Aug 22, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial · Florida · SOL · YMYL

Florida’s two-year personal-injury clock is not a rumor

The 2023 amendments to § 95.11 changed the default. If you were hurt after the effective date, waiting “until the bills settle” is how files die.

Last checked Sep 1, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial. Educational only, not legal advice.

For decades Florida plaintiffs had four years on a typical negligence claim. HB 837, effective March 24, 2023, cut the general negligence limitations period to two years. That is Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a) in the 2026 compilation (the 2023 session law numbered it (4)(a)).

Claims that accrued before the amendment can still sit on the old clock. Claims that accrued after it do not. Accrual is a legal word: usually the date of injury, sometimes later if the injury was latent. Do not guess.

Medical malpractice, wrongful death, and contracts keep their own subsections. Use the SOL tracker, then have a lawyer confirm the subsection that actually applies.

LawyerUnc last checked the cited session law and statute text on 1 September 2026. Statutes move. Recheck.