A woman who suffered permanent nerve damage nine years ago when a Miami-Dade gate arm struck her has been cleared to receive the remainder of an $800,000 settlement with the county under legislation Gov. Ron DeSantis just approved.
DeSantis this week signed HB 6515 by Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta to authorize the payment to Lourdes Latour and her husband, Edward, for a 2017 accident in which Miami-Dade accepted liability.
All but one lawmaker — Pensacola Republican Sen. Don Gaetz — supported the legislation, which Sarasota Republican Sen. Joe Gruters carried in the Senate.
HB 6515 is a claims bill, a special classification of legislation intended to compensate a person or entity for injury or loss due to the negligence or error of a public officer or agency.
Claims bills arise when the damages a claimant seeks are above the thresholds set in Florida’s sovereign immunity law, which today caps payouts at $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.
On Nov. 5, 2017, Latour was struck and thrown from her bicycle by a malfunctioning gate arm while exiting the Gables by the Sea community. She and her husband sued Miami-Dade in 2018, claiming the county was negligent in owning, operating and maintaining the gate.
A jury found Miami-Dade 100% liable in January 2025, awarding the couple more than $4.9 million in damages for long-term pain and suffering, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, loss of companionship and service.
Because of Florida’s liability limits for government entities, the parties ultimately settled for $800,000, with $300,000 paid directly by the county under Florida’s restrictive law and $500,000 contingent on approval of a claims bill.
State lawmakers in March approved raising the payout caps to $500,000 per person and $1 million per incident. DeSantis has since received the measure, sponsored by Sarasota Republican Rep. Fiona McFarland, though it remains to be seen if the Governor signs or vetoes it.
HB 6515 was among 15 bills DeSantis signed Thursday and became effective upon receiving the Governor’s autograph.
It was one of five claims bills the Legislature passed this year.
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