Relief/Estate of Danielle Maudsley/Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles:
HB 6537 is a claims bill that seeks to compensate the Estate of Danielle Maudsley for injuries and death arising from a 2011 arrest and processing incident involving the Florida Highway Patrol and Trooper Daniel Cole. The bill recites that Ms. Maudsley, while handcuffed and attempting to flee a substation, was struck by an electronic control device, suffered catastrophic brain injury, remained in a vegetative state until her death in 2013, and later reached a settlement in which the state’s statutory liability payment of $200,000 was made but the remaining $1.75 million was still owed under the agreement.
The bill appropriates $1.75 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for payment to the estate, less any outstanding Medicaid liens related to Ms. Maudsley’s care. It also directs the Chief Financial Officer to issue the payment and states that the amount paid under existing sovereign-immunity limits plus the amount awarded by the bill is intended to be the sole compensation for all present and future claims arising from the incident. Attorney fees are capped at 25 percent of the award.
The bill’s impact would be limited to this specific private relief claim rather than broad changes to Florida law. It would authorize a one-time appropriation from state funds to satisfy the remaining balance of a settlement involving state law enforcement conduct, while leaving the general framework of section 768.28, Florida Statutes, intact. The measure also addresses Medicaid lien reimbursement and finality of claims tied to the incident.
The general sentiment reflected in the bill text is sympathetic to the estate and supportive of fulfilling the unpaid portion of the settlement, but the bill’s procedural outcome suggests limited legislative support or prioritization. HB 6537 died in the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee, indicating that it did not advance through the committee process.
The main point of contention is likely the use of public funds to pay a large private claim arising from alleged negligence by a state trooper and agency, especially beyond the normal sovereign-immunity cap. The bill’s reliance on a special appropriation, the size of the remaining payment, and the fact that the underlying incident involved law enforcement use of force are the most likely sources of debate.
The bill would create a one-time, claim-specific appropriation of $1.75 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, payable to the Estate of Danielle Maudsley after deduction of any outstanding Medicaid liens. It would not amend Florida’s general tort or sovereign-immunity statutes, but it would operate as a private relief act overriding the ordinary payment limits in section 768.28, Florida Statutes, for this single claim and would cap related attorney fees at 25 percent of the award.
The bill appears to have been introduced in a sympathetic posture toward the estate, with the text emphasizing the severity of Ms. Maudsley’s injuries, the prior settlement, and the unpaid balance owed. At the same time, the absence of recorded votes or committee discussion and the fact that the bill died in the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee suggest it did not generate sufficient legislative momentum to advance. Overall, the sentiment is best characterized as supportive in purpose but unsuccessful in the legislative process.
The likely controversy centers on whether the state should pay an additional $1.75 million in public funds for a claim involving alleged negligence by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, especially where the state had already paid the statutory maximum under sovereign-immunity limits. Opponents may view the bill as an exception to normal liability rules and a use of taxpayer money for a single private settlement, while supporters would emphasize the seriousness of the injuries, the prior settlement terms, and the need to satisfy the remaining balance owed to the estate.