recoverable damages, and tilted the playing field in favor of insurers and large corporations. But in 2025, some Florida lawmakers are pushing back.
Several rollback bills were introduced this year, aiming to undo parts of HB 837:
- HB 1551 / SB 426: Proposed restoring attorney-fee awards in insurance disputes and reviving the offer of judgment framework, which encourages early settlement.
- HB 947 / SB 1520: Aimed to allow juries to consider billed medical expenses (not just the discounted amounts insurers paid) and would remove the Medicare reimbursement cap on damages.
- HB 6017 / SB 734: Sought to expand recovery of non-economic damages in wrongful death cases by allowing adult children and parents of deceased patients to file claims.
While several of these bills passed committees or the Florida House, they stalled in the Senate or were vetoed by Governor Ron DeSantis. Most notably, HB 6017, which would have offered justice to families previously excluded from medical malpractice claims, was approved by Florida’s legislature but then vetoed by Governor DeSantis.
Thus, despite strong efforts in Tallahassee, the key provisions of HB 837 remain in effect:
- You still only have two years to file a negligence claim.
- If you are more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover damages.
- Caps on non-economic and punitive damages still apply.
- Insurers retain protections from bad-faith lawsuits in many cases.
The bottom line is Florida lawmakers are listening, but change hasn’t come yet. At Pike & Lustig, LLP, we continue to fight for injury victims. Even under HB 837, strong cases can win with the right team behind them.
If you have been injured, don’t wait. Contact us today for a free consultation. With offices in West Palm Beach, Wellington, and Miami, Pike & Lustig, LLP is here to serve clients across South Florida, providing aggressive representation, personalized attention, and a track record of results.
