Bill > S0020

Introduced Session

An act for the relief of J.N., a minor, by Hillsborough County; providing an appropriation to Stephany Grullon, as parent and guardian of J.N., to compensate J.N. for injuries and damages she sustained as a result of the negligence of Hillsborough County in maintaining sidewalks and culvert systems; providing a limitation on compensation and the payment of certain fees and costs; providing an effective date. WHEREAS, on the afternoon of June 7, 2019, J.N., then 11 years of age, was riding her bicycle, accompanied by her mother’s fiancé, Gabriel Soto, on a sidewalk located along the east side of East Bay Road and adjacent to the East Bay Lakes subdivision in Gibsonton, and WHEREAS, the sidewalk is owned and maintained by Hillsborough County, and WHEREAS, J.N. was wearing her helmet while riding her bicycle when her bicycle wheel hit an uneven area of the concrete slab sidewalk, causing her to lose control of her bicycle and tumble down a steep slope next to the sidewalk, and WHEREAS, J.N. careened face forward over the bicycle’s handlebars into a concrete and corrugated metal drainage culvert pipe and lacerated portions of her gums, fractured her jaw, and avulsed multiple adult teeth, and WHEREAS, J.N. was rushed to the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan that revealed fractures of the nasal bone, the maxilla, and the superior alveolus, and WHEREAS, the severity of her injuries required plastic surgery intervention, and on June 8, 2019, J.N. underwent a surgical procedure consisting of exploration and removal of the gingiva impacted into her nasal structures and into the upper maxilla, repair of the midline laceration of her upper lip, and repair of her gingiva and lower lip vermilion, and WHEREAS, on June 14, 2019, J.N. underwent a second surgery consisting of a closed reduction of her nasal fracture, and WHEREAS, on February 20, 2021, J.N. was seen by Pediatric Epilepsy and Neurology Specialists due to headaches that she experienced as frequently as once or twice a week and which had first started shortly after the accident, and WHEREAS, on March 16, 2022, J.N. was seen by an oral surgeon at the Moffett Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center, during which time she was informed that she would need a bone graft and eventually an implant, and WHEREAS, J.N. has to wait for her bones to finish growing before Dr. Moffett can proceed with the bone graft, which he expects will be when J.N. is 16 or 17 years old, and WHEREAS, after J.N. heals from her bone graft, Moffett Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center will then begin the process for implants and, eventually, crowns, and WHEREAS, along with the medical treatment and bills associated with this injury, J.N. has suffered intangible and emotional losses, has experienced an extreme loss of self esteem, and struggles socially with her peers, and WHEREAS, Hillsborough County was on notice that the same section of sidewalk where J.N. had her accident was in need of repair and replacement as early as October 7, 2015, as evidenced by the filing of a work request order, and WHEREAS, in 2016, Juan Olivero Lopez, a Hillsborough County maintenance supervisor responsible for sidewalk maintenance, stated that he was directed by the county to inspect the sidewalk, and WHEREAS, Juan Olivero Lopez further stated that, in response to the work request order, the South Service Unit performed a physical inspection of the sidewalk before the date of the accident, but that repairs to make the sidewalk safe were never performed, and WHEREAS, the drainage ditch and culvert system located next to the sidewalk were also in need of maintenance and repair, as evidenced by the extensive deterioration of the concrete and corrugated metal drainage culvert pipe, which had become jagged and rusted, and WHEREAS, Hillsborough County employee William Cox, a civil engineer responsible for drainage culvert replacement and planning, stated that he was not responsible for the maintenance of the culvert, and WHEREAS, Juan Olivero Lopez stated that, in his capacity as a maintenance supervisor of the South Service Unit, he was not responsible for the maintenance of the culvert, and WHEREAS, clearly there was a gap in assigning or accepting responsibility for maintenance of the culvert, and the resulting failure to repair the drainage ditch and culvert system, coupled with the failure to repair or replace the sidewalk, contributed to the severity of J.N.’s injuries, and WHEREAS, J.N.’s parent and guardian, Stephany Grullon, and Hillsborough County entered into a settlement and release agreement on September 20, 2022, in which the county agreed to pay Stephany Grullon $600,000 to settle all claims, and WHEREAS, Hillsborough County paid $200,000, the sovereign immunity limit under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, to Stephany Grullon within 20 days after entering into the settlement and release agreement, and WHEREAS, Hillsborough County acknowledged and agreed not to oppose a legislative claims bill that would be filed during the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature or in a subsequent legislative session for the additional $400,000, and WHEREAS, the $200,000 statutory limit under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, has been paid to Stephany Grullon, but the balance of $400,000 remains unpaid, NOW, THEREFORE,

Committee Categories

Danny Burgess (R)*, 

Chapter No. 2025-219 (on 07/08/2025)

Official Document