Bill > S0096

Introduced Session

An act for the relief of Jacob Rodgers by the City of Gainesville; providing for an appropriation to compensate Jacob Rodgers for injuries sustained as a result of the negligence of an employee of the City of Gainesville; providing a limitation on compensation and the payment of attorney fees; providing an effective date. WHEREAS, on October 7, 2015, Jacob Rodgers was a passenger in a vehicle when it was struck by a vehicle owned by the City of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, and operated by an employee, and WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, employee ran a stop sign and struck the side of the vehicle occupied by Mr. Rodgers, and WHEREAS, Mr. Rodgers, who was 20 years old at the time, sustained catastrophic injuries, including spinal fractures that resulted in Mr. Rodgers becoming a paraplegic, which will require him to receive supervised medical care, home health care, future medical care, and other services in the future, and WHEREAS, Mr. Rodgers brought suit against the City of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, in the Circuit Court of the Eighth Judicial Circuit in and for Alachua County under case number 2016-CA-000659, and WHEREAS, the suit was tried before an Alachua County jury, and the jury found the City of Gainesville 100 percent at fault and assessed total damages of $120 million, and WHEREAS, the trial court ordered a remittitur, which resulted in a final judgment of $18,319,181.20, and WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville appealed the final judgment, resulting in Mr. Rodgers agreeing to the remittitur of $18,319,181.20 and the City of Gainesville obtaining a new trial on the issue of comparative negligence of Mr. Rodgers, and the damage award of $18,319,181.20 was not reversed by the trial court, and WHEREAS, the parties mediated the case pursuant to a court order and reached a settlement agreement that the City of Gainesville, d/b/a Gainesville Regional Utilities, would consent to a final judgment of $11 million, and WHEREAS, the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority board adopted and approved the settlement agreement, and WHEREAS, the City of Gainesville paid the statutory limit of $200,000 under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, NOW, THEREFORE,

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Mack Bernard (D)*, 

Laid on Table, refer to HB 6521 (on 04/28/2025)

Official Document