- February 3, 2026
For years, Floridians were told to accept ever-rising insurance costs as unavoidable. Auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and business liability coverage kept climbing, and everyday families paid the price. In 2023, Florida finally said enough.
With the passage of House Bill 837, Florida took decisive action to rein in lawsuit abuse and restore balance to a civil justice system that had drifted far from common sense. Early results confirm what many of us believed all along. Tort reform is working.
This matters deeply for Volusia County.
Our community depends on affordable insurance to keep families in their homes, small businesses open, and jobs growing. When litigation spirals out of control, the costs are not absorbed by faceless corporations. They are passed directly to residents through higher premiums, fewer market choices, and a higher cost of living.
For decades, Florida carried an unfortunate national reputation as a litigation hotspot, where excessive lawsuits, inflated medical claims, and billboard trial attorneys thrived. While Florida represents a relatively small share of the nation’s population, it accounted for a disproportionate share of personal injury and insurance lawsuits.
That reputation caused real harm. Insurers scaled back or left the state entirely. Premiums skyrocketed. Businesses hesitated to expand. Families were left wondering why Florida had become so much more expensive than other states.
House Bill 837 confronted that reality directly.
The reforms shortened statutes of limitation, curbed excessive attorney fee incentives, required damages to reflect actual medical costs rather than inflated billings, and restored fairness to comparative negligence standards. These changes did not eliminate anyone’s right to sue. They restored accountability and balance.
The results are already becoming visible. Uber has publicly stated that insurance costs declined after Florida’s tort reform, allowing the company to lower prices for riders while improving earning opportunities for drivers. This is not theory. These are real savings being felt by real Floridians.
Insurers are stabilizing, lawsuit filings are declining, and confidence in Florida’s market is slowly returning.
For Volusia County residents, lower insurance costs mean more than a reduced monthly bill. They mean fewer seniors forced to choose between coverage and necessities, more small businesses able to operate and expand, less pressure on housing costs, and greater economic stability throughout our community.
These reforms also help protect local governments and taxpayers from excessive liability exposure that drives up public costs.
This progress did not happen by accident. Credit is due to Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Speaker of the House Paul Renner, and our own Sen. Tom Leek, who as appropriations chairman of the Florida House played a critical role in advancing these reforms.
They stood strong against powerful billboard trial attorney interests that profit from a broken system, even as those interests worked to preserve a status quo that raised costs for every resident.
It is important to be clear. Tort reform does not work overnight. The legal system moves slowly by design. Cases filed years ago must still work their way through the courts. Insurance markets take time to recalibrate. Florida’s litigation reputation will not change instantly.
That said, the direction is clear.
These reforms should be seen as the first step, not the final one. Florida must continue to rein in lawsuit abuse, close remaining loopholes, and defend the progress already made. Reversing course would only lead to higher costs and renewed instability.
Florida chose fairness over fear, facts over rhetoric, and families over special interests.
Tort reform is working, and for Volusia County, that means a more affordable, stable, and competitive future. That is worth defending.
Editor's note: Duncan DeMarsh previously served as the vice chairman of the Volusia County Republican Party and a legislative aide. He is currently deployed with the Florida Army National Guard.
