Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a planned veto of a medical malpractice bill, and Florida police conduct a large-scale raid with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
DeSantis announces veto of a bipartisan medical malpractice bill
There was a significant announcement from Gov. Ron DeSantis today in Fort Myers. The governor said he will veto House Bill 6017.
That bill, which was passed by both the House and Senate during this year’s legislative session, would have repealed a state law blocking some people from filing lawsuits if their family member dies as a result of medical malpractice.
Here’s why the governor said he made this decision:
“I think if this bill became law, I do think the cost would be borne by the physicians, who would potentially flee the state to people that wouldn’t have as much access to a car, and also to the cost that would go up as a result of it. And you know, we consulted a lot of folks that are involved in the health care sector, and I think it was pretty much unanimous that the way this current bill was structured would not have a positive impact on health care in Florida, and could potentially have some really significant negative impacts."
Democratic state Rep. Johanna Lopez was a co-sponsor of the bipartisan bill and said she’s disappointed in the governor’s veto decision.
“Every year I have constituents in my office, a lot of constituents, even in the office, emails, even in calls, talking about incidents that happen in the hospital for medical negligence," she said. "And I see these families over and over, going to Tallahassee, advocating for the repeal for years, for years. So, for me, it’s the due diligence, we have to represent our constituents. And these families, they’re not looking for any type of monetary compensation. They’re advocating for our current constituents and the future of Floridians, so this situation that happened to them never happens again."
Lopez says she has filed a version of this bill three years in a row, and the fact that this version passed both chambers is evidence that her colleagues support the proposal.
She said she expects to file a version of this bill again next session.
When the bill was taken up in the Florida Legislature, it passed with a significant majority: 104 to 6 in the House, and 33 to 4 in the Senate.
Those majorities are large enough to potentially override the governor’s veto, but it is unclear if that is a step lawmakers might take.
Florida law enforcement takes part in large-scale immigration raid in Tallahassee
Law enforcement officials have conducted a large-scale raid in Tallahassee where more than 100 illegal immigrants were arrested. The raid happened in a very popular area of town, just blocks away from Florida State University.
Not only was there a very large police presence, but the raid also drew a pretty sizable crowd of students and locals.
State and federal officials Thursday performed what could be the largest known immigration raid yet in North Florida.
“Police surrounded the whole building, all the corners, and then they start barging in and telling people to show your papers, show your notification. Some people started to run away, and they just tackled them to the ground like nothing,” Construction worker Leonardo Garcia said.
The operation lasted several hours, with police loading migrants into buses.
“I know a few of them. Some. Some — one of them was my uncle," Garcia said. "He just got — he just got here a couple of years ago on his work permit, and they just took him."
Thursday’s operation comes as state and federal law enforcement partner to conduct raids across the state.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a statement on the activity.
“U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation served multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation in the Tallahassee region. There is no additional information available at this time,” ICE spokesperson Mike Meares said.
Neither state police nor federal officials announced exactly how many people were detained as part of that operation. However, three buses had departed the site by mid-afternoon.
According to witnesses and family members on the scene, many of those arrested at the site came from places like Mexico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.