Florida Bill Would Extend COVID Liability Protection for Health Workers

A Florida Senate committee has drafted a bill that would extend health care providers’ COVID-19 liability protection for another 14 months.

The Legislature in 2021 created the lawsuit protections for doctors, hospitals, nursing homes and others, but they are due to expire soon. Proposed bill SPB 7014, as drafted by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would extend the immunity through June 1, 2023. Plaintiffs would have to continue to prove intentional misconduct or gross negligence by health care providers.

Lawmakers provided liability protection for most businesses indefinitely, but health care workers’ protections were provided only through March 2022, according to FloridaPolitics.com, a news website.

The extension measure is an acknowledgment that the pandemic remains a concern, even as Florida legislators and governor have pushed laws and policies designed to keep businesses and local governments from imposing vaccine and mask mandates. More than 61,000 Floridians have from COVID-19, the news outlet reported.