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HB 6503

Relief/Mande Penney-Lemmon/Sarasota County

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Danny Nix

HB 6503 authorizes legislative relief to pay the excess judgment of $2,291,364.63 to Mande Penney-Lemmon from a Sarasota County employee crash, beyond sovereign immunity.

Chapter No. 2025-252
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Bill Summary · HB 6503

Summary — HB 6503: Relief/Mande Penney‑Lemmon/Sarasota County (Chapter No. 2025‑252)

Status: Became law (Chapter No. 2025‑252). Introduced Jan 24, 2025; allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature (effective 2025).
Subject: Claims bill — legislative relief for an excess judgment.

Purpose / Intent

HB 6503 is a legislatively enacted claims bill providing relief to Mande Penney‑Lemmon for an excess judgment arising from a motor vehicle collision involving a Sarasota County employee. The bill addresses payment beyond the sovereign immunity limits already paid by the County.

Background facts (from Special Master’s report)

  • Incident date: October 1, 2018. A Sarasota County employee driving a county pickup struck the rear of Ms. Penney‑Lemmon’s vehicle while she was stopped at a traffic light on the Venice Avenue Bridge. The impact caused a four‑vehicle chain collision.
  • The County employee was cited for careless driving and the County does not contest fault for the collision itself; it does contest that the claimed injuries were caused by the crash.
  • Ms. Penney‑Lemmon’s insurer ultimately declared her vehicle a total loss; the County paid the $200,000 available under Florida sovereign immunity law for property/personal injury.
  • Ms. Penney‑Lemmon sued and a jury returned a verdict awarding $2,491,364.63 in damages.

Claim amount and legal issue

  • The contested excess judgment sought by the claimant is $2,291,364.63 (jury verdict of $2,491,364.63 less the $200,000 paid under sovereign immunity).
  • The County’s defense focused on causation and the extent of claimed injuries and damages (including the timing of treatment, diagnostic findings, and use of non‑standard treatments).

Special Master recommendation

  • The Special Master recommended reporting HB 6503 UNFAVORABLY, finding that Ms. Penney‑Lemmon had not proven causation or damages by a preponderance of the evidence. The report noted delayed medical care, questions about diagnoses (including references to possible multiple sclerosis), and use of unconventional treatments.

Legislative action & outcome

  • Committee/floor actions: Referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee; reported favorably by committees; passed the House (4/24/2025: Yeas 116–0) and Senate (5/02/2025: Yeas 35–0).
  • Enrolled and presented to the Governor (6/18/2025); allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature (7/03/2025); assigned Chapter No. 2025‑252 (7/08/2025).
  • Effect: The bill authorizes legislative relief to satisfy the excess judgment in favor of Mande Penney‑Lemmon as enacted into law. (The bill text implements payment consistent with the jury award less prior sovereign immunity payment; the Special Master report sets forth the factual and evidentiary context considered during committee review.)

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiary: Mande Penney‑Lemmon (payment of the enacted excess judgment).
  • Fiscal impact: Sarasota County (and ultimately its taxpayers/insurers), depending on the bill’s payment provisions and funding mechanism set forth in the enacted language.
  • Precedential: As a claims bill, it is a case‑specific legislative remedy rather than a broad change to tort or sovereign immunity law.

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

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