House Bill hb0361

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 361

        By Representative Diaz de la Portilla






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Miami-Dade County; providing

  3         for the relief of Millie Jackson; providing for

  4         an appropriation to compensate her for injuries

  5         and damages sustained as a result of negligent

  6         acts by an employee of Miami-Dade County;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8

  9         WHEREAS, on December 7, 1999, Millie Jackson was a

10  passenger on a bus operated by Miami-Dade County, and

11         WHEREAS, the bus on which she was a passenger collided

12  with a police vehicle that also was owned by Miami-Dade

13  County, and

14         WHEREAS, an extensive investigation of the collision

15  concluded that the bus operator failed to exercise caution,

16  for which the operator was cited for running a red light, and

17         WHEREAS, as a result of that collision, the officer

18  operating the police vehicle was killed and Millie Jackson

19  sustained injuries for which she received emergency treatment

20  following the collision, and

21         WHEREAS, Millie Jackson has continued to undergo

22  treatment for her injuries, including neck, shoulder, and low

23  back pain radiating into her right arm and leg, lumbar pain,

24  sacroiliac joint pain, and a herniated disc, by both a

25  chiropractic physician and a neurologist, and

26         WHEREAS, the treating neurologist has attributed Millie

27  Jackson's ongoing medical condition to the injuries sustained

28  in the collision, and

29         WHEREAS, as a result of the collision, Millie Jackson

30  has sustained both medical expenses and loss of earnings, and

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 361

    737-119-02






  1         WHEREAS, Millie Jackson did not have available

  2  insurance coverage to pay these medical expenses, for which

  3  the bills remain outstanding, and

  4         WHEREAS, prior to trial, Millie Jackson and Miami-Dade

  5  County reached a settlement, and

  6         WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County affirmatively supports a

  7  claim bill in favor of Millie Jackson in the amount of

  8  $35,000, NOW, THEREFORE,

  9

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

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

13  act are found and declared to be true.

14         Section 2.  Miami-Dade County is authorized and

15  directed to appropriate from funds of the county not otherwise

16  appropriated and to draw a warrant in the sum of $35,000,

17  which amount includes statutory attorney's fees and costs,

18  payable to Millie Jackson as compensation for injuries and

19  damages she sustained as the result of the negligence of an

20  employee of Miami-Dade County.

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

22  law.

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