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HB 6525

Relief/Reginald Jackson/City of Lakeland

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Gallop Franklin

authorizes payment of the remaining $200,000 to the child's estate representatives to satisfy a $500,000 medical‑malpractice settlement with South Broward Hospital District.

Died in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
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Bill Summary · HB 6525

HB 6525 — Relief/Eric Miles, Jr., and Jennifer Miles / South Broward Hospital District

Status: Laid on Table (companion bill passed as CS/SB 22, Ch. 2025-220)
Introduced: January 24, 2025

Purpose / Intent

HB 6525 is a claims (relief) bill that would authorize payment to Eric and Jennifer Miles, as co-personal representatives of the estate of E.E.M., to satisfy a settled medical-malpractice claim against the South Broward Hospital District arising from the care and subsequent death of 17‑month‑old E.E.M.

Background / Findings of Fact

  • The Special Master’s Final Report summarizes care provided at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital (operated by the South Broward Hospital District) from December 24, 2017, through early January 2018.
  • Medical records in the report document progressive abdominal distension, abnormal labs, imaging that ultimately demonstrated a small‑bowel obstruction and likely peritonitis (CT on Jan. 3, 2018), failure to timely diagnose and surgically treat the obstruction, and the child’s eventual death.
  • The claimants and the Hospital District reached a settlement of $500,000. Under Florida sovereign‑immunity caps, the County (political subdivision) paid $300,000 — the statutory maximum — leaving $200,000 unpaid under the settlement.

Key Provisions

  • Authorizes payment of the remaining $200,000 (to be paid consistent with the terms of the settlement) to Eric and Jennifer Miles as co‑personal representatives of the estate of E.E.M., thereby satisfying the full $500,000 settlement.
  • Includes routine language releasing the Hospital District from further liability related to the claim once payment is made. (The Hospital District supports the bill but does not admit liability.)

Who is Affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: Eric and Jennifer Miles (co‑personal representatives of the estate).
  • Obligor: South Broward Hospital District (a political subdivision). Payment will reduce the District’s financial resources (or be funded as specified by the enacted text/companion).
  • Broader: No new programmatic changes to law or statewide policy; impact is limited to the discrete monetary relief authorized.

Procedural / Timeline Notes

  • Filed/Introduced: January 24, 2025 (filed Feb. 14, 2025 per docket).
  • Subcommittee action: Favorable with CS by Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee (Mar. 13, 2025).
  • Judiciary Committee: Reported favorably and released to House Calendar (Apr. 2, 2025).
  • Final status for this bill: Laid on Table April 29, 2025 because companion bill CS/SB 22 was passed and chaptered as Ch. 2025-220. The companion’s enactment likely provides the authorized relief.

Recommendation / Report

The Special Master recommended the bill be reported favorably, describing the $200,000 payment as a reasonable resolution of the dispute; the Hospital District supported passage while not admitting liability.

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

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