FL S0226

Directs the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office to pay $5 million to Ricardo Medrano-Arzate and Eva Chavez-Medrano, parents and personal representatives of Hilda Medrano, who was killed on December 1, 2013, when a sheriff's deputy struck her vehicle

Deputy Joseph Gracie was driving westbound on S.R. 70 at speeds exceeding 95 mph in a 35 mph zone without activating emergency lights or sirens while responding as backup to a minor disturbance, striking the vehicle at 87 mph and killing Hilda Medrano and her cousin

An internal affairs investigation found Deputy Gracie's actions were unbecoming of an officer and violated four standing operating procedures of the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office

A jury awarded $5 million in damages after a 4-day trial, finding Deputy Gracie 88.5 percent liable for the collision, a decision affirmed by the Fourth District Court of Appeal; the Sheriff's Office settled claims for the other two victims but paid nothing toward this award due to statutory liability limits under s. 768.28, Florida Statutes

Attorney fees related to the claim are capped at 25 percent of the amount awarded, and the payment is intended as sole compensation for all present and future claims arising from the incident