Relief/Eric Miles, Jr., and Jennifer Miles/South Broward Hospital District
H6525 is a claim bill that provides a special appropriation to compensate Eric Miles, Jr. and Jennifer Miles, as copersonal representatives of their late minor son, E.E.M., for injuries and damages allegedly caused by the negligence of the South Broward Hospital District, doing business as Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. The bill recounts the child’s emergency department visits beginning in December 2017, the alleged failure to timely diagnose and treat a small bowel obstruction, the resulting bowel perforation, sepsis, multiple surgeries, and long-term catastrophic injuries. It also notes that E.E.M. later died in 2023.
The bill authorizes the South Broward Hospital District to pay $200,000 from unencumbered funds to the Miles family. It further states that the amount paid under Florida’s sovereign immunity statute, section 768.28, Florida Statutes, plus the amount awarded by this act, are intended to be the sole compensation for all present and future claims arising from the incident. The bill also caps attorney fees at 25 percent of the total amount awarded.
In practical terms, the bill creates a narrow exception to the general limits on governmental liability by directing a local public hospital district to make an additional payment beyond the statutory damages already paid. It affects the South Broward Hospital District specifically and does not amend the broader medical malpractice or sovereign immunity framework, but it does operate within Florida’s claims bill process under section 768.28.
The general sentiment reflected in the voting history appears strongly supportive and noncontroversial. The bill passed the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee unanimously, 18-0, and the House Judiciary Committee unanimously, 19-0. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the settlement language in the bill indicates the hospital district itself supports the claim bill.
The main point of contention, insofar as one exists, is the underlying allegation that hospital staff failed to properly evaluate, diagnose, and treat a serious pediatric bowel obstruction, leading to severe injury and death. The bill itself does not present competing arguments, but the relief sought is based on a medical negligence claim against a public hospital district and the use of taxpayer or public hospital funds to satisfy an additional award.
The bill directs the South Broward Hospital District to appropriate and pay $200,000 to the Miles family as compensation for the injuries and damages described in the act. It confirms that the payment already made under section 768.28, Florida Statutes, plus the amount awarded by the bill, will be the exclusive compensation for claims arising from the incident, and it limits attorney fees to 25 percent of the award. The bill does not broadly change Florida tort law, but it authorizes a one-time legislative remedy against a public entity beyond the ordinary statutory cap.
The available voting history shows clear bipartisan or at least unanimous committee support, with 18-0 and 19-0 votes in the relevant House committees. That suggests the bill was viewed as a sympathetic and straightforward claims measure rather than a controversial policy proposal. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials, along with the hospital district’s reported support for the claim bill, indicates a generally favorable sentiment.
The central issue underlying the bill is whether the South Broward Hospital District and its providers negligently failed to diagnose and treat E.E.M.’s bowel obstruction in time, resulting in catastrophic injury and eventual death. Any contention would likely focus on medical negligence, causation, and the appropriateness of using a claim bill to provide additional compensation after the statutory limit was paid. However, the provided legislative record shows no active committee opposition, and the settlement agreement suggests the parties resolved the dispute before the bill advanced.