Second District Court asked to lift judge’s block on Florida property insurance arbitrations

By Brendon Leslie
Published Oct. 27, 2025, 1:44 p.m. ET | Updated Oct. 27, 2025

Homes in Miami Beach, Fla., June 14, 2021. (Photo/Chris Norberg, Unsplash)

TAMPA, Fla. – Attorneys representing the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, or DOAH, have asked the Second District Court of Appeal to lift a judge’s order that is halting hundreds of property insurance arbitrations across Florida.

The halted cases involve policyholders with Citizens Property Insurance, which is using a new law designed to speed up claims and help lower insurance costs.

Attorney Jason Gonzalez of Lawson Huck Gonzalez, who is representing DOAH in the filing, highlighted the impact the order has on policyholders.

“The trial court’s injunction order is particularly troubling because it violates contractual and statutory rights of our client and many others who were not parties to the case and had no opportunity to be heard and defend their rights,” Gonzalez said.

William Large, president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute said Floridians are paying the price for the delay.

“Citizens wants to arbitrate claims and pay its policyholders under a new law designed to streamline the claims process and lower insurance premiums, but a single judge exceeded her jurisdiction and it’s causing unfortunate delays and expense for Floridians,” Large said.

DOAH, the state agency responsible for conducting arbitrations for Citizens policyholders, filed a petition in the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland. The petition seeks to prevent the trial court judge from overstepping her jurisdiction.

The filing argues that the injunction was flawed for several reasons including:

•  The judge blocked arbitrations without notifying DOAH or Citizens, which violates basic legal rules.

•  The judge did not include key parties in the case, like DOAH and the 390 policyholders, making the order legally questionable.

•  The judge ignored the requirement to notify the Florida Attorney General of a constitutional challenge.

DOAH says these mistakes are disrupting a state program meant to quickly handle insurance claims and keep costs down for Floridians.

The Second District Court of Appeal can either ask the judge to explain her decision or act quickly to restore the arbitration process.

If the injunction is lifted, Citizens can continue processing claims under the law, reducing delays for homeowners and policyholders across the state.

https://flvoicenews.com/second-district-court-asked-to-lift-judges-block-on-florida-property-insurance-arbitrations/