Florida senators on Friday filed 14 bills that seek tens of millions of dollars for injuries or deaths tied to alleged negligence by government agencies, including a proposal that seeks $28 million for a child who was stabbed repeatedly by her mother.
The bills, filed for consideration during the 2026 legislative session, involve a variety of cities, counties and state agencies, but the largest proposals seek compensation because of actions of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
As an example, a measure (SB 22), filed by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, seeks to require the Department of Children and Families to pay $28 million because of injuries suffered in 2015 in Sarasota by a child identified by the initials L.P.
The bill said Sarasota police contacted the department to do a wellness check after receiving a report about the then-6-year-old child’s mother. But the bill said the department did an “inadequate” check and left the child with the mother, who later tried to murder the girl by stabbing her at least 14 times.
“(As) a further consequence of the negligence of DCF through its employees, L.P. will incur a lifetime of significant pain, suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, medical costs, future surgeries and psychological costs over a potential duration of more than 65 years,” the bill said.
The bills are a special type of legislation known as “claim” bills, which are related to the state’s sovereign-immunity laws. Sovereign immunity generally shields government agencies from liability for negligence. Under the laws, agencies’ liability is capped at $200,000 for payments to a single person and $300,000 if multiple people are involved in an incident.
The limits can be exceeded if lawmakers pass claim bills.
In the L.P. case, a jury found the Department of Children and Services negligent and awarded $28 million in damages, according to the bill. The department paid $200,000 under the sovereign-immunity cap. The bill seeks the full $28 million, as it cites additional costs related to pursuing the case.
During the 2025 session, which ended in June, lawmakers passed nine claim bills that Gov. Ron DeSantis signed or allowed to become law without his signature.
Many of the bills filed Friday also have been proposed in past years but have not been approved.
Here are four other bills filed Friday for large amounts of money:
— SB 4, which seeks $20 million because of injuries suffered by a Fort Myers child, identified by the initials C.C., who overdosed on his mother’s methadone in 2015. The bill, filed by Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Homestead, seeks the money from the Department of Children and Families.
— SB 12, which seeks about $16 million plus interest from the city of Clearwater because of severe injuries suffered by tourist Maximus Giannikos when he was hit by a vehicle while trying to cross a street in 2019. The bill, filed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, said Giannikos, then 16, was hit after a pedestrian walk button at an intersection did not work.
— SB 20, which seeks $14.926 million from the Department of Children and Families because of “catastrophic and permanent injuries” suffered in 2017 by a child identified by the initials H.H. The bill, filed by Gruters, said the child, who was under 2 years old, was abused and neglected by her mother and stepfather.
— SB 10, which seeks $5 million from the Florida Department of Corrections because of injuries suffered when Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Maury Hernandez was shot in the head in 2007 while chasing a suspect. The bill, sponsored by Rodriguez, alleges that the suspect should have been in jail at the time because of probation violations. The Department of Corrections administers probation.
The 2026 legislative session will start Jan. 13. Claim bills are the first measures filed in advance of each year’s regular session.
