HB 6521 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6521-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act for the relief of Jacob Rodgers by the City of 2
Gainesville; providing for an appropriation to 3
compensate Jacob Rodgers for injuries sustained as a 4
result of the negligence of an employee of the City of 5
Gainesville; providing a limitation on compensation 6
and the payment of attorney fees; providing an 7
effective date. 8
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WHEREAS, on October 7, 2015, Jacob Rodgers was a passenger 10
in a vehicle when it was str uck by a vehicle owned by the City 11
of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, and 12
operated by an employee, and 13
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville 14
Regional Utilities, employee ran a stop sign and struck the side 15
of the vehicle occupied by Mr. Rodgers, and 16
WHEREAS, Mr. Rodgers, who was 20 years old at the time, 17
sustained catastrophic injuries, including spinal fractures that 18
resulted in Mr. Rodgers becoming a paraplegic, which will 19
require him to receive supervised medical care, home health 20
care, future medical care, and other services in the future, and 21
WHEREAS, Mr. Rodgers brought suit against the City of 22
Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, in the 23
Circuit Court of the Eighth Judicial Circuit in and for Alachua 24
County under case number 2016 -CA-000659, and 25
HB 6521 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6521-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
WHEREAS, the suit was tried before an Alachua County jury, 26
and the jury found the City of Gainesville 100 percent at fault 27
and assessed total damages of $120 million, and 28
WHEREAS, the trial court ordered a remit titur, which 29
resulted in a final judgment of $18,319,181.20, and 30
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville appealed the final 31
judgment, resulting in Mr. Rodgers agreeing to the remittitur of 32
$18,319,181.20 and the City of Gainesville obtaining a new trial 33
on the issue of comparative negligence of Mr. Rodgers, and the 34
damage award of $18,319,181.20 was not reversed by the trial 35
court, and 36
WHEREAS, the parties mediated the case pursuant to a court 37
order and reached a settlement agreement that the City of 38
Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, would consent 39
to a final judgment of $11 million, and 40
WHEREAS, the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board 41
adopted and approved the settlement agreement, and 42
WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville paid the statuto ry limit 43
of $200,000 under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, NOW, THEREFORE, 44
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 46
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Section 1. The facts stated in the preamble to this act 48
are found and declared to be true. 49
Section 2. The City of Gainesville is authorized and 50
HB 6521 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6521-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
directed to appropriate from funds not otherwise encumbered and 51
to draw a warrant in the sum of $10.8 million payable to Jacob 52
Rodgers as compensation for injuries and damages sustained. 53
Section 3. The amount paid by the City of Gainesville 54
pursuant to s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, and the amount awarded 55
under this act are intended to provide the sole compensation for 56
all present and future claims arising out of the factual 57
situation described in this act which r esulted in injuries and 58
damages to Jacob Rodgers. The total amount paid for attorney 59
fees relating to this claim may not exceed 25 percent of the 60
total amount awarded under this act. 61
Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 62