Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H6529 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	
2	2
3	3	HB 6529 2025
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8	8	hb6529-00
9	9	Page 1 of 5
10	10	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
11	11
12	12	A bill to be entitled 1
13	13	An act for the relief of J.N., a minor, by 2
14	14	Hillsborough County; providing an appropriation to 3
15	15	Stephany Grullon, as parent and guardian of J.N., to 4
16	16	compensate J.N. for injuries and damages she sustained 5
17	17	as a result of the negligence of Hillsborough County 6
18	18	in maintaining sidewalks and culvert systems; 7
19	19	providing a limitation on compensation and the payment 8
20	20	of certain fees and costs; providing an effective 9
21	21	date. 10
22	22	11
23	23	WHEREAS, on the afternoon of June 7, 2019, J.N., then 11 12
24	24	years of age, was riding her bicycle, accompanied by her 13
25	25	mother's fiancé, Gabriel Soto, on a sidewalk located along the 14
26	26	east side of East Bay Road and adjacent to the East Bay Lakes 15
27	27	subdivision in Gibsonton, and 16
28	28	WHEREAS, the sidewalk is owned and maintained by 17
29	29	Hillsborough County, and 18
30	30	WHEREAS, J.N. was wearing her helmet while riding her 19
31	31	bicycle when her bicycle wheel hit an uneven area of the 20
32	32	concrete slab sidewalk, causing her to lose control of her 21
33	33	bicycle and tumble down a steep slope next to the sidewalk, and 22
34	34	WHEREAS, J.N. careened face forward over the bicycle's 23
35	35	handlebars into a concrete and corrugated metal drainage culvert 24
36	36	pipe and lacerated portions of her gums, fractured her jaw, and 25 
37	37
38	38	HB 6529 2025
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
43	43	hb6529-00
44	44	Page 2 of 5
45	45	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
46	46
47	47	avulsed multiple adult teeth, and 26
48	48	WHEREAS, J.N. was rushed to the emergency room at St. 27
49	49	Joseph's Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan that revealed 28
50	50	fractures of the nasal bone, the maxilla, and the superior 29
51	51	alveolus, and 30
52	52	WHEREAS, the severity of her i njuries required plastic 31
53	53	surgery intervention, and on June 8, 2019, J.N. underwent a 32
54	54	surgical procedure consisting of exploration and removal of the 33
55	55	gingiva impacted into her nasal structures and into the upper 34
56	56	maxilla, repair of the midline laceration of her upper lip, and 35
57	57	repair of her gingiva and lower lip vermilion, and 36
58	58	WHEREAS, on June 14, 2019, J.N. underwent a second surgery 37
59	59	consisting of a closed reduction of her nasal fracture, and 38
60	60	WHEREAS, on February 20, 2021, J.N. was seen by Pediatric 39
61	61	Epilepsy and Neurology Specialists due to headaches that she 40
62	62	experienced as frequently as once or twice a week and which had 41
63	63	first started shortly after the accident, and 42
64	64	WHEREAS, on March 16, 2022, J.N. was seen by an oral 43
65	65	surgeon at the Moffett Oral Surgery an d Dental Implant Center, 44
66	66	during which time she was informed that she would need a bone 45
67	67	graft and eventually an implant, and 46
68	68	WHEREAS, J.N. has to wait for her bones to finish growing 47
69	69	before Dr. Moffett can proceed with the bone graft, which he 48
70	70	expects will be when J.N. is 16 or 17 years old, and 49
71	71	WHEREAS, after J.N. heals from her bone graft, Moffett Oral 50 
72	72
73	73	HB 6529 2025
74	74
75	75
76	76
77	77	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
78	78	hb6529-00
79	79	Page 3 of 5
80	80	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
81	81
82	82	Surgery and Dental Implant Center will then begin the process 51
83	83	for implants and, eventually, crowns, and 52
84	84	WHEREAS, along with the medical treatment and bil ls 53
85	85	associated with this injury, J.N. has suffered intangible and 54
86	86	emotional losses, has experienced an extreme loss of self -55
87	87	esteem, and struggles socially with her peers, and 56
88	88	WHEREAS, Hillsborough County was on notice that the same 57
89	89	section of sidewalk wher e J.N. had her accident was in need of 58
90	90	repair and replacement as early as October 7, 2015, as evidenced 59
91	91	by the filing of a work request order, and 60
92	92	WHEREAS, in 2016, Juan Olivero Lopez, a Hillsborough County 61
93	93	maintenance supervisor responsible for sidewalk maintenance, 62
94	94	stated that he was directed by the county to inspect the 63
95	95	sidewalk, and 64
96	96	WHEREAS, Juan Olivero Lopez further stated that, in 65
97	97	response to the work request order, the South Service Unit 66
98	98	performed a physical inspection of the sidewalk before the d ate 67
99	99	of the accident, but that repairs to make the sidewalk safe were 68
100	100	never performed, and 69
101	101	WHEREAS, the drainage ditch and culvert system located next 70
102	102	to the sidewalk were also in need of maintenance and repair, as 71
103	103	evidenced by the extensive deterioration of the concrete and 72
104	104	corrugated metal drainage culvert pipe, which had become jagged 73
105	105	and rusted, and 74
106	106	WHEREAS, Hillsborough County employee William Cox, a civil 75 
107	107
108	108	HB 6529 2025
109	109
110	110
111	111
112	112	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
113	113	hb6529-00
114	114	Page 4 of 5
115	115	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
116	116
117	117	engineer responsible for drainage culvert replacement and 76
118	118	planning, stated that he was not respo nsible for the maintenance 77
119	119	of the culvert, and 78
120	120	WHEREAS, Juan Olivero Lopez stated that, in his capacity as 79
121	121	a maintenance supervisor of the South Service Unit, he was not 80
122	122	responsible for the maintenance of the culvert, and 81
123	123	WHEREAS, clearly there was a gap in assigning or accepting 82
124	124	responsibility for maintenance of the culvert, and the resulting 83
125	125	failure to repair the drainage ditch and culvert system, coupled 84
126	126	with the failure to repair or replace the sidewalk, contributed 85
127	127	to the severity of J.N.'s injuries, and 86
128	128	WHEREAS, J.N.'s parent and guardian, Stephany Grullon, and 87
129	129	Hillsborough County entered into a settlement and release 88
130	130	agreement on September 20, 2022, in which the county agreed to 89
131	131	pay Stephany Grullon $600,000 to settle all claims, and 90
132	132	WHEREAS, Hillsborough County paid $200,000, the sovereign 91
133	133	immunity limit under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, to Stephany 92
134	134	Grullon within 20 days after entering into the settlement and 93
135	135	release agreement, and 94
136	136	WHEREAS, Hillsborough County acknowledged and agreed not to 95
137	137	oppose a legislative claims bill that would be filed during the 96
138	138	2023 Regular Session of the Legislature or in a subsequent 97
139	139	legislative session for the additional $400,000, and 98
140	140	WHEREAS, the $200,000 statutory limit under s. 768.28, 99
141	141	Florida Statutes, has been paid to Stephany Grullon, but the 100 
142	142
143	143	HB 6529 2025
144	144
145	145
146	146
147	147	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
148	148	hb6529-00
149	149	Page 5 of 5
150	150	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
151	151
152	152	balance of $400,000 remains unpaid, NOW, THEREFORE, 101
153	153	102
154	154	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 103
155	155	104
156	156	Section 1. The facts stated in the preamble to this act 105
157	157	are found and declared to be true. 106
158	158	Section 2. Hillsborough County is authorized and directed 107
159	159	to appropriate from funds of the county not otherwise encumbered 108
160	160	and draw a warrant in the sum of $400,000 payable to Stephany 109
161	161	Grullon, as parent and guardian of J.N., to be placed in a trust 110
162	162	created for the exclusive use and benefit of J.N. for injuries 111
163	163	and damages sustained. 112
164	164	Section 3. The amount paid by Hillsborough County pursuant 113
165	165	to s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, and the amount awarded under 114
166	166	this act are intended to provide the sole compensation for al l 115
167	167	present and future claims arising out of the factual situation 116
168	168	described in this act which resulted in injuries and damages to 117
169	169	J.N. The total amount paid for attorney fees and costs, lobbying 118
170	170	fees, and other similar expenses relating to this claim may no t 119
171	171	exceed 25 percent of the total amount awarded under this act. 120
172	172	Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 121