Florida House Bill H6539

Florida 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/24/25
• Refer: 3/2/25
• Failed: 6/16/25

Caption

Relief/Max Giannikos/City of Clearwater

Summary

HB 6539 is a claims bill that provides relief to Max Giannikos by authorizing the City of Clearwater to pay a specified sum as compensation for injuries and damages arising from a pedestrian crash at the Gulf to Bay Boulevard and U.S. Highway 19 intersection in Clearwater. The bill’s findings recount that a malfunctioning pedestrian signal allegedly left Giannikos and his family without a safe crossing option, leading them to cross in traffic where he was struck and catastrophically injured. The preamble also describes the resulting medical treatment, long-term impairments, and the jury verdict and amended judgment entered in the underlying lawsuit. The bill directs the City of Clearwater to appropriate and pay $16,037,182.50, plus agreed interest at 9.46 percent annually as calculated by the trial court, to Giannikos. It also limits attorney fees to no more than 25 percent of the total amount awarded under the act and states that the payment under the bill, together with amounts already paid under section 768.28, Florida Statutes, is intended to be the sole compensation for all present and future claims arising from the incident. The act takes effect upon becoming law.

Impact

This bill creates a special, claimant-specific appropriation obligation for the City of Clearwater and functions as a private relief act overriding the normal limits on governmental liability recovery for this case. It does not amend the general tort claims framework in section 768.28, Florida Statutes, but instead authorizes payment of an excess judgment amount, plus interest, tied to the specific facts and court findings in Giannikos’s lawsuit. The bill also caps attorney fees for this claim and bars additional recovery for the same incident beyond the amounts described in the act.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly sympathetic to the claimant and supportive of compensation, with extensive findings emphasizing the severity of the injuries, the city’s alleged notice of the defect, and the long-term consequences for Giannikos and his family. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or debate in the available context. The bill’s framing suggests a remedial purpose focused on fairness and redress after a jury found substantial damages and a municipal share of fault.

Contention

The main point of contention inherent in the bill is the size of the payment and the decision to require a local government appropriation for an excess judgment, especially given the jury’s comparative negligence finding that assigned 55 percent fault to Giannikos. Another likely issue is the role of the insurer’s refusal to settle within policy limits, since the bill attributes the excess exposure to that decision and seeks to shift the remaining financial burden to the City of Clearwater. The attorney-fee cap and the statement that the act provides sole compensation may also be points of interest, but no explicit opposition is documented in the provided materials.