Before 2023, Florida's property insurance market was in crisis. Insurers were folding, others were leaving the state, and policyholders were facing astronomical increases. While some pointed to the insurance companies themselves as the source of all of these issues, the reality was that Florida's lawsuit abuse culture was driving up rates and killing smaller insurers.

Out-of-control one-way attorneys' fees encouraged litigation, and fraudulent assignment-of-benefits claims further exacerbated the lawsuit crisis. When Governor Ron DeSantis called for a special session in 2022 to address the issues with the property insurance market, he stated that while Florida only accounted for 9 percent of the country's home insurance claims, it was responsible for a staggering 79 percent of the country's home insurance lawsuits.

Lawmakers got to work and, between the December 2022 special session and the 2023 regular session, passed numerous pieces of legislation that eliminated one-way attorneys' fees, adjusted how attorneys' fees were awarded, and banned assignment of benefits agreements for property insurance policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2023.

As a result, the property insurance market stabilized with 20 insurers entering the state, bringing more than $850 million in new capital according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR). Florida's domestic insurers posted an 83 percent combined ratio at year-end 2025, down from 99 percent in 2023 — a clear sign of returning profitability. In 2021-22, consumers saw rate increases as high as 16.1 percent. Since the reforms, the state has received more than 190 residential filing requests for rate decreases or to keep rates flat. Insurance litigation reached a high of 63,000 cases in 2021 before plummeting 24 percent from the third quarter of 2023 to the same period in 2024, and personal insurance litigation fell another 25 percent in the first half of 2025 alone.

These are tangible results, and the lawmakers who championed these reforms should be applauded for their work on a difficult and complex issue. Their efforts truly impacted Floridians, putting money back into their pockets and delivering a blow to lawsuit abusers.

However, there have been efforts by lawyers and those they back in the Florida Legislature to dilute the reforms. In the 2025 Legislative Session, several bills were introduced in the House that would have severely weakened reforms and reinvigorated the lawsuit abuse climate lawmakers worked hard to tamp down. While none of the bills ultimately passed, it showed that the lawsuit lobby is not going down without a fight.

Instead of weakening the reforms that are working, lawmakers should build on them. One place to start is third-party litigation financing, where outside investors provide money to fund lawsuits in exchange for a share of any recovery. This year, lawmakers considered SB 1396, which would have increased transparency and established new safeguards around the practice. The measure advanced through two Senate committees but ultimately died before receiving a final vote. When lawmakers return to Tallahassee, they should finish the job and continue strengthening a legal environment that puts Florida consumers and businesses ahead of outside financial interests.

While work remains, Florida serves as a model for other states on how lawsuit abuse reform can rein in frivolous claims while reducing costs for policyholders. When voters go to the polls in November, they should reward those who stood up to defend policyholders and put an end to frivolous lawsuits. They should also remind those who aim to reverse the reforms that voters are paying attention.