When Lobbyist Brewster Bevis heard the arguments of those opposed to COVID-19 liability protection at a recent Senate committee hearing, he was appalled.
“It's about money,” said Bevis, senior vice president of state and federal affairs for Associated Industries of Florida, a business trade association. “It's not about protecting people or providing recourse to people who got COVID at a corner pizzeria. It is simply about money. If you truly want to protect and provide recourse for people who picked up COVID from potentially a business, why does it matter what the pockets look like?”
The Florida COVID-19 dashboard reports 1,698,570 coronavirus cases statewide, resulting in 26,254 fatalities.
Bevis was among supporters who attended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB 72, proposed by Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) who chairs the Judiciary Committee.
“The opposition wants to go after deep pockets and they want to make money off of this and that’s the sad thing about it,” Bevis told the Florida Record.
If approved, SB 72 would require clear and convincing evidence or gross negligence in lawsuits filed against businesses where customers allegedly were infected with the coronavirus on site.
“If someone can truly prove that they got COVID from a business that was grossly negligent, they can still go out and file suit,” Bevis said. “What it's going to protect is these small businesses and larger businesses from a tidal wave of sue-to-settle lawsuits that are going to happen.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-to-4 in favor of the legislation.
In the House, State Rep. Lawrence McClure (R-Plant City) introduced HB 7, identical to SB 72.
“Both bills passed their first committees of reference,” Bevis said. “The House bill will be up again this week and the Senate Bill hasn't been calendared yet but I wouldn't be surprised if you see the Senate Bill up again this week.”
The Senate and House bills also both exclude coverage for hospitals, medical clinics, and healthcare companies.
“The bills in their current form provide general business liability,” Bevis added. “It does not cover healthcare facilities. We believe at AIF that a business is a business and they should all be covered under the same standards regardless of the industry, however, the House and Senate both have indicated they will present a separate healthcare provider bill.”