Senate Bill sb2524

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2524

    By Senator Baker





    24-1331-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to construction contracts;

  3         amending s. 725.06, F.S.; deleting certain

  4         exceptions to the prohibition against certain

  5         indemnification or hold-harmless agreements or

  6         agreements to insure certain other parties in

  7         construction contracts; providing an exception

  8         for certain public utilities and other public

  9         agencies; providing an effective date.

10  

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

12  

13         Section 1.  Section 725.06, Florida Statutes, is

14  amended to read:

15         725.06  Construction contracts; limitation on

16  indemnification.--

17         (1)  Except as provided in subsection (3), any portion

18  of any agreement or contract for or in connection with, or any

19  guarantee of or in connection with, any construction,

20  alteration, repair, or demolition of a building, structure,

21  appurtenance, or appliance, including moving and excavating

22  associated therewith, between an owner of real property and an

23  architect, engineer, general contractor, subcontractor,

24  sub-subcontractor, or materialman or any combination thereof

25  wherein any party referred to herein promises to indemnify or

26  hold harmless the other party to the agreement, contract, or

27  guarantee for liability for damages to persons or property

28  caused in whole or in part by any act, omission, or default of

29  the indemnitee arising from the contract or its performance,

30  shall be void and unenforceable. unless the contract contains

31  a monetary limitation on the extent of the indemnification

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2524
    24-1331-06




 1  that bears a reasonable commercial relationship to the

 2  contract and is part of the project specifications or bid

 3  documents, if any. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the monetary

 4  limitation on the extent of the indemnification provided to

 5  the owner of real property by any party in privity of contract

 6  with such owner shall not be less than $1 million per

 7  occurrence, unless otherwise agreed by the parties.

 8  Indemnification provisions in any such agreements, contracts,

 9  or guarantees may not require that the indemnitor indemnify

10  the indemnitee for damages to persons or property caused in

11  whole or in part by any act, omission, or default of a party

12  other than:

13         (a)  The indemnitor;

14         (b)  Any of the indemnitor's contractors,

15  subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, materialmen, or agents of

16  any tier or their respective employees; or

17         (c)  The indemnitee or its officers, directors, agents,

18  or employees. However, such indemnification shall not include

19  claims of, or damages resulting from, gross negligence, or

20  willful, wanton or intentional misconduct of the indemnitee or

21  its officers, directors, agents or employees, or for statutory

22  violation or punitive damages except and to the extent the

23  statutory violation or punitive damages are caused by or

24  result from the acts or omissions of the indemnitor or any of

25  the indemnitor's contractors, subcontractors,

26  sub-subcontractors, materialmen, or agents of any tier or

27  their respective employees.

28         (2)  Any portion of an agreement or contract for or in

29  connection with, or a guarantee of or in connection with, any

30  construction, alteration, repair, or demolition of a building,

31  structure, appurtenance, or appliance, including moving and

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2524
    24-1331-06




 1  excavating associated therewith, between an owner of real

 2  property and an architect, engineer, general contractor,

 3  subcontractor, sub-subcontractor, or materialman, or any

 4  combination thereof, wherein any party referred to in this

 5  subsection undertakes to insure or purchase insurance for the

 6  other party to the agreement, contract, or guarantee for

 7  liability for damages to persons or property caused in whole

 8  or in part by any act, omission, or default of the party to be

 9  insured is void and unenforceable, except that insurance may

10  be purchased to cover the vicarious liability that the party

11  to be insured may have for the actions of the other party to

12  the agreement, contract, or guarantee. A construction contract

13  for a public agency or in connection with a public agency's

14  project may require a party to that contract to indemnify and

15  hold harmless the other party  to the contract, their officers

16  and employees, from liabilities, damages, losses and costs,

17  including, but not limited to, reasonable attorney's fees, to

18  the extent caused by the negligence, recklessness, or

19  intentional wrongful misconduct of the indemnifying party and

20  persons employed or utilized by the indemnifying party in the

21  performance of the construction contract.

22         (3)  This section does not limit indemnity agreements

23  or agreements to insure that are between only an entity

24  regulated by the Public Service Commission or a public agency

25  and an architect, engineer, general contractor, subcontractor,

26  sub-subcontractor, or materialman, if the contract contains a

27  monetary limitation on the extent of the indemnification that

28  bears a reasonable commercial relationship to the contract and

29  is part of any project specifications or bid documents. Except

30  as specifically provided in subsection (2), a construction

31  contract for a public agency or in connection with a public

                                  3

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2524
    24-1331-06




 1  agency's project may not require one party to indemnify,

 2  defend, or hold harmless the other party, its employees,

 3  officers, directors, or agents from any liability, damage,

 4  loss, claim, action, or proceeding, and any such contract

 5  provision is void as against public policy of this state.

 6         (4)  This section does not affect any contracts,

 7  agreements, or guarantees entered into before the effective

 8  date of this section or any renewals thereof.

 9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

10  

11            *****************************************

12                          SENATE SUMMARY

13    Deletes certain exceptions to prohibitions against
      certain indemnification or hold-harmless agreements or
14    agreements to insure certain other parties in
      construction contracts. Provides an exception for certain
15    public utilities and other public agencies.

16  

17  

18  

19  

20  

21  

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  4

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