TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2014 Florida lawmakers are renewing efforts to end what critics call the state\u2019s \u201cfree kill\u201d law \u2014 a decades-old restriction that prevents some families from suing when loved ones die from medical malpractice.<\/p>\n
For Daryl Perritt, the issue is deeply personal. <\/p>\n
WATCH: Fort Pierce father launches nonprofit to hold lawmakers accountable <\/p>\n
Florida lawmakers revive ‘free kill’ repeal after DeSantis veto<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is my son dead? I\u2019m still trying to find an answer to that question, and this law prevents me from finding out why my son is dead,\u201d Perritt said. <\/p>\n
Perritt\u2019s son Cameron, 29, died from a blood clot after admission to a hospital. Because Cameron was unmarried and had no children, current Florida law bars his father from suing for noneconomic damages \u2014 things like pain and suffering. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can\u2019t hold the doctors in hospital and health industry and insurance accountable for my son\u2019s death, then I\u2019m going to hold the lawmakers accountable,\u201d Perritt said.<\/p>\n
The Fort Pierce father has since launched a nonprofit, FloridaFreeKill.org<\/a>, using billboards along major interstates to pressure lawmakers to repeal the law and \u201crestore justice for victims and their families.\u201d <\/p>\n That\u2019s where Rep. Dana Trabulsy (R\u2013Fort Pierce) comes in. She\u2019s sponsoring HB 6003<\/a>, a bill that would remove the \u201cfree kill\u201d exemption from state law, allowing parents of adult children and adult children of deceased parents to recover noneconomic damages in wrongful-death medical malpractice cases. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n WPTV Investigates<\/p>\n Families pledge to ‘keep fighting’ after governor vetoes ‘free kill’ law <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf you are over the age of 25 and do not have a spouse or dependent children, you are basically cut out of justice for a medical malpractice suit,\u201d Trabulsy said. \u201cIt is the right thing to do, and I\u2019m not going to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n The measure overwhelmingly passed the Legislature last session but was vetoed<\/a> by Governor Ron DeSantis, who argued it would drive up malpractice insurance premiums and health care costs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would cause malpractice insurance premiums to skyrocket,\u201d DeSantis said in May<\/a>. \u201cYou can sue for economic damages, but this would open the floodgates for lawsuits.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor has suggested he might support a version of the bill with caps on noneconomic damages, but Trabulsy says that\u2019s a nonstarter. <\/p>\n \u201cNo, because caps have been determined to be unconstitutional,\u201d she said. \u201cI intentionally filed this as a repealer bill, and as a repealer bill, it can have no amendments.\u201d <\/p>\n Not every Republican is ready to back her. Sen. Keith Truenow (R\u2013Tavares), one of the few lawmakers to oppose the bill last session, says he wants broader reforms. <\/p>\n