Businesses to Lawmakers: Start Over on Revising Workers' Compensation

Monday, May 15, 2017 | 0

Florida business organizations are demanding that legislators go back to square one and enact a constitutional claimants’ attorney fee provision.

Bill Herrle

The Legislature adjourned May 8 without reaching a consensus on revisions to the workers’ compensation system, and an appellate court last week upheld a 14.5% rate hike in ruling against a claimants’ attorney who claimed regulators and the state’s rating organization colluded in secret and violated open meetings laws.

Employers fear the state Supreme Court’s ruling in April 2016 that the statutory fee formula is unconstitutional will lead to future rate increases.

“The Legislature needs to address this at their earliest opportunity. Whether it’s in the fall, rather it’s in some special session that may occur. We’ll be asking them to address this as soon as they can,” Bill Herrle, Florida executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business, told WFSU News.

House and Senate leaders are pondering whether to hold a special session to implement the new medical marijuana law that voters approved in November, and conceivably could take up workers’ compensation then.