Relief/Estate of Mark LaGatta/Department of Transportation

2026 Regular Session Introduced by J.J. Grow

HB 6509 would have paid Patricia Ermini $626,769.93 to satisfy the excess judgment against the Lee County Sheriff's Office beyond sovereign-immunity cap.

Chapter No. 2026-185

#(claimsbills)

Purpose / Intent

HB 6509 is a claims bill that would have provided legislative relief to Patricia Ermini by satisfying an outstanding excess judgment against the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) arising from a civil jury verdict. The bill addresses the gap between the verdict and the amount already paid under Florida’s sovereign immunity cap.

Key facts and background

Incident date: March 23, 2012. LCSO deputies responding to a welfare check entered Ermini’s home; a deputy shot the then-71-year-old Ermini multiple times.

Jury verdict: $1,000,000 in monetary damages to Ermini. Jury apportioned fault: LCSO 75%, Ermini 25%, resulting in a reduced award to Ermini (reflecting comparative fault).

Sovereign immunity: LCSO paid the $200,000 statutory cap available to local governmental entities under Florida law.

Excess judgment sought: $626,769.93 (the amount contested in the bill, reflecting the remaining obligation after deductions/credits/interest as described in the Special Master’s report).

The claim is against the Office of the Sheriff (the governmental entity), not the Sheriff personally.

Provisions (as reflected in committee report)

The Special Master’s Final Report recommends the bill be reported favorably to satisfy the contested excess judgment of $626,769.93 in favor of Patricia Ermini.

The bill would have authorized payment to Ermini to resolve the excess judgment arising from the civil action against the LCSO. (The committee report is the primary substantive source; the bill text would typically include the amount and a directive for payment and release of further liability.)

Who would be affected

Claimant: Patricia Ermini (would receive payment to satisfy the excess judgment).

Lee County Sheriff’s Office: the local governmental defendant whose liability was adjudicated; payment would resolve the excess judgment.

State/Local finances: satisfying the excess judgment through a claims bill affects public funds (amount: $626,769.93). The bill’s enactment would have an immediate fiscal impact equal to the authorized payment and any related administrative costs.

Legislative history / timeline

Introduced Jan 24, 2025; referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee and Judiciary.

Favorable reports: Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee (Mar 27, 2025) and Judiciary Committee (Apr 8, 2025). Special Master recommended favorably.

Passed the Florida House unanimously (Apr 24, 2025; Yeas 116, Nays 0).

Referred to Rules (Apr 25, 2025); added to Special Order Calendar; later indefinitely postponed/withdrawn (May 3, 2025) and ultimately died in Rules (June 16, 2025).

Notes / significance

The bill is a typical claims bill resolving a court judgment that exceeds governmental sovereign immunity limits. It would have closed the remaining indebtedness stemming from a high‑profile use‑of‑force civil verdict, but it did not become law. The Special Master’s report documents the factual findings, jury allocation of fault, and the recommendation for payment.

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