Cam Fentriss, FRSA LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL
For the construction industry, especially the roofing industry, I cannot imagine a legislative session without at least one insurance-litigation-related issue. This session is no exception. The biggest issue we have is workers’ compensation. The second biggest issue we have is assignment of benefits (AOB). On both of these issues, we are up against trial lawyers. For both of these issues, attorney
fees are at the root of the problem – no matter how you slice it, those fees are an enormous piece of the pie.
For the next two years, Florida’s legislative leaders, Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart) and House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Lutz) are trial lawyers, and there is just no way to get around that. While I have no doubt they will both do their level best to be fair and make decisions based on their obligation to all (not just trial lawyers), I also expect their chosen occupation to guide their view of what is or is not the right decision.
What we ask is fair. We are not greedy and we do not overreach. We want honesty, transparency, and accountability as much from insurance companies and even ourselves as we do from trial lawyers and any other interest group that is necessarily or unnecessarily driving up costs to consumers and to business.
Even though we are right, we may not win this year (or next) because, after all, this is politics. We will keep working very hard anyway because, just like 2003, sooner or later someone in charge will figure out that the right thing to do is listen to us.
Any FRSA member alert we send you asking you to contact legislators to support or oppose something. These alerts are usually urgent, and we may be sending a lot of them starting mid-April (maybe a little earlier).
Contact Cam Fentriss with any questions or if you want more information or email her at afentriss@aol.com.
Anna Cam Fentriss is an attorney licensed in Florida since 1988 representing clients with legislative and state agency interests. Cam has represented FRSA since 1993, is an Honorary Member of FRSA, recipient of the FRSA President’s Award and the Campanella Award in 2010. She is a member of the Florida Building Commission Special Occupancy Technical Advisory Committee, President of Building A Safer Florida Inc. and past Construction Coalition Chair (1995-1997).
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