WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 6517

Relief/Heriberto A. Sanchez-Mayen/City of St. Petersburg

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Webster Barnaby and 3 co-sponsors

HB 6517 would authorize state payment of the remaining $4.1M of a $4.3M settlement to Jose Correa for injuries from a Miami-Dade County bus crash, beyond the sovereign-immunity cap

Approved by Governor
#(claimsbills)
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 6517

HB 6517 — Relief/Jose Correa/Miami‑Dade County (Claims Bill) — Summary

Purpose / Intent

HB 6517 was a Florida claims bill filed to provide legislative relief for Jose Correa arising from a settled tort claim against Miami‑Dade County. The bill sought to authorize satisfaction of the monetary portion of the settlement that exceeded the County’s sovereign‑immunity payment cap.

Incident and damages (facts from Special Master’s report)

  • Date: December 16, 2021. Location: intersection of Bird Road and Lejeune Road (Coral Gables).
  • Circumstances: A Miami‑Dade County bus, driven by a County employee making a left turn, struck Mr. Correa with its left‑side mirror while he was in the marked crosswalk. The bus subsequently ran over and dragged his left leg with its rear left tires before stopping.
  • Injuries: Near‑total left leg degloving from mid‑foot to upper thigh and left forearm laceration; multiple skin grafts and eventual below‑the‑knee amputation of left leg; prolonged rehabilitation and ongoing assisted‑living needs.
  • Economic impacts cited in the claim: Medicaid lien for past accident‑related medical expenses ≈ $339,000; an economist estimated future accident‑related medical costs in the millions (report lists approximately $3,917,544 as an estimate for future costs; record is truncated).

Key provisions / settlement amounts

  • Parties (per record) reached a private settlement: documents reference a settlement amount of $4.3 million.
  • Miami‑Dade County paid the $200,000 maximum available under Florida’s sovereign‑immunity statute.
  • HB 6517 sought legislative authorization to provide the remaining payment contemplated by the settlement (documents identify $4,100,000 as the amount the bill would address). The County had agreed to support the bill as part of its settlement with Mr. Correa.

Who would be affected

  • Primary: Claimant Jose Correa (recipient of the legislative relief).
  • Respondent: Miami‑Dade County (settling party; had paid sovereign‑immunity cap).
  • State/Taxpayers: If enacted, the state would have been required to provide the legislative appropriation or authorization to satisfy the balance of the settlement. Medicaid and other lienholders could be affected by recovery allocations.

Contested issues / Special Master recommendation

  • The traffic homicide investigator found shared fault: the bus operator failed to look ahead while turning and Mr. Correa entered on a “don’t walk” pedestrian signal and was reportedly intoxicated.
  • Given those findings, the Special Master recommended an unfavorable report on HB 6517.

Procedural history and final status

  • Introduced: January 24, 2025. Referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee. Public hearing held Feb 28, 2025.
  • Committee actions: Reported favorably out of subcommittee (Mar 27) and Judiciary (Apr 8). Added to House calendars; House passage recorded April 24, 2025 (Yeas 115, Nays 0).
  • Subsequent actions: Referred to Rules; recorded as “Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration” (May 3, 2025) and ultimately “Died in Rules” (June 16, 2025).

In short, HB 6517 was a claims bill to implement payment of the balance of a multimillion‑dollar county settlement for a severe pedestrian injury. Despite House passage and county support, the Special Master flagged comparative fault concerns and the measure failed to become law after stalling in the Rules process.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.