TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have put an end to the state's no-fault insurance system amid concern of higher premiums for Florida drivers.
Senate Bill 54, co-introduced by Republican Sen. Danny Burgess and Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson who represent the Tampa Bay area, would have required drivers to carry a minimum of $25,000 in mandatory bodily injury (MBI) coverage if someone were to get killed or hurt in a crash.
Florida is considered a "no-fault" state that mandates drivers show proof of personal injury protection (PIP) of at least $10,000 that pays medical and funeral costs regardless of who caused the crash. The bill did away with this requirement.
Burgess argued that the legislation would transform Florida's "outdated" insurance system and provide relief from the number of uninsured drivers on the road.
“The goal of this legislation is to lower the number of uninsured and underinsured drivers and provide a greater safety net in the event of an accident. Replacing our current no-fault system with a bodily injury liability system more appropriately places liability where it should be – with the party that caused the accident,” Burgess said.
But a recent analysis commissioned by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation found auto insurance premiums would increase by an average of $202 if DeSantis signed the bill, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Drivers who buy the current minimum of $10,000 of personal injury protection coverage would have seen a more dramatic cost increase.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 54 in the Florida House and Senate, though it had come under fire by some medical and insurance groups, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
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. The study, commissioned by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, showed that rates likely