Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes bill that would have repealed ‘Free Kill' law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday morning publicly vetoed a bill that would have repealed Florida's so-called 'Free Kill' law that blocks some families from suing for pain and suffering when they lose a loved one to medical negligence.
The veto comes as a devastating blow to advocates who had fought for the passage of this bill this year.
They'd been fighting for a repeal of the Free Kill law for years. This was the first time it had ever passed the Legislature, and it did so overwhelmingly.
But DeSantis said it would have harmed the state's health care quality.
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The carveout, unique to Florida, prevents anyone from suing for pain and suffering when an unmarried person over the age of 25, with no children under the age of 25, dies due to medical negligence.
Supporters of the repeal argue the law creates a two-tiered system of justice that provides no accountability for an entire category of people.
But DeSantis argued the repeal of the carve-out would have led to a flood of new lawsuits that would have increased health care costs and pushed doctors out of the state.
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He said he would have supported the bill if it had capped pain and suffering damages that could be awarded for all cases of medical negligence, but that's a proposal the legislature has rejected for the last two years in a row.
'If this legislation would be enacted, it would lead to higher costs for Floridians. It would lead to less access to care for Floridians. It would make it harder for us to keep, recruit, and maintain physicians in the State of Florida, and we need more as it is now,' DeSantis said.
Coming up on CBS47 and FOX30 Action News Jax at 5, we'll hear from a local mother who has been fighting to repeal the Free Kill carveout since losing her daughter in 2023, for her reaction to the veto and what she plans to do next.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
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