Overwhelming majority of Floridians want to slash trial attorney pay

Floridians across the political spectrum think trial lawyers need a pay cut, new polling shows.

A new survey from the Associated Industries of Florida Center for Political Strategy found 83% of voters support capping personal injury attorneys’ fees at 20% of the money awarded to a plaintiff, including 59% who say they “strongly approve” of the measure, which AIF contends would lower the incentive for attorneys to pursue “frivolous lawsuits.”

Support for the cap cuts across nearly every political and demographic line — 85% of White voters, 79% of Black voters, and 79% of Hispanic voters support the proposal, as do 86% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats and 82% of third- and no-party voters.

Broken down by age, approval is highest among seniors (87%), with a substantial majority of younger voters (72%) also on board. Support is also high within each of Florida’s dozen media markets, ranging from 74% in West Palm Beach to 93% in Fort Myers.

“For too long, a handful of Florida trial lawyers have gamed the system at the expense of hardworking Floridians and small businesses, raking in colossal payouts while their clients keep a small fraction of the damages won,” AIF Vice President of Political Operations Jeremy Sheftel said.

“Florida voters overwhelmingly support placing common-sense limitations on the payouts received by personal injury trial lawyers so plaintiffs can keep more of the damages won, which will reduce the incentive for lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits – protecting small businesses from unpredictable legal costs and reducing the burden on consumers who ultimately foot the bill for inflated legal costs.”

The AIF poll was conducted Aug. 25-27 by McLaughlin & Associates. The sample consisted of 800 likely General Election voters and had a margin of error of ±3.5 %.

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