Sunshine Sentinel

Travis Hutson, a former Senator for Florida, said that newly proposed legislation threatens to undo recent reforms that reduced abusive lawsuits, improved insurance stability, and lowered household costs. The statement was made in an op-ed on March 28.

"Florida enacted landmark legislation that reined in abusive lawsuits," said Hutson. "These hard-won gains are now under threat. Litigation practices drove up premiums and destabilized the entire legal system. Every time a small business is sued — even if they are not at fault — they are forced to raise their prices."

In March 2025, Florida's House Judiciary Committee advanced HB 947, a bill proposing significant changes to tort law, particularly concerning evidence admissibility for medical expenses in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Supporters argue it clarifies ambiguities from prior reforms aimed at reducing lawsuit abuses, while opponents fear it may compromise courtroom fairness by altering evidence requirements.

According to PropertyCasualty360, recent tort reform in Florida has tempered but not reversed rising insurance premiums. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s largest insurer, is proposing 2025 rate hikes between 1% and 6.6%, notably lower than the 13% previously requested. The Office of Insurance Regulation acknowledged that reforms are helping moderate premium growth but noted additional cost pressures such as inflation and hurricane risk still contribute to increases.

Data published by the Insurance Information Institute in March 2024 reveals that civil litigation in Florida dropped 40% year-over-year after the 2023 tort reform laws were enacted. Concurrently, the average homeowners' insurance premium fell by 5.6%, and 11 new property insurers entered the state market. The Institute attributes these shifts to reduced legal uncertainty and lower projected loss costs due to reforms limiting attorney fees and lawsuit incentives.

According to Ballotpedia, Hutson is a former Republican member of the Florida Senate who served from 2015 to 2024, representing District 7. Prior to that, he was elected to the Florida House in 2012 for District 24. Hutson has been a vocal advocate for business-friendly legislation, tort reform, and economic development initiatives in Northeast Florida. He chaired the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development during his tenure.