If you’ve read that Florida repealed PIP or ended the “free kill” law in 2026, that’s not true. Both bills were filed, both got real attention, and both died before the session ended on March 13, 2026. The only injury-law change that actually took effect in 2026 is a narrow court rule about how settlement offers are worded, nothing that changes what your case is worth or how long you have to file.
Here’s what’s real, what isn’t, and why the confusion keeps spreading.
The One Thing That Actually Changed
On January 1, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court’s amendments in case SC2025-0045 took effect. They touched Rule 1.442, which governs proposals for settlement, the formal offer that can shift who pays attorney’s fees if a case goes to trial. The update clarifies how a joint settlement offer has to be worded when it’s aimed at more than one defendant.
That’s it. It’s a rule for how attorneys draft certain paperwork. It doesn’t touch your deadline to file, how much you can recover, or whether you’re covered by PIP. If you’re not an attorney, you probably don’t need to think about this one at all.
PIP Was Not Repealed
Two bills tried to end Florida’s no-fault insurance system this year. Senate Bill 522 died in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. Its House companion, House Bill 769, died the same day in a House subcommittee. Neither bill got a floor vote in either chamber.
March 13, 2026 was the last day of the session. In Florida, a bill still sitting in committee when the session ends is dead. There’s no coming back for it this year.
So everything that governed a car accident claim in 2025 still governs one today. That means the $10,000 PIP limit is still there. The 14-day rule, get treated within two weeks of the crash or lose your PIP medical benefits, is still there. The rule that only pays 80% of your medical bills and 60% of lost wages is still there too.
If you’ve made any decisions about your insurance or your case based on hearing PIP was gone, it’s worth double-checking that with someone who actually knows your situation.
The “Free Kill” Law Is Also Still On the Books
Florida has a provision in its Wrongful Death Act, often called the “free kill” law, that blocks certain families from recovering damages for grief and loss when a death is caused by medical negligence. It applies to parents of an adult child (25 or older) and to adult children of a parent who died at 25 or older.
A bill to remove that restriction, House Bill 6003, actually made it further than most repeal efforts do. It passed the House. Then it stalled in the Senate and never got a floor vote before the session ended. So the restriction stands exactly as it did last year.
If your family has lost someone to a medical error and you fall into one of those categories, this is genuinely worth a real conversation with an attorney, there are sometimes paths forward even when this provision applies, depending on the specific facts.
Why Everyone Keeps Getting the Year Wrong
Most of what people call a “2026 change” actually happened earlier. Here’s where the real dates land.
The two-year filing deadline. If you’ve heard Florida’s statute of limitations for injury cases changed to two years, that’s true, but it happened in 2023, not 2026. House Bill 837 cut the deadline from four years to two. Nothing in 2026 touched it. This is the single most important number in this whole article: two years, and it’s been two years since 2023.
Shared fault rules. The same 2023 law also changed how fault-sharing works. If you’re found more than 50% responsible for your own accident, you can’t recover anything. Below that line, your payout just gets reduced by your share of the blame. Also unchanged in 2026.
The 60-day disclosure rule. You may have seen this described as new in 2026 too. It’s from 2025, a separate set of Florida Supreme Court rule changes that took effect January 1 of that year, requiring both sides in a lawsuit to hand over key evidence within 60 days of the case being filed, without anyone having to ask for it first.
The pattern is pretty simple once you notice it. A bill gets filed, it makes news, it moves through a committee, it makes more news. Then it quietly dies, and nobody writes an article about that part. What’s left online is a pile of confident writing about a law that never actually took effect.
What This Actually Means If You Were Hurt in Florida
- You still have two years to file, and that clock started the day you were injured. Nothing has extended it.
- PIP still applies. See a doctor within 14 days or you risk losing those benefits for good.
- If a family member died from a medical error, the free-kill restriction may still limit what you can recover, but talk to someone before assuming your case is closed off.
- Cases are moving a little faster than they used to, thanks to the 2025 disclosure rules. That’s a reason to bring in a lawyer early rather than waiting.
None of this replaces a real conversation about your specific case. Deadlines, coverage, and fault all come down to facts a general article like this one can’t know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Florida repeal PIP insurance in 2026?
No. Senate Bill 522 and House Bill 769 both died in committee on March 13, 2026, the last day of the legislative session. Florida’s no-fault insurance requirements are unchanged.
Did Florida repeal the free kill law in 2026?
No. House Bill 6003 passed the Florida House but stalled in the Senate without a floor vote. The restriction on recovering damages in certain medical malpractice death cases is still in effect.
Is the statute of limitations for a Florida injury claim still two years?
Yes. That deadline came from a 2023 law, not anything passed in 2026. Most negligence claims still need to be filed within two years of the injury.
What was the actual court rule change in 2026?
A narrow amendment to Rule 1.442, covering how joint settlement offers to multiple defendants have to be worded. It’s a procedural detail attorneys handle, it doesn’t affect deadlines or how much a case is worth.
Why do so many articles claim Florida made big changes in 2026?
Mostly because bills get covered when they’re filed and when they move through committees, and that coverage rarely gets corrected once the bill quietly dies. A real reform from January 2025 also gets restated as “new” a year later simply because it’s still recent.
This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for advice about your specific situation. If you’ve been injured in Florida, People For Law can connect you with the right attorney, and talk to our Personal Injury attorneys in Winter Park for a free case review.