Florida Workers’ Advocates Statement on Passage of Workers' Comp Bill

Mark Touby, President of Florida Workers’ Advocates, issued the following statement today:
“The Florida House has once again struck out on an important opportunity to bring meaningful rate reform and transparency to the many businesses required to pay workers’ compensation insurance in Florida. After hearing doom-and-gloom warnings from the insurance industry last year that the sky was falling and rates needed a double-digit increase, those misleading claims have now been proven to be false and we are whiplashed by a nearly double-digit decrease in rates. This rollercoaster ride of rates is indisputably bad for Florida’s businesses, and the legislation approved by the Florida House today turns the workers’ compensation grand bargain into a grand illusion.”
“This bill will ultimately hurt Florida’s businesses by delaying and denying the care their injured workers receive, while lining the pockets of the insurance industry. We will continue to advocate for policies that bring rate stability for businesses, increase transparency and competition in the ratemaking process, and enhance benefits for injured workers so they can return to productivity as quickly as possible.”