Provisions of Florida’s anti-auto fraud legislation:

Corresponding with a 2003 law that established a two-year minimum sentence for anyone organizing or participating in an actual staged auto crash, the new legislation:

• Provides for revocation of the driver’s license of anyone convicted of auto insurance fraud.

• Makes it a third-degree felony for any service provider, such as a clinic or body shop, to waive insurance deductibles as a general business practice. Waiving deductibles makes it easier for individuals to profit from insurance fraud schemes.

• Requires medical clinics to prominently post information in their waiting rooms about the Florida Fraud Fighters hotline and reward program information.

• Clarifies that kickbacks for patient referrals are illegal whether the patient is being referred to or from a medical clinic, and provides that patients themselves may be punished for soliciting kickbacks for their cooperation in fraudulent billing schemes against the insurer.