No-fault passes in Florida Senate

Today (Oct. 5) the Senate completed its work on reducing state spending by more than a billion dollars and passing personal injury protection for Florida drivers. As I'm writing this from the Senate floor, we're waiting for the House of Representatives to conclude their business so that conferees from the two chambers can begin to work out differences.

In my most recent report to you, I listed the major provisions of the Senate bill that makes significant improvements in the old Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or no-fault insurance bill. That legislation passed unanimously in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee and a couple of hours ago passed unanimously through the full Senate.

Prior to passage, I joined with Senators Al Lawson and J.D. Alexander in sponsoring an amendment to toughen the antifraud provisions of the bill. We added 16 insurance fraud investigators as well as designated fraud prosecutors in the judicial circuits that have experienced the most PIP abuse.

Following my earlier report to you on this topic, several Northwest Floridians emailed or called wondering whether insurance companies would take this opportunity to raise rates above the prior PIP costs. In answer to a question I posed on the Senate floor, Insurance Committee Chairman Bill Posey pointed to provisions in the new law that limit insurance companies to the same rates as applied to PIP even though the new system is far superior. The only way other rates could be requested would be through a formal rate filing that would be subject to scrutiny, review and approval or rejection by the State Office of Insurance Regulation.

The next step is to work out any differences between the House and Senate and bring a final conformed bill to the Senate and House floors next week.

Once again, I appreciate the feedback I received and hope you'll stay in touch as the nofault issue and budget issues come to conclusion during this October session.

Send letters to Senator Don Gaetz at the following address:

Senate Office Building Room 320 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, Fla.

32399-1100

Call Senator Gaetz at 850- 487-5009 or email him at gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov.