League urges caution on increasing sovereign-immunity caps, opposes language that would remove limits

City officials told the Palm Beach County legislative delegation on Dec. 15 they support reasonable increases to sovereign-immunity caps but oppose language that could remove practical limits on liability.

Andrea McKeown, city manager of Greenacres and a member of the Florida League of Cities’ municipal-operations committee, summarized current Florida caps "as you know" and stated: "Currently, caps are $200,000 per person, $300,000 per incident." She said the Palm Beach County League supports modest adjustments to reflect inflation but objected to House Bill 145 insofar as it contains language that would allow local governments to settle claims above the statutory limits without a claims bill.

"Essentially, this means that there is no cap," McKeown said, explaining the League's opposition to that provision. She told the delegation an inflation analysis shows 2011 caps roughly equate to $288,000 per person and $452,000 per incident, and the League would support more modest increases (she suggested roughly $300,000 per person and $500,000 per incident as reasonable targets).

Delegation members asked about sponsors and amendment strategies. The League said it had not identified a Senate sponsor at the time of the meeting and urged collaboration to find acceptable compromise figures. The League also requested removal of the settlement-language provision so municipalities would remain protected by predictable statutory limits rather than open-ended settlement authority.

There was no formal action at the workshop. The League agreed to continue discussions with the delegation and to provide follow-up information and suggested cap figures for lawmakers to consider.