I pay attention to patterns. Maybe it comes from my former Tea Party days, when politicians were passing harmful legislation that touched nearly every facet of our lives — but the template was always the same: less freedom, more regulation. People lost. Big entities and big government won.
And here we are again.
I’m seeing a red flag — and a familiar pattern — in Florida’s state legislature.
Florida’s property insurance market nearly collapsed under the weight of excessive litigation. For years, we carried a wildly disproportionate share of the nation’s lawsuits. Homeowners paid the price. Carriers left. Premiums exploded.
Reforms were finally passed to correct those distorted incentives. The market has begun to stabilize. More carriers are returning. Rates are leveling.
Now we have been alerted to behind-the-scenes efforts to weaken those insurance reforms — led by trial lawyers. In a recent article in Florida Jolt, John R. Smith writes:
“Trial lawyers are working aggressively to roll back the reforms that are restoring balance to Florida’s property insurance market… lobbying for legislation that would reopen the floodgates to the same abusive practices that wrecked our insurance system in the first place… exploiting loopholes and squeezing the system to allow the attorneys to walk away richer.”
That should get your attention.
Because this isn’t just about insurance. It’s about a pattern.
In our reporting on guardianship and probate courts, we’ve seen how reform efforts repeatedly face resistance — often from lawmakers who are attorneys themselves. Roadblocks appear. Bills stall. Incentives remain intact.
This is not an attack on lawyers. Many serve honorably. But when legal systems reward volume, delay, and layered billing instead of resolution and fairness, reform becomes necessary.
And when reform begins to work, the pressure to undo it often follows.
That’s the moment we’re in.
Floridians should be watching Tallahassee closely. If litigation incentives are quietly restored in insurance, or if meaningful guardianship reform continues to stall, the consequences will not be abstract. They will show up in higher premiums, estates drained, and family wealth disappearing into legal fees.
I care about this because I believe in protecting generational wealth and the rights of ordinary citizens. I also believe the legal industry — like any industry — is not immune from accountability.
If you are passionate about reforming systems that no longer serve the public as they should, this is not the time to tune out. It is the time to stay informed and get involved.
If you are a homeowner and don’t want your insurance premiums climbing again because litigation incentives are quietly restored, pay attention.
If you care about how your estate will be handled and whether your final wishes will be honored without unnecessary legal entanglement, pay attention.
We are calling on Governor DeSantis and our legislative leaders to pay attention as well. This is not the time to side with special interests seeking to rebuild revenue streams through expanded litigation. It is time to stand with homeowners, families, and the people who fund this system.
Floridians are tired of the games. We are tired of watching reforms pass only to see them chipped away behind closed doors. We are also tired of watching lawyers shut down guardianship/probate legislative reforms right out in the open with a smirk on their face.
Federal oversight may follow if states fail to act and we hope it doesn’t come to that but if it does – we will have a much louder voice than at the state level.
The people are watching now — and we are not going back. We are all smarter at seeing the red flags.
