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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I neglected to mention that it was Ryan Hatler of our firm who first spotted this issue, so he gets the credit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:#0000A0'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:#0000A0'>Bruce D. Partington</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Clark</span><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Partington</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="mailto:bpartington@cphlaw.com" title="blocked::mailto:bpartington@cphlaw.com"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>bpartington@cphlaw.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Direct: 850-432-1399</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Fax: 850-432-7340</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#1F497D'>*Board Certified in Construction Law</span></i><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:#1F497D'>NOTICE: This e-mail message and any attachments are private communication sent by the law firm of Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond & Stackhouse, and may contain confidential, legally privileged information meant solely for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message, and delete the e-mail and any attachments from your system. Thank you.</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org [mailto:clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Bruce Partington<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, April 26, 2013 12:14 PM<br><b>To:</b> Roberts, Hardy L.; Construction Law Discussion<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [CLC-Discussion] SB 286 - Limitations on Individual DesignProfessional Liability<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Since we’ve all been thoroughly studying this for the last 25 hours (and busily forwarding it to all our design professional clients and those who contract with them), it seems to me that there is a conflict or ambiguity within the bill (or at least one).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>On the one hand, it seeks to limit the individual responsibility of licensees who are acting as the agent or employee of a “business entity” -- but then includes within the definition of “business entity” both traditional liability limiting entities, but also “partnership, limited partnership, proprietorship, . . . .[and] self-employed individual.” It seems to me that the statute can’t do much good in those instances due to the inherent liability under those other forms. In other words, a sole proprietor who would be personally liable for ALL debts and obligations of the proprietorship would seem still to be liable since a proprietor does not employ himself or herself, and cannot be his/her own “agent.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Or, would the statute be construed to essentially eliminate claims for “solely economic” damages against design professionals? It’s not written that way, but that would seem the only alternative construction that would give some meaning or value to partnerships, sole proprietorships, and “self employed individual.” But, given that this elimination of economic damages claims would have to be <u>inferred</u> run afoul of the access to courts provision of the Florida Constitution (despite the staff analysis). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>I’d welcome the thoughts of others on this and any other issues on the bill.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:#0000A0'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:#0000A0'>Bruce D. Partington</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Clark</span><span style='color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Partington</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="mailto:bpartington@cphlaw.com" title="blocked::mailto:bpartington@cphlaw.com"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>bpartington@cphlaw.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Direct: 850-432-1399</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Fax: 850-432-7340</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#1F497D'>*Board Certified in Construction Law</span></i><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:#1F497D'>NOTICE: This e-mail message and any attachments are private communication sent by the law firm of Clark Partington Hart Larry Bond & Stackhouse, and may contain confidential, legally privileged information meant solely for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. Please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message, and delete the e-mail and any attachments from your system. Thank you.</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> <a href="mailto:clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org">clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org</a> [<a href="mailto:clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org">mailto:clc-discussion-bounces@lists.flabarrpptl.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Roberts, Hardy L.<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, April 25, 2013 11:03 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'Construction Law Discussion'<br><b>Subject:</b> [CLC-Discussion] SB 286 - Limitations on Individual DesignProfessional Liability<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>CLC’ers,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For your information, I understand Governor Scott signed the attached bill into law yesterday.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hardy<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><img border=0 width=190 height=53 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01CE4279.3EB92480" alt="Carlton Fields"><br>Hardy L. Roberts</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><br>Attorney at Law / Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar<br>4221 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Ste. 1000<br>Tampa, Florida 33607-5780 <br>Direct: 813.229.4105 | Fax: 813.229.4133<br><br><a href="mailto:hroberts@carltonfields.com">hroberts@carltonfields.com</a> | <a href="http://www.carltonfields.com/">www.carltonfields.com</a> <br><a href="http://www.carltonfields.com/hroberts/">bio</a> | <a href="http://www.carltonfields.com/load.vcf?type=atty&id=49fd8f5b-3f72-45c2-9ca7-83799b9c8b29">vcard</a> <br><br><i>Confidential: This e-mail contains a communication protected by the attorney-client privilege or constitutes work product. If you do not expect such a communication please delete this message without reading it or any attachment and then notify the sender of this inadvertent delivery.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>