Measure to end assigning insurance benefits to auto glass repair companies moves
Rep. Philip “Griff” Griffitts, Jr.
A bipartisan “tort reform” measure that would prevent motorists from assigning their insurance benefits to auto-glass repair companies is headed to the House floor.
The House Commerce Committee voted April 10 to approve HB 541 by Rep. Philip “Griff” Griffitts, Jr., R-Panama City. A companion, SB 1002 by Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, cleared the Rules Committee the following day.
Griffitts told the committee that the proposal is necessary to close a loophole in Florida law that has allowed auto-glass related lawsuits to zoom from a relative handful in 2011 to 37,000 last year.
“We have a litigation problem in this state,” Griffitts said. “When these people sign these forms, they do not know what they are getting into.”
In addition to banning “AOB” for auto-glass repairs, the measure would require repair shops to notify customers whether calibration or recalibration of “ADAS” — advanced driver assistance systems — is necessary.
Unscrupulous repair shops are charging for an unnecessary service, or one they don’t perform, Griffitts said.
Another provision would permit auto insurers to offer deductibles of up to $250 for windshield repair.
Jimmy Patronis
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis told the panel that not long after he took office, he was approached by an auto-glass repair solicitor operating from a booth at the Tampa Fair Grounds.
Patronis said the solicitor asked him about his insurance carrier and assured him he could get a chipped windshield replaced for free.
“Unfortunately, there’s a loophole in Florida statutes that allows these guys to operate,” Patronis said. “It’s taking advantage of the system.”
The measure would prohibit a “non-employee” of an auto-glass repair company who is compensated for soliciting insurance claims from making such offers, according to a staff analysis.
Representatives from State Farm, Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau support the measure.
