Gov. Ron DeSantis has until June 30 to decide whether to sign, veto, or allow HB 145 to become law without his signature. The Legislature sent the bill to DeSantis on June 15. The legislation would increase the liability caps that the state and local governments must pay in negligence lawsuits.
The bill raises sovereign immunity caps from $200,000 per individual to $350,000 and from $300,000 per incident to $500,000. These limits have remained unchanged since 2010. Sovereign immunity stems from the legal principle that "the king cannot commit a legal wrong." While the state can exempt itself from civil lawsuits, it does allow negligence claims against itself and its subdivisions, including agencies, cities, counties, and public hospitals, but only within established liability limits. When injured parties win awards exceeding these caps, they can petition the Legislature through claims bills to collect the difference. Past cases have involved traffic accidents caused by government workers, medical malpractice at public hospitals, and wrongful convictions resulting in prison sentences.
HB 145 attracted significant attention during the 2026 Regular Session, drawing 242 lobbyist registrations and making it one of the most contested bills. Multiple organizations have requested that DeSantis veto the legislation. Fourteen school superintendents, represented by the Florida Panhandle Area Education Consortium, signed a veto letter warning that the increased caps would create serious financial exposure for districts with constrained local tax bases and narrow budget margins. The Florida Hospital Association also requested a veto, with President and CEO Mary C. Mayhew stating that "every additional dollar diverted to litigation exposure, insurance premiums, settlements or claims administration is a dollar unavailable for patient care, workforce investment, access expansion, and community health priorities."
The Florida Justice Association, representing trial lawyers, has supported the bill, calling it "a small step toward addressing the lack of accountability that allows government entities to avoid fully compensating Floridians who have been injured by government negligence." DeSantis has a history of vetoing legislation backed by the trial bar group, including a 2025 bill to repeal a law preventing wrongful death lawsuits in medical malpractice cases and a 2021 bill to repeal Florida's no-fault automobile insurance system. House sponsor Rep. Fiona McFarland, a Sarasota Republican, expressed satisfaction with the 75 percent increase in individual caps, though an early version would have changed the claims bill process to allow government entities to settle excess claims without legislative approval. That provision was removed before final passage. DeSantis has not publicly commented on the bill, and his office did not respond to requests for comment.