Our Emperor in Tallahassee has spoken. He has vetoed a bill that only received a single no vote in the Florida Legislature. Let me repeat that. The vote in the Senate was 44-0; in the House of Representatives it was 118-1. Is Jeb the Sun God or does he have a mandate from the people to act like one?
The Daily Record provides the details:
Gov. Jeb Bush…vetoed a bill requiring Florida drivers to carry personal injury insurance.
The legislature passed several laws designed to limit liability in civil suits, but the Florida Bar thought it had won a hard-fought victory [for the public] when lawmakers extended the requirement for drivers to carry $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection insurance.
But Bush brought that subdued victory party to an end Wednesday when he vetoed the law. Bush’s move has litigators preparing to argue the issue again in 2007.
“It’s truly disappointing that the governor vetoed a bill that resulted from a lot of hard work on both sides,” said Tom Edwards, a partner at Peek, Cobb & Edwards and a lobbyist for the Association of Florida Trial Lawyers. “The law that passed was a good bill that protected consumers and built in fraud protections to shield insurance carriers.”
But the veto didn’t surprise Edwards. Bush had threatened to strike the bill when it passed both chambers of the legislature with one vote against. The vote in the Senate was 44-0; in the House of Representatives it was 118-1. Unless the Legislature extends PIP next year, the requirement will sunset in October 2007.
Our Emperor in Tallahassee has spoken. He has vetoed a bill that only received a single no vote in the Florida Legislature. Let me repeat that. The vote in the Senate was 44-0; in the House of Representatives it was 118-1. Is Jeb the Sun God or does he have a mandate from the people to act like one?
The Daily Record provides the details:
Gov. Jeb Bush…vetoed a bill requiring Florida drivers to carry personal injury insurance.
The legislature passed several laws designed to limit liability in civil suits, but the Florida Bar thought it had won a hard-fought victory [for the public] when lawmakers extended the requirement for drivers to carry $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection insurance.
But Bush brought that subdued victory party to an end Wednesday when he vetoed the law. Bush’s move has litigators preparing to argue the issue again in 2007.
“It’s truly disappointing that the governor vetoed a bill that resulted from a lot of hard work on both sides,” said Tom Edwards, a partner at Peek, Cobb & Edwards and a lobbyist for the Association of Florida Trial Lawyers. “The law that passed was a good bill that protected consumers and built in fraud protections to shield insurance carriers.”
But the veto didn’t surprise Edwards. Bush had threatened to strike the bill when it passed both chambers of the legislature with one vote against. The vote in the Senate was 44-0; in the House of Representatives it was 118-1. Unless the Legislature extends PIP next year, the requirement will sunset in October 2007.
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