Bill Text: FL S0022 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relief/Estate of Cesar Solomon/JTA
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-05 - Placed on Special Order Calendar, 05/05/11 [S0022 Detail]
Download: Florida-2011-S0022-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2011 (NP) SB 22 By Senator Hill 1-00015A-11 201122__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act for the relief of the Estate of Cesar Solomon 3 by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority; 4 providing for an appropriation to compensate the 5 Estate of Cesar Solomon for Mr. Solomon’s death, which 6 was the result of negligence by a bus driver of the 7 Jacksonville Transportation Authority; providing a 8 limitation on the payment of fees and costs; providing 9 an effective date. 10 11 WHEREAS, on March 25, 2008, Cesar Solomon, in the course of 12 his employment by the City of Jacksonville, was standing in the 13 bucket of an aerial lift truck while changing a traffic signal 14 bulb at the intersection of Commonwealth and Melson Avenues, and 15 WHEREAS, at the same time Gwendolyn Wells Mordecai, while 16 in the course and scope of her employment, was driving a bus 17 owned and operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority 18 and crashed the bus into the aerial lift truck, knocking Cesar 19 Solomon out of the bucket to his death, and 20 WHEREAS, the Estate of Cesar Solomon filed a lawsuit 21 against the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Gwendolyn 22 Wells Mordecai, and Jax Transit Management for negligence, and 23 WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Jax 24 Transit Management acknowledged that Gwendolyn Wells Mordecai 25 was responsible for the accident and that Cesar Solomon was not 26 comparatively negligent, and 27 WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority entered 28 into a stipulated judgment in favor of the Estate of Cesar 29 Solomon for $1.25 million and acknowledged that a jury likely 30 would have entered a multi-million-dollar verdict if the lawsuit 31 had proceeded to trial, and 32 WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has paid 33 $200,000 to the Estate of Cesar Solomon, the maximum amount 34 authorized under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes, and 35 WHEREAS, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has 36 agreed to remain neutral and not take any action adverse to the 37 pursuit of a claim bill by the Estate of Cesar Solomon to 38 authorize and direct the Jacksonville Transportation Authority 39 to pay the remaining $1.05 million pursuant to the stipulated 40 judgment, NOW, THEREFORE, 41 42 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 43 44 Section 1. The facts stated in the preamble to this act are 45 found and declared to be true. 46 Section 2. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is 47 authorized and directed to appropriate from funds of the 48 authority not otherwise appropriated and to draw warrants to pay 49 $1.05 million to the Estate of Cesar Solomon as compensation for 50 the death of Cesar Solomon. Each warrant shall be in the amount 51 of $350,000 and shall be paid annually for 3 years. 52 Section 3. The amount paid by the Jacksonville 53 Transportation Authority pursuant to s. 768.28, Florida 54 Statutes, and this award are intended to provide compensation 55 for all present and future claims arising out of the factual 56 situation that resulted in the death of Cesar Solomon as 57 described in this act. The total amount paid for attorney’s 58 fees, lobbying fees, costs, and other similar expenses relating 59 to this claim may not exceed 25 percent of the amount awarded 60 under this act. 61 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.