ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — State House lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to repeal a controversial law, known as Florida’s “free kill” law.

The law denies some families the right to sue for certain damages – like grief or loss of companionship – when loved ones die from medical malpractice.

Under the law, many people like Austin Hodge, who lost his brother, Jarius, have no legal recourse. He claims doctors at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St. Lucie let his brother die.

Hodge said this isn’t about money, it’s about accountability. Now, he’s pushing for change.

“This was my best friend, my twin,” Hodge said. “We had the same tattoos. We had the same hairstyle.”

Hodge, 33, and his younger brother Jarius Hodge, 26, had a close bond.

“He was a beautiful soul,” Hodge said. “He had a beautiful heart.”

Jarius followed in his big brother’s footsteps and became a firefighter paramedic with St. Lucie County.

“He loved going to work, loved working beside me. I loved working beside him,” Hodge said. “He always pushed me to keep going. He was someone who loved his family, his community and his country.”

Las July, Hodge said his brother caught the flu from a patient at work. The next day on July 22, 2025, he went to Tradition Hospital struggling to breathe but died just hours later.

Hodge claims medical reports showed doctors made several critical mistakes.

“It took them three attempts to intubate my brother,” Hodge said. “He didn’t have any prior conditions, was perfectly healthy.”

Under Florida law, only a patient’s spouse or children under the age of 25 can sue for medical malpractice that leads to death.

Jarius was single and didn’t have children. And his parents can’t take legal action because Jarius was older than 25. He’d just turned 26 a couple months before.

“This is unjust, and it’s been going on for too long,” Hodge said. “Hopefully, sadly my brother’s death could bring some awareness.”

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State House lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would remove certain restrictions from the so-called ‘free kill’ law.

The bill now heads to the Senate. If passed, it would need to get signed by the Governor, who vetoed it last session.

Hodge is hopeful.

“For me personally, for my family, this has nothing to do with any type of dollar,” he said. “We just want those physicians to be held accountable because it’s murder.”

Hodge started a petition in his brother’s honor to repeal the law.

CBS12 News reached out to the hospital for comment and are waiting to hear back.