House Bill 0939

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 939

        By the Committee on Claims and Representatives Cantens and
    Ritter





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Miami-Dade County; providing

  3         for the relief of Ana Quintana-Marquez and Juan

  4         Marquez, her husband; providing for an

  5         appropriation to compensate them for injuries

  6         and damages sustained as a result of a

  7         collision with a Miami-Dade police car;

  8         providing an effective date.

  9

10         WHEREAS, on November 6, 1996, a Miami-Dade County

11  police car, while in pursuit of a traffic offender, made an

12  illegal turn at the intersection of N.W. 25th Street and N.W.

13  67th Avenue in Dade County, and the police vehicle collided

14  with an automobile that was being driven by Ana

15  Quintana-Marquez, and

16         WHEREAS, as a result of the collision, Ana

17  Quintana-Marquez suffered severe injuries, including blunt

18  abdominal trauma, anterior chest and upper extremity

19  contusions, multiple fractures, and two perforations of her

20  colon which were so severe that they necessitated a colostomy

21  and subsequent surgery that removed her entire colon and part

22  of her small intestine, and

23         WHEREAS, Ana Quintana-Marquez has been in pain from the

24  time of the accident forward, has sustained extensive scarring

25  and embarrassment as a result of the accident, and has been

26  rendered unable to participate in normal daily interaction

27  with her two toddlers, as well as being rendered unable to

28  perform other normal daily activities such as swimming and

29  easily going up or down stairs, and

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 939

    176-130-99






  1         WHEREAS, mediation between Miami-Dade County and Ana

  2  Quintana-Marquez took place on April 20, 1998, and produced an

  3  agreement to settle the matter for $575,000, and

  4         WHEREAS, the county subsequently approved that

  5  settlement and, on May 18, 1998, the parties entered into a

  6  stipulation of settlement embodying the mediation agreement,

  7  and

  8         WHEREAS, the stipulation of settlement specified that

  9  the county would, by May 28, 1998, pay to Ana Quintana-Marquez

10  and Juan Marquez, her husband, the sum of $200,000, which is

11  the statutory limit payable without a claim bill, and

12         WHEREAS, the remaining sum payable to Ana

13  Quintana-Marquez and Juan Marquez is $375,000, NOW, THEREFORE,

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15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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17         Section 1.  The facts stated in the preamble to this

18  act are found and declared to be true.

19         Section 2.  Miami-Dade County is authorized and

20  directed to appropriate from funds of the county not otherwise

21  appropriated and to draw a warrant in the sum of $375,000

22  payable to Ana Quintana-Marquez and Juan Marquez, her husband,

23  to compensate them for injuries and damages sustained as a

24  result of a collision between a Miami-Dade police car and a

25  vehicle operated by Ana Quintana-Marquez.

26         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

27  law.

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