Whistleblower Protections for Employees and Independent Contractors of Property Insurers

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the types of relief that courts may order, leaving this aspect open-ended.

Whistleblower Protections for Insurance Workers

This bill creates protections for employees and independent contractors of property insurers who report illegal or unethical activities.

What This Bill Does

• Prevents insurance companies, their agents, and affiliates from punishing workers for reporting violations to the government or media.
• Allows workers to sue if they face punishment after reporting issues within two years of discovering them or four years after the action was taken.

Who It Names or Affects

• Employees and independent contractors working for property insurance companies in Florida.

Terms To Know

Whistleblower

A person who reports illegal or unethical activities within an organization to the public or authorities.

Adverse action

Negative consequences such as firing, demotion, or harassment that a company might take against someone.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only applies to property insurers and their employees or contractors in Florida.
• It does not specify what kind of relief courts can order for whistleblowers.

Official Summary Text

Whistleblower Protections for Employees and Independent Contractors of Property Insurers; Prohibiting property insurers, or their agents or affiliates, from taking adverse actions against employees or contractors for specified reasons; authorizing such employees or contractors to bring a civil action within a specified timeframe, etc.

Current Bill Text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 140

By
Senator Rouson

16-00457A-26 2026140__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to whistleblower protections for
3 employees and independent contractors of property
4 insurers; creating s. 626.9898, F.S.; prohibiting
5 property insurers, or their agents or affiliates, from
6 taking adverse actions against employees or
7 contractors for specified reasons; authorizing such
8 employees or contractors to bring a civil action
9 within a specified timeframe; authorizing a court to
10 order certain relief; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 626.9898, Florida Statutes, is created
15 to read:
16
626.9898 Whistleblower protections for employees and

17
contractors of property insurers.—

18
(1)

Notwithstanding s. 448.102, a property insurer, or any

19
of its agents or affiliates, may not discharge, suspend, demote,

20
threaten, harass, or take any other adverse action against an

21
employee or independent contractor because the employee or

22
independent contractor has, in good faith, disclosed to any

23
governmental agency or the news media an activity,
a
policy, or

24
a
practice of the insurer or its agents or affiliates
which
is

25
in violation of law, constitutes unethical conduct, or involves

26
fraudulent insurance practices.

27
(2)

An employee or independent contractor aggrieved by a

28
violation of this section may bring a civil action in a court of

29
competent jurisdiction within 2 years after discovering that the

30
alleged violation occurred or within 4 years after the adverse

31
action was taken, whichever is earlier.
Such
court may order the

32
relief authorized in s. 448.103(2).

33 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.