Sam Leschins
For pedestrians in Florida, looking both ways before crossing the street is sometimes just not enough.
Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, filed SB 92 on Feb. 28 to make identifying drivers responsible for hit-and-runs easier for law enforcement. Gruters cited the bill as the Lilly Glaubach Act, which pays homage to the 13-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Gruters’ district in 2022.
In Gainesville, the stories of Margaret Paxton and Sophia Lambert still echo throughout the University of Florida community.
Paxton and Lambert, who were both UF students at the time of their deaths, were killed in separate pedestrian crashes on University Avenue in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. The driver who killed Paxton was charged with a hit-and-run and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence.
After Paxton and Lambert were killed, UF students took action. Florida Not One More was formed, a “student-led group united to pressure those in power to take action to make our roads safe,” according to the chapter’s Instagram.
Since its founding in 2021, the chapter has successfully advocated for a UF Student Government resolution commemorating Paxton and Lambert. The unanimous resolution also requires pedestrian safety to be taught during UF orientation.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in 2024, there were 692 fatalities from pedestrian crashes and 245 fatalities from hit-and-run crashes throughout the state.
For Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo of Hollywood, passing the bill is a necessary step toward justice for the families of hit-and-run victims.
“While law enforcement was able to apprehend the suspects responsible for the deaths of Lilly Glaubach, the 13-year-old victim who this bill is named after, and Anthony Reznik, an 11-year-old boy who was similarly struck and killed in a hit-and-run in Sen. Pizzo’s district, this bill would further assist law enforcement in bringing justice to future victims and their families,” said Vincent Toranzo, a Pizzo staffer, in an email.
“Additionally, by creating a reporting mechanism for vehicle damages valued or exceeding $2,500, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be empowered to potentially assist local law enforcement agencies in solving hit-and-run cases.”
Gainesville-based personal injury lawyer Steven A. Bagen does not see the reporting mechanism as a fair measure.
“I would be tremendously concerned with the invasiveness of yet another database that invades everyone’s privacy,” said Bagen, who is the founder of Bagen Law and has been in private practice for over 40 years. “The number of times the database would work is microscopic, and I don’t believe it would be worth it in terms of its invasiveness and cost.”
Bagen said a mechanism already exists that allows law enforcement to communicate with repair shops regarding specific suspects or vehicles. He added that the vast majority of hit-and-run crashes in Florida go unsolved.
Pizzo sees how the bill can help crack down on uninsured motorists. According to Pizzo’s Office, 26% of Florida motorists are uninsured, a figure that Pizzo said is disastrous. The rate can be as high as 40% in Miami-Dade County alone.
“Removing uninsured motorists off our streets will not only make our roads safer but also lower insurance costs for Floridians,” his Office said.
Pizzo “voted for the bill and will continue to support this legislation because keeping our streets safe will always be his top priority,” Toranzo said.
Former Sen. Kevin Rader, a Boca Raton Democrat, agrees with Pizzo and wants hit-and-run drivers to be held accountable.
“Even though most hit-and-runs go unsolved, I think the Legislature needs to do whatever it can to increase the percentage of the drivers held responsible for these outrageous crimes,” Rader said. “Especially when there are pedestrians, let alone students, who are at significant risk.”
Regarding the reporting mechanism, Rader said that law enforcement should have all the tools necessary to curb hit-and-run drivers available to them.
The bill has received unanimous support from two committees in the Legislature: the Commerce and Tourism Committee and the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government. According to Toranzo, legislators are expected to continue supporting the bill should it proceed to a floor vote.
The bill is a welcome development for UF senior Joshua Perper. In 2023, Perper was behind the wheel when he was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. He said he was stopped at a red light when the other vehicle hit him while going about 40 mph.
After the crash, law enforcement arrived on the scene and facilitated the exchange of documents between the drivers once first responders moved the vehicles to the side of the road. Perper said he was grateful to law enforcement for the assistance.
Perper, who later sued the driver who hit him, was glad that he was not waiting months on end for crucial information that would have hindered his ability to seek recourse.
Perper said he supports the bill and wants the Legislature to take additional measures to improve safety for all people.
“Florida should have stronger legislation to protect hit-and-run victims, pedestrians and anyone who could be hurt by a motor vehicle,” Perper said. “We need to do what we can to make sure that deadly crashes already at this rate are not exponentially increasing.”
