Committee advances $750,000 jury award relief bill for Patricia Ermini after wellness-check shooting

The Judiciary Committee reported HB6527 favorably after Rep. Hart Lohman described the 2012 incident in Lee County in which deputies entered a home during a wellness check and officers shot Patricia Ermini. Lohman told members that a jury awarded $750,000 and the Lee County Sheriff's Office paid the statutory maximum under state immunity, leaving an outstanding judgment the bill would cover.

Colleen McAllister, Ermini’s attorney, testified in support and said the critical issue in the case was a failure of communication by deputies. McAllister said the officers entered quickly, that the time in the home from entry to shooting spanned only a few seconds and that improved communication might have prevented the shooting: “There would have been no need for the use of the AR-15 had the deputies actually took the time to tell Miss Ermini who they were.”

Rep. Hart Lohman asked for favorable support, describing the payment as long overdue for an 82‑year‑old claimant. Clerks recorded the committee vote and reported HB6527 favorably.

Fiscal context: The sponsor said the jury award was $750,000 and that the county paid the maximum allowed under Florida sovereign-immunity law (reported in committee as $200,000), leaving a reported balance that the claim bill would address.

Next steps: The bill advances to the next stage in the House process. Implementation will require coordination with county and state fiscal offices to process any approved payment and to account for any attorney-fee limitations set by the bill.