FL S1034

Insurance carrier representatives attending circuit court mediation must have full settlement authority up to the insurance reserve amount and immediate electronic/telephonic access to someone with authority to settle up to the policy limit or plaintiff's last demand, whichever is less.

Persons with higher settlement authority must be available to teleconference with the mediator upon request, and insurance carriers failing to comply in good faith are subject to sanctions equivalent to failure to appear.

Courts may order third parties with claimed liens or interests in settlement proceeds to attend circuit court mediation if their presence can be compelled by service of process and will facilitate the mediation process.

Third-party representatives must have full authority to settle their lien or asserted interest amount or immediate ability to consult electronically with the person holding such authority, with backup persons available to teleconference with the mediator.

Mediator reports to the court are limited to stating whether a complete agreement, partial agreement, or no agreement was reached, with partial agreements permitted to list only eliminated claims or parties with no additional disclosures.