We’ve seen our fair share of Florida lawsuits on this website. The ant bites. Even a donkey.
But what about the state’s lawsuit system as a whole? The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform just released the 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the States. Where does the Sunshine State’s climate rank against the rest of the country? Not great. It’s all the way down at 46. (The city of Miami ranked in the ten worst jurisdictions in the nation.)
But sunnier days lie ahead for Florida’s lawsuit climate. Gov. DeSantis and the state legislature have passed strong legal reform legislation this year. And the state’s Supreme Court has been transformed, thanks to the governor’s appointment of new justices.
Florida has more work to do, but the future of its lawsuit climate is sunny.
Which is good, because a state’s lawsuit climate has real impact on its economy. According to the lawsuit climate survey, 89% of A record 89 percent of survey respondents said a state’s lawsuit environment is likely to impact their company’s decisions about where to locate or do business
Right now, Floridians feel an economic impact due to excessive lawsuits. Recent research shows that each Florida household’s yearly share of the state’s tort system was $4,442 in 2016. That’s 3.6% of the state’s GDP.
The 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the States is the 12th time The Harris Poll has conducted the survey since 2002 for the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. The final results are based on interviews in-house general counsel, senior litigators or attorneys, and other senior executives at public and private companies with annual revenue of at least $100 million.
Read more about the survey here.
