School districts fought higher lawsuit liability caps. DeSantis listened.
Tampa Bay Times | By: Jeffrey S. Solochek | July 6, 2026
The big story: For years, critics of Florida’s sovereign immunity laws have contended that the concept of not holding local governments financially responsible for legal actions is a historic relic.
During their spring session, lawmakers overwhelmingly supported a proposal long in the making to increase the caps on the amounts that school districts, municipalities and other agencies pay per incident.
School officials were among those who lobbied hard against the measure (HB 145). They won support where it mattered most, the Governor’s Office, and last week Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the legislation.
As the state debates the future of property taxes and how governments would continue to operate with less revenue, DeSantis said, “Why would I want to impose more burdens on them?”
If a person has a legitimate claim against government beyond the caps, he said, the process of seeking added funds through legislation remains in place. He signed two local claims bills this year.
“People have gotten millions of dollars with that,” DeSantis said during remarks June 29 in Tampa. “But that system disincentivizes frivolous lawsuits. When you raise the cap, you are going to generate more unmeritorious lawsuits. I have no question that will happen.”
