While Florida car accident lawyers have been waiting to see if the legislature extends Florida’s Personal Injury Protection Laws (also known as “Florida No-Fault”) during the upcoming special legislative session, legislative leaders have made a surprise announcement. Unable to agree on how to cut more than $1-billion in spending, the legislature has called off plans to hold a three-week special session later this month. The cancellation of the session appears to ensure the death of Florida’s No-Fault insurance laws which will automatically expire on October 1, 2007.

According to media reports, Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio issued a joint statement that downplayed differences while acknowledging the obvious. “The common denominator for productive special sessions is an initial agreement on a framework for action,” they said. “This is even more critical when dealing with the difficult actions associated with budget reductions.”

With legislators busy with the budget issue, it is likely that car insurance will take a backseat. Sadly, this reflects the inadequate attention that has been paid to this critical issue which affects so many Florida families each year. While we will continue to monitor this situation, currently there is no evidence that circumstances will change in time to preserve Florida No-Fault insurance laws.